Colwyn Bay

Colwyn Bay Football Club announced last night that they they have now taken the decision to rejoin the Welsh Football System. They have been in discussions in recent weeks about a return to Wales and have now reached the decision.

From the BBC Sport website:

Colwyn Bay are to leave the English pyramid and return to the Welsh leagues to ease financial worries.

The Seagulls currently play in Northern Premier League Division One West.

The club’s shareholders voted in favour of joining the Welsh leagues following a meeting on Thursday.

“My main concern was that the club survived and the only way that was going to happen was by going into the Welsh system,” said chairman Bill Murray.

"If we stay in England we won’t survive as a club.

“The immediate task is to focus on seeing out the remainder of the season, and then work starts in earnest on formulating a plan to take the club forward.”

The club are set to submit an application to the Football Association of Wales in the next week and will discover on 29 March to which tier of the Welsh system they will be allocated.

The Bay left the Welsh football league after the 1983-84 season.

In 1991 the club was ordered to cease playing in Wales by the Football Association of Wales after refusing to join the League of Wales and were forced to play in exile in Northwich and Ellesmere Port.

But they were allowed to return to their Llanelian Road home in 1994 after winning a High Court case against the FAW.