Rob Edwards:

Further to today’s announcement, we are delighted with the outcome of our appeal, resulting in the club being granted a Tier 1 Licence in addition to the UEFA Licence it was awarded earlier this month.

However, we were surprised and disappointed to not be awarded a Tier 1 Licence in the first instance. Contrary to comments made accusing the club of poor planning, sleepwalking into this situation or not being aware of the licensing requirements, we were in communication with the Football Association of Wales over a number of months detailing our legal situation, and outlining various options to meet the required criteria.

In contrast to what was written in the Western Telegraph, even with broken seats removed for the purposes of safety, we still met the required number of covered seats. However, with those seats removed we did not meet the minimum stadium capacity of 1,500 – which includes safe standing.

Unfortunately, despite discussing workable solutions, this did not result in us being granted a Tier 1 Licence in the first instance, but we have now satisfied the FAW Licensing Board and remain a JD Cymru Premier side.

I was disappointed by a number of negative comments on social media regarding the club’s operations, but I hope this outcome will appease any concerns about our ability to run the club effectively. The minor works required have already started, and will be completed over the coming weeks.

I would like to thank Georgina Nicholas (Chief Executive), Julie Legrice (Club Secretary), Tony Pennock (First Team Manager) and Tim Burgin (Stadium Safety Expert), along with Neil Humphreys and Philip Nicholas, and my Board for their hard work and support over the last few weeks to ensure we could satisfy the Licensing Appeals Body.

I am also very grateful for the numerous messages from fans and partners offering their support, and to the players for not allowing the off-field noise to affect their on-field performances, which have been very good over the last few months.

The legal case regarding the early dilapidation of the stand is one I inherited, and is ongoing, and I am not in a position to provide any further information at this point, other than we are doing all we can to ensure a quick and favourable outcome.

We can now put this situation behind us and look forward to what will be an exciting play-off competition, as we give ourselves a real chance of competing in Europe next season and continue to push this wonderful club forward.

Diolch and Uppa Blues 💙