Rhyl FC 'set to become the first club to close down due to coronavirus pandemic'

Two-time Welsh champions Rhyl FC are set to become the first club to close down as a result of financial pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.

The club, founded originally in 1878, has begun the process of a formal winding-up order following a decision by the board of directors to cease all activity.

In a statement on Tuesday, the club blamed the "unprecedented impact of COVID-19, the unwillingness of the ground's owner to consider either a long lease or sale on market terms and the ongoing fixed costs with no income prospects" due to football's ongoing shutdown.

Rhyl confirmed they had been offered a "small loan" from the Football Association of Wales but, with many other clubs across Wales expected to face similar financial difficulties in the coming months, Rhyl said "the Welsh FA expressed that they were not in a position to support the club outright".

Rhyl won the Welsh Premier League title in 2004 and 2009, earning them a Champions League qualification spot, but currently play in the second-tier Cymru North.