Big crowds a boost to Cymru Premier, say Penybont

Penybont director David Zeeman says there are "promising" signs for the Cymru Premier following a record-breaking weekend. The Bridgend-based club took a gamble on giving away tickets for their home fixture with Airbus UK last weekend. The result was their biggest ever attendance and the fourth biggest in the Welsh top-flight's history. Amid controversy over a switch to Friday night football, Cymru Premier crowds have increased so far this season, although Penybont's achievement came on a Saturday during the international break without competition from nearby EFL clubs. Their win – their fourth in a row that maintained an unbeaten start to the season – was watched by 2,666, more than treble the league's average this season. Admitting the challenge is now holding onto supporters, Zeeman said: "We wanted to do a really simple question: what happens if we make a football match completely free and try to make the whole day feel like a proper day out? "Thankfully it went really well. Loads of families, kids, and I suppose people from the Bridgend community who hadn't really come to a Cymru Premier game or hadn't experienced Penybont before. "We've come in as new owners and directors, we've just tried to give some new ideas, fresh ideas, and I suppose it's just trying to get new people into the ground. "I suppose the challenge for us is to now keep them coming in and hopefully they come and experience more games throughout the season." Bumper crowd see Penybont victory & Flint finally win How – and why – Welsh football's top division is changing like never before Penybont announced new investment over the summer, with significant recruitment spending to boost Rhys Griffiths' squad and attempt to challenge the dominance of champions The New Saints. But, speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast , Zeeman added: "The challenge is to try and grow the league as a whole, not just Penybont. We need buy-in from everyone. "And I think if you look at the attendances and the current growth and trajectory of the league, it's really promising. "It's a challenge not only for us, it's a challenge for clubs throughout the Welsh league, because at the end of the day, we need more eyeballs, we need more fans and all the clubs need more revenue, because obviously it will make the product that much better."