Mar 12 2009 by Andrew Harrison, Glamorgan Gazette

CONTROL of Bridgend’s Brewery Field has changed hands in what rugby league supremo Leighton Samuel hailed as a “brilliant deal”.
A company made up of Bridgend Town Football Club and Bridgend Ravens RFC now holds the lease on the ground.
And the Ravens hope to buy 50% of the lease outright with financial support from the WRU.
Brewery Field Ltd took on responsibility for the famous stadium last Friday after eight weeks of negotiations between the football club, the Ravens and ground owners Bridgend County Borough Council.
And the new company has plans to renovate the ground with former Ospreys director of rugby, Kevin Hopkins, appointed stadium manager.
“The company intends to shortly put into place works of improvement and renovation to upgrade the premises generally, including bringing back into use the family enclosure,” said a Brewery Field Ltd spokesman.
“A number of changes are being considered to the way in which the facility is being operated and will be announced to the Gazette shortly.”
Mr Samuel’s firm Dekor surrendered the lease to BCBC after accepting a total offer of £500,000 from the football club, made up of £100,000 for the lease plus £400,000 for the associated buildings.
Bridgend AFC used cash received from the sale of their old Coychurch Road home to supermarket chain Asda.
A rent of £7,500 per year has been agreed with the lease running for 25 years. BCBC was unhappy at an initial rent offer of £1,500 as Mr Samuel was paying £8,928 per year at the time of surrendering the lease.
But Brewery Field Ltd has been allowed get-out clauses as the football are still keen on a move to a sporting village at Island Farm should ambitious plans be granted.
The Ravens and Super League side Celtic Crusaders will continue to play at the Brewery Field under licences issued to them by the new company. BCBC hopes Bridgend Town will also play home matches at the ground if a new synthetic 3G or 4G pitch can be laid.
Mr Samuel, who remains Celtic Crusaders chairman, told the Gazette : “The cost of the ground and maintenance meant we were paying out a considerable amount. Brewery Field Ltd will be able to do a better job. We were trying to run it on a matchday basis but didn’t push the social side.
“The Brewery Field is a good stadium but an old one and takes a lot of running. I’m glad that someone has taken it on who can run it to its full capabilities. From our perspective, it’s a brilliant deal.”

It's an Outrage!

just to wrap up one loose end in this story>>>>

rlhttp://www.walesonline.co.uk/sports/grassroots/bridgend-maesteg-sport/2009/03/19/bridgend-ravens-secure-future-with-50-control-of-field-lease-91466-23176432/rl

So I see Smurf, under a thinly disguised pseudonym has been spreading his mischief here too eh?

This was a deal that all parties hailed as a good one. I won't go into the nitty gritty here, but the Cru have a guarantee of 5 years rent-free playing at the BF. The Cru will fix up the old place in lieu of payment and bar profits go to the stadium company.

In 3 years we will all (Cru, Ravens & Bridge FC) be moving to the new sports village to be built at Island Farm - a place with its own history as a POW camp in WWII for the highest ranking German prisoners.

Cant wait for the new place to be built

Firefly half - Smwrff is not a pseudonym, but a Welsh spelling of my usual name - Smurf - which I can not register on this site as someone has already taken it (probably me!!).

If you want to take every one of my posts as negative - so be it - but the records dont show it.

I prefer RU to RL but am fully behind the Crusaders and am as disappointed bout tonights result as you!!