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FAW offer Merthyr Town up to £6M to quit English pyramid for Cymru Premier as part of revamp

The FAW offer Merthyr Town up to £6M to quit the English pyramid for a switch to the Cymru Premier as part of their huge revamp.

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) are pushing on with strategic plans to enhance the competitiveness of the Cymru Premier, including substantial investments in league infrastructure and format changes for future seasons.

Merthyr Town FC is a fan-owned, non league club based in Wales, currently playing in the English football system, currently top of the Southern League – Premier South (7th tier of English football) with 57 points from 25 games played and are 9 points clear of second place AFC Totton.

BBC Sport have seen an offer from The FAW, trying to get Merthyr to leave the English non-league system and join the expanded Cymru Premier, the top tier of Welsh football, in 2026.

As a fan-owned club, members are expected to vote on the proposal – originally made last November – by the end of January.

The Welsh football governing body have sent a letter to owners where they outlined:

– Compensation Merthyr would get for leaving the English system and incentives for joining the Cymru Premier

– Would commit £2m towards improving the infrastructure of Merthyr’s Penydarren Park

– To double that amount to £4m by securing match funding from government bodies and local authorities

– FAW says would guarantee Merthyr an annual payment of £250,000 over five years for competing in the Cymru Premier, plus an additional £30,000 for the 2026-27 season for any drop in attendances

– £25,000 put towards Merthyr’s 4G pitch fund, up to £40,000 for the installation of a new television gantry

– A total financial package worth £5.95m

The plans are as part of revamping the league, expanding to 16 teams with a new end-of-season split into three divisions from 2026-27.

But can the generous financial package tempt Merthyr away from English football, at a time they’re flying, not only is their place in the English pyramid unique, but their unstoppable form is seeing them potentially promoted to the 6th tier, in the National League South.

A crowd of 1,744 were in attendance at Merthyr for the 1-1 draw with AFC Totton.

Merthyr say they will not comment on the financial incentives offered by the FAW until discussing the matter at a club board meeting next week.

Meanwhile, fans have raised concerns over recent talks of Welsh EFL clubs entering the Welsh League Cup as a route to qualifying for European football.

The proposal for Welsh EFL clubs (Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport) to enter the Welsh League Cup, currently known as the Nathaniel MG Cup, is a strategic move to enhance their chances of qualifying for European football competition. The winners would secure a place in the European Conference League. Clubs all approve of the proposals.

They will however sacrifice the right to qualify through English competitions should they ever go on to win English cup finals or finish in the European qualifying spots in the Premier League.

Now a national body for football supporters have revealed that there are “broad” concerns over those plans…

Fans raise concerns over talks of Welsh EFL clubs entering Welsh League Cup for European football

Here’s how fans reacted as the FAW offer Merthyr Town up to £6M to quit English pyramid for Cymru Premier as part of a revamp…

@mattmartyr: Nah. Why can’t they use this cash to support clubs in Tier 2/3 with their ground criteria? Instead of teams winning leagues and getting refused promotion because of a fence and a refs shower? Bit shambolic really

@RhysG971: Could they give the 6 mill to the clubs already in the league?

@markccfc70: So we’re going to ignore the licensing process that every club in tiers 1-3 have to go through, and tier 4 to get into tier 3. Great news.

@ozziemold53: Shocking. All the clubs should hold back on next seasons affiliation fees and boycott the Welsh cup and let’s see what happens then.

@OliverSamos2: I’d suggest 90% of the clubs would swap with @MerthyrTownFC if they had the opportunity!

@nigeljbircham: April 1st is it ???? Absolute disgrace. That’s 6 3G pitches for grassroots football a subject they give lip service to only.

@BOSH1831: I reckon this 6m should go to Penydarren BGC so they can climb the leagues to the Cymru Premier. Merthyr Town fans will be happy as they’ll be able to stay put and the FAW will be happy because Merthyr will have a team in the Cymru Premier. Everyone wins.

@NotoriousGav_: Turn it down and take their chances getting promoted to the football league.

@Cianevans280702: Give the money to the teams who actually play in the league instead

@AndrewProt1968: Let Aberdare back in the league that you ribbed us of our place. We will do it for half million

@DafyddOrnstein: Putting the same amount of money into the league as trying to get one team to join “Sporting integrity” 😂

@TIMLEWIS1985: Once again the FA don’t let anything trivial like sporting integrity get in the way of their ambition. How many clubs in Wales would have requested these grants to meet the criteria for promotion to the WPL but be denied under the licensing system?

@RichLido: Any chance they can offer £6 million to the clubs that are currently trying to sustain or attain top tier status in their own system rather than use a significant proportion of their budget to entice a club that doesn’t give a fuck?

@MattShooman: Wtaf? F*** that – spread that £6m across the cymru north and south clubs to help with promotion requirements . This surely is a joke?

@NeathJack1: The FAW need to reduce their glue intake.

@Mared_Rhys: £6m conveniently being made available out of nowhere 🤔 Why not use that money to invest in the clubs already in the Welsh pyramid?

@RhysSubstation: As much as would like @MerthyrTownFC to join the @CymruLeagues this is the wrong way to do it. They will become a target. That money should be distributed equally. Imagine how many Tier 2 clubs would be able to get a tier 1 license with that investment. That’s how you improve

@RhysJoness: Why don’t the clubs who are already part of the league and actually WANT to be here get the funding? This feels wrong. Bowing down to the exile clubs and ignoring the genuinely great football clubs already in the domestic game. What a bizarre, worrying week for Welsh football.

@jamie7reed: How ever much I think it would be great to Have another big club with a good fan base….. the FAW have let other massive clubs go bust, without an ounce of help. £6m is ludicrous, it’s like saying come to the league and we will guarantee you Europe.

@john_mcal: Or here’s a better idea. Give them nothing. Spend the 6 million on sorting your shit out and help out clubs who actually want to represent Welsh domestic football!

@AlwynSheep: Bit of a kick in the teeth for the clubs who already play there.

@seansean____: I know they’ll say no, and fully support them on that, but £6m for a team operating in the 7th tier is an insane offer. The rest of the Welsh domestic scene must be livid that sort of money is on offer to teams outside the pyramid.

@StandUpForBarry: Why would you join a league where “sporting integrity” is an empty platitude? nOr am I a blocker of Welsh football progress for asking that as well, @NoelMooney13? 😆 The @FAWales and @CymruLeagues clowns can’t successfully run what they have now.

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