By Dai
September 5 2003

Celtic Warriors backer Leighton Samuel has spoken out about the financial problems at Pontypridd and has put a proposal forward to Pontypridd for him to take sole control of the region - A move which would see an end to top class rugby in Pontypridd

Leighton Samuel has put a proposal to Pontypridd's directors which would see him taking sole control of the Warriors and if accepted by Pontypridd would more than likely see games being moved from Sardis Road to the Brewery Field or possibly other grounds in the region in an effort to cut costs.

Samuel has said that season ticket sales for the region have been appalling and the sales of season tickets haven't even met the bottom figure which they set. We believe that the sales of season tickets have only netted the Warriors a sum of approximately £70,000 although one of the reasons for the poor sales could well be the lack of marketing work that has been done by the region.

Samuel has also said that in the first season the Warriors are likely to run up debts of between £600,000 - £700,000 and he believes that unless Pontypridd are prepared to take on some of that debt they should not be allowed to have any control over the regional team.

This news is bound to infuriate many Pontypridd supporters and as a consequence, the Celtic Warriors could lose a lot of support. Unfortunately, Pontypridd don't look as though they are in a position to be able to finance the region and if the Pontypridd  Board Of Directors do accept Samuel's proposal then there could be an end to top class rugby in Pontypridd something which we believe should not be allowed to happen.

What do you think of the proposal by Leighton Samuel?

Should he be allowed to take sole control of the Warriors?

Let us know on the messageboard.