Welsh Rugby Union Championship side Pontypool announced it will be leaving its "historic" Pontypool Park home "at the earliest opportunity" after failing to come to an agreement with Torfaen Council over the enclosing of the club's rugby facility, according to Anthony Woolford of WALES ONLINE. The team held an "urgent" meeting on Tuesday night to confirm the announcement. One of Welsh rugby's "most seminal clubs" is "thought to have identified an alternative site on the edge of the town" to create a purpose-built venue following "numerous incidents" of anti-social behavior at the Torfaen Council-owned ground. Pontypool CEO Ben Jeffreys said in a statement, "As a management, at times we have to make difficult decisions, but everything we do is in the best interests of the rugby club." Jeffreys added, "Pontypool RFC will therefore be leaving Pontypool Park at the earliest opportunity. This is a devastating blow to the thousands of Pontypool RFC fans that have called Pontypool Park home since 1945. ... The ground has now become a haven for destructive anti-social behaviour" (WALES ONLINE, 7/18). The BBC's Kate Morgan reported the club said that an agreement dating back to 1920 "prevents a permanent fence being built around the ground as it must be open to the public." It said that over the last five years, more than 200 seats "have been destroyed in the stands and volunteers have had to remove drug paraphernalia and human excrement." Pontypool said that it has been "committed to doing everything possible" to remain at the ground and was willing to spend up to £1M ($1.3M) renewing the facilities (BBC, 7/17).
