(GARW S.B.G.C.)
By Michael Lambert, Chairman.
Garw SBGC is an amalgamated Club, formed in 1993 from the merger of Garw Athletic AFC and the old Garw 33 Boys Club.
The Boys Club, known affectionately throughout the Garw Valley and beyond as “The 33”, began life in 1961 at a small base provided by the Ocean Colliery just off Blaengarw Square, at the head of the mining valley. The Club operated football teams for boys aged 10 upward, playing in the local Bridgend & District League, as well as snooker and table tennis, all crammed into a building which, looking back, seems hardly big enough for a Committee meeting!
Even so, the Club was able to tap into a huge wellspring of local talent, and within a few years a string of Garw lads had become Boys Clubs of Wales internationals at different levels. The walls of the little Clubhouse were filled with photos of successful teams, many of which now adorn the Club Office at Blandy Park. Matches were played at Carn Park, where our Under-16 and Under-14 sides still play today, and where generations of players (including this writer) picked up black scars on our knees from the coal under the grass, which most of us still carry today!
By the early 1990’s, however, with the closure of the Colliery and the development of a new OAP Centre, the Club was forced to move to the newly-built Pontycymmer Leisure Centre, off Ffaldau Square, with a promise of perpetual use from the local Council. Within a few years, however, that promise was broken and the Club found itself without a home. Merger with the Athletic Club was the only way to save it from extinction, and thus Garw SBGC was born.
Today, the Club is a thriving concern, with football for kids from Under-7 up to Welsh League being provided under the management of a single Committee, made up of team coaches, former players and interested people who wish to contribute to the Club. This year, for the first time, there is also a Ladies Football Team, for anyone aged 12 upward, there is darts, pool and snooker for younger members at the small premises under the Spar in Pontycymmer, and netball for girls at the Leisure Centre. The Club uses both Blandy and Carn Parks for teams from 12 upward, and the “Cabbage Patch” behind Alexandra Road for mini-football. Training for all ages through the Winter is in the Indoor Hall at the Leisure Centre, and at the main grounds and the Cabbage Patch during Spring and late Summer.
There are plans to resurrect summer cricket and possibly baseball this year.
The Club depends on a variety of sources for funding. In addition to grants and subsidies, all young members are charged a £2 weekly subscription. Older players pay into the Club’s “100 Club” scheme, which is also sold heavily to relatives, friends and supporters. Fundraising events, many taking place at senior sides’ base at the Vetz Snooker Club in Oxford Street, Pontycymmer, provide extra funds, as do advertising from local businesses as shirt sponsors, programme and pitchside advertising at Blandy.
Every year, the younger players (under-7 to under-11) have a prizegiving party, at which every single child who played for a team during that year gets a trophy. Older children and the senior teams, of course, compete for Player of the Year and Players’ Player awards in a ceremony of their own. Other regular events include a kids’ Christmas party and occasional under-16 discos at Blaengarw Workmen’s Hall.
As for the future, there are a number of potential avenues for the Club to explore over the next few years. The Institute at Pontycymmer, formerly owned by the local Miners, was left to the Club when the last Miners organisations closed down and this looks set to provide the Club with a considerable sum, which must be put toward a new home for the Boys & Girls Club. The Committee are looking at possible new premises and are discussing increased use of the Leisure Centre with the Borough Council. Another long-term goal is the refurbishment or replacement of the changing rooms at Blandy, which many feel are not now up to Welsh League standard.
The Welsh League side, having gone from possible disbandment to third in the Second Division in just a few months, is bringing the Club back into prominence locally, and membership of the mini-football and Junior sides is thriving.
New members are welcome at any time. The First and Second Team managers can be contacted via Paul James on 01656 871 906 and contact details for the Junior and Mini-football team coaches can also be obtained from Paul. The Spar Boys & Girls Club details are available from Jackie and Paul Harris on 01656 871 670. Join now!
