Merlins Bridge football club have played their last game at The Racecourse and looking forward to our pastures new.

Merlins Bridge entered the Pembrokeshire league back in 1963/64 when the home ground was at Merlins Bridge Playing Field. The Bridge had 17 seasons in the playing fields before moving to the Lower Racecourse in September 1981.

The Lower Racecourse has brought the club a lot of success over the years, including league titles, cups, including the West Wales Cup, senior cups and other divisional cups. Although it’s a sad time, leaving so many memories behind, there are very exciting times ahead.
 

Short-stay spell at The Pembrokeshire Sports Village . . .

This season all senior home games are going to be played at The Pembrokeshire Sports Village. This is the brand new custom built 4G pitch being built at Haverfordwest High School and will be ready for the beginning of the season.

The club are absolutely delighted to be able to make use of such a great facility. This offers us a full season of home games not being called off, changing rooms, barrier around the pitch and hard standing for supporters. The club would like personally thank Pembrokeshire County Council for their help and support during this time and accommodating the clubs needs.

. . . And then ‘back home

Then for season 2023/24, all going well the club, will be playing all their games back where it all started many a decade ago in Merlins Bridge.  To get to this point the club owe a lot of thanks to Councillor John Cole as well as both councils in Merlins Bridge for their time, support and funding towards this project.

We would also like to thank Kelly Ellis for sorting the paperwork side of things and Kevin Thomas our junior chairman / secretary for all his time and effort spent on this project.  Kevin and his wife Karen have been running the junior section of this club for many years. Over the past few seasons the club have produced some very talented footballers at senior level and this comes down to Kevin’s dedication towards junior football.
 

Fine facilities envisaged

Once the clubhouse and pitch in Merlins Bridge is completed this will offer the club four changing rooms, two home, two away, referees’ dressing room and a club room. A fenced-in pitch will be laid to a very high standard. This is phase one. Phase two will see a second pitch added.

Chairman Jason Chapman said,
 “As a club we are taking big steps in securing a great future for all our teams, from grassroots football right up to our senior teams. We as a club acknowledge how important our juniors are and can’t thank Kevin Thomas enough for his hard work over the years. To everyone involved in the project and making it possible for the club a massive thank you. Our current circumstances see us renting the pitch and changing rooms but  looking forward to the day when we go back home and make it a fortress”.

The club will be looking for match day sponsors for this season coming and anybody wishing to sponsor a game please get in contact.

Last Tuesday night (12^th) saw the seniors start their pre-season training.  Session to be held on the junior pitches at (7pm) opposite Travis & Perkins in Portfield, with everybody welcome.