A NEW era dawned at Park Avenue on Friday evening with the long-awaited official launch of Aberystwyth Town’s new £660,000 UEFA-standard synthetic 3G football pitch.

A bumper crowd of 1,168 - the biggest at the club in over 15 years - turned out to support the Seasiders as they beat Rhyl 4-0 in their first Welsh Premier League match on the new playing surface.

The club had been hoping for a big crowd of around 750, but the supporters kept coming until the ticker reached four figures, with queues going around the block before kick-off.

The new facility, funded by UEFA and the FAW’s Hat Trick fund, is the culmination of three years’ work by club officials, and is a project that is set to transform the club into a seven-days-a-week business.

The opening ceremony held in the John Charles Lounge before the match, was attended by over 150 dignitaries, and chairman Tony Bates, the driving force behind the ambitious project, said the facility was for the benefit of the whole community.

The club is encouraging local clubs, schools and university groups to take advantage of the state-of-the-art all-weather surface.

“I am thrilled that after overcoming so many hurdles, this project has finally come to fruition,” said Mr Bates.

“There is no question that the club and wider community will all benefit greatly from this much-needed facility."

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