View source for Recreation Ground, Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain

{{Short description|Football stadium in Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, Wales}}
{{redirect|Treflan|the herbicide formerly sold by Dow AgroSciences and now by Corteva|Trifluralin}}
{{Infobox Stadium
| stadium_name      = Recreation Ground
| nickname          = Treflan
| image             = [[File:Recreation Ground - Treflan - geograph-268499.jpg|250px]]
| caption           =
| fullname          = Recreation Ground
| location          = [[Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain]]<br>[[Powys]]<br>[[Wales]]
| coordinates       = {{coord|52|46|32|N|3|9|13|W|display=it}}
| built             =
| opened            =
| owner             =
| operator          =
| surface           = Grass
| tenants           = [[Llansantffraid Village F.C.|Llansantffraid Village]] (2007–present)<br>[[The New Saints F.C.|The New Saints]] (1959–2007)
| capacity          = 2,000 (1,000 seated)<ref name="treflan"/><ref>''The Official Football Association of Wales Yearbook & Supporters' Guide 2001–2002'' (2001) {{ISBN|1-86223-053-6}}</ref>
| dimensions        =
}}

The '''Recreation Ground''', usually referred to as '''Treflan''', is a [[association football|football]] [[stadium]] in [[Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain]], [[Powys]], [[Wales]] and is the home of [[Mid Wales League]] Division One club [[Llansantffraid Village F.C.|Llansantffraid Village]].<ref>[http://www.midwalesfootball.org.uk/Llansantffraid.php Llansantffraid Village Football Club on Mid Wales League] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100217183519/http://www.midwalesfootball.org.uk/Llansantffraid.php |date=2010-02-17 }}</ref> The Recreation Ground was the home of [[Welsh Premier League]] team [[The New Saints F.C.|The New Saints]]<ref name="treflan">[http://www.saints-alive.co.uk/index.php/history/treflan-llansantffraid Treflan, Llansantffriad on The New Saints FC]</ref> until they moved to [[Park Hall (Oswestry)|Park Hall]] in nearby [[Oswestry]], [[England]], the former home of [[Oswestry Town F.C.|Oswestry Town]].

== History ==
Llansantffraid F.C., which later became Total Network Solutions used the Recreation Ground as their home ground since 1959,<ref name=hist>{{cite web|last=Yapp |first=Carl |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4677169.stm |title=Villagers prepare for big clash |publisher=BBC News |date=2005-07-13 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref> though it had been used as the centre of football in Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain prior to this.<ref name=county /> Up until 1990, the Recreation Ground had no stands or clubhouse, which required players to change in a nearby pub. Being a recreation ground, it was also used to graze cows requiring clearing of [[cow dung]] before each match.<ref name=hist /> They also used to play in the [[Welsh Premier League]]. In 2003, Total Network Solutions merged with [[Oswestry Town F.C.|Oswestry Town]] with the agreement that the majority of matches would be played at the Recreation Ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_of_wales/2973446.stm |title=Oswestry-TNS merger approved |publisher=BBC Sport |date=2003-06-19 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref>

In 2005, it was announced that Total Network Solutions, later renamed The New Saints, would leave the Recreation Ground and move to Oswestry Town's old [[Park Hall (football ground)|Park Hall]] ground in England following redevelopment. The move was made because The New Saints were unable to improve the Recreation Ground to bring it up to UEFA standards for European competition as it was a council owned [[recreation ground]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6972081.stm |title=New Saints make move over border |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-08-31 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref> This came after Total Network Solutions were obliged to move their [[UEFA Champions League]] match against [[Liverpool F.C.]] to [[Wrexham]]'s [[Racecourse Ground]] because the Recreation Ground was not big enough to meet UEFA standards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4283346.stm |title=Saints go marching across border |publisher=BBC News |date=2005-09-26 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref> Despite The New Saints leaving the Recreation Ground, chairman Mike Harris stated following the purchase of Total Network Solutions by [[British Telecom]], that he still intended for The New Saints to run the Recreation Ground.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/4392922.stm |title=BT to 'expand' TNS after buy-out |publisher=BBC News |date=2005-10-31 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref> As a result, the Recreation Ground was still used by The New Saints' youth teams.<ref name=lv>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6444845.stm |title=Village team rivals soccer champs |publisher=BBC News |date=2007-03-13 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref> This was a reversal of the original situation following the merger of Total Network Solutions and Oswestry Town whereby the first team played at the Recreation Ground while the club's reserve, youth and ladies teams played at Park Hall.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://welsh-premier.com/news.php?ID=654 |title=Plot Thickens As TNS Buy Park Hall |publisher=Welsh Premier League |date=2004-02-26 |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref>

In 2007, the Recreation Ground was proposed by The New Saints as a potential venue for the [[FAW Premier Cup]] final after they opposed the selection of their final opponent [[Newport County A.F.C.|Newport County]]'s [[Newport Stadium]] being selected as the venue when they expected a neutral venue. However the [[Football Association of Wales]] rejected this as [[BBC Wales]] had requested it and the Recreation Ground "was not considered suitable and did not have the infrastructure required".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-160336791.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910073726/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-160336791.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-09-10 |title=Cup final stand-off |publisher=Daily Post |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref>

As a result of The New Saints moving to Oswestry, a number of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain residents broke away from The New Saints to form Llansantffraid Village because of The New Saints were no longer playing regularly in the village and because most of the youth team's players were not from Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain. Llansantffraid Village then started to use the Recreation Ground for their matches in the [[Montgomeryshire Football League]].<ref name=lv /> Following this, the Recreation Ground became viewed as a public youth club. The Recreation Ground later became a target for vandalism with one occasion, vandals threw  used nappies on the pitch and a fifth of the Recreation Ground's bucket seats were damaged.<ref name=county>{{cite web|url=http://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/140072/saints-warn-yobs-after-treflan-vandalised.aspx |title=Saints warn yobs after Treflan vandalised |publisher=County Times |date= |accessdate=2016-04-30}}</ref>

==Attendance==

The highest attendance recorded at the Recreation Ground was 1,996 for a pre-season [[Exhibition game|friendly]] between [[The New Saints F.C.|The New Saints]] (then known as "Total Network Solutions") and [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] on 9 August 2002.<ref name="treflan"/> The Recreation Ground's record attendance in the [[Welsh football league system|league]] stands at 1,042, set at a [[Welsh Premier League]] game between The New Saints and [[Rhyl F.C.|Rhyl]] on 23 January 2005.<ref name="treflan"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Welsh Premier League venues}}

[[Category:Football venues in Wales]]
[[Category:Stadiums in Wales]]