P.I.L.C.S. F.C play at the P.I.L.C.S. Sports & Social club in New Inn, Pontypool and we have enjoyed over 50 years of local football success.
The club was formed in 1952 by a group of glasswork employees and our first coach / manager was Jim Griffiths. We continued to play in the local league until 1964 when we were forced to disband.
The club was resurrected in 1971 and was managed by Mike Parker. We entered the Gwent Central Second Division, won the title in 1985 and secured the First Division title the following season. We enjoyed a very brief but unsuccessful period in the Gwent County league but found ourselves back in the Gwent Central league in 1988. During the next 6 years we were runners-up on a number of occasions and finally won the First Division for the second time in 1995. Unfortunately, this failed to result in Gwent County football and the club had to re-structure and plan for the future.
As the Social Club was directly linked to the works, it underwent a few changes of name during the 90s, and the football section played in the Gwent Central league under Fibreglass and Owens Corning for a while. At the turn of the century the social club was put up for sale and the house committee successfully secured the funding necessary to purchase the facility for the members. The new club was to be called P.I.L.C.S. ( Pontyfelin Institute for Leisure Culture and Sport ) and this was to herald a new era for the football section.
In 2000 Adrian Jenkins took the helm and he was soon joined by David Watkins to form a lethal partnership that was to result in a period of sustained success for the club. 6 cups were won during this period and the sought after 1st Division title was achieved in 2003 following a season in which the team lost just one game. The club immediately gained Gwent County status and established itself as one of the most consistent and entertaining sides in the Third Division.
The management team of Steve Morgan and Wayne Phillips were determined to take the club forward, and successive appearances in the County Motors Cup semi-finals ( 2008 and 2009 ) were eclipsed by the club`s promotion to the Second Division in 2009.
The first team is currently riding high and the policy of attracting young players is proving very successful. The committee has managed to attract numerous new Sponsors and we are extremely optimistic about the future. Thousands of pounds have been invested in the facilities and the ground, and the pitch is probably the best in the County thanks to the efforts of groundsman Stephen John.
The club is determined to move forward off the field, and it enjoyed its first Gentleman's evening in November 2008 when ex Leeds and England player Norman Hunter entertained a packed concert room. Last year Liverpool and England Legend Alan Kennedy was our guest speaker, again to a packed audience.
The Committee is delighted with the current progress of the club and invites any enthusiastic players to contact the committee should they wish to join a group of youngsters who hope to take the League by storm during the next few years.
HONOURS (09/06/09)
CLUB HONOURS
GWENT CENTRAL 1ST DIV CHAMPIONS : 1986, 1995, 2003
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