Wales coach Gatland, who is currently on sabbatical to take charge of the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia this summer, and WRU chief executive Lewis, were special guests at the ceremonial event to mark the relocation to a new club house of the 125 year old SWALEC league division four south-west outfit.
Funded by a core development grant from the WRU, money allocated by the Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust and the Waterloo foundation, work has begun on a new clubhouse at Cefn, the idea for which was first mooted in club Committee Minutes of 1961.
Lewis happens to be president of the club, but it has been the hard work of committee members behind the scenes who have secured almost £60,000 worth of the kind of funding available to all WRU member clubs, over the past five years and made this 50-year-old plan become a modern reality.
“Cefn have been smart in the way they have worked to source funding and all the hard work they have done has paid dividends as we can see today,” said Mr Lewis.
“This new base will make a real and physical difference not only to the club, but to the local community, and the corporate message from me to all of our member clubs is that this could be you.
“The WRU wants everyone involved in the community game to be fully aware of the available funding streams which have resulted in almost £27 million being received by rugby clubs across Wales from the governing body over the past five years, with Cefn being an excellent example of how to do it.”
The ceremony was also attended by a unique local VIP, Mr. D. Teify Davies, who at 92-years-old, is Cefn’s oldest surviving player. He also coached the Cefn invincibles side of the 1950s.
“It was a particular pleasure to have Warren Gatland and Roger Lewis here to support this great community project in Cefn, not least because we now have on record Warren’s commitment to ensure the club is represented by two players in his Lions’ squad this summer,” said Paul Wintle, Honorary General Secretary, Cefn Cribwr RFC.
“We will hold Warren to that although it may be too late for Teify, who was courted by Cardiff rugby club in his prime. But his family in particular were instrumental in realising the need for an Athletic Club in Cefn, his brother Roy was a WRU representative that gained Cefn RFC’s full WRU status back in 1972 and he deserves our gratitude.
“There is also the Bridgend County Borough Council and cllr David Sage, Deputy Leader, to thank – their officers have worked tirelessly across all departments to ensure that we have access to the relevant land.
“An array of local sponsors and benefactors, including Darlow Lloyd Construction Ltd, have also provided support and committed themselves to this community project.
“But we particularly owe a debt to the club’s current committee who have brought this project to fruition.
“The current club opened in 1964, but the need for a club house at the playing fields was first recognised by the Committee Minutes of 1961, so those intrepid people will be delighted with today’s peer group now that this is actually happening ….even if it is 52 years late!”
Cefn Cribwr rugby club will relocate to its new club house at the Cae Gof playing fields in Cefn in time to celebrate the 125 year anniversary of its existence next season and Lewis hopes more of the 300 plus member clubs of the WRU will be able follow suit.
“It is vital that all our member clubs take full advantage of areas of financial support which can help them develop and bolster the sustainability we all strive for,” added Lewis.
“To create and maintain a sustainable and developing community game is a declared priority of the Welsh Rugby Union and will remain the focus of the governing body.
“Grassroots rugby identifies and nurtures the raw talent which feeds our elite development pathway structure while the rugby club is the community hub which ensures we remain at the heart of Welsh culture as the national sport of Wales.
“We have identified the organisations and funding streams which can assist us in our aims and we want all the clubs of Wales to benefit from the work we have done so far.
“A flourishing grassroots eventually feeds the senior national squad which generates the funding streams which support our game.”
