Glynneath RFC
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| Founded | 1889 |
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| Location | Glynneath, Wales |
| Ground(s) | Abernant Park |
| League(s) | WRU Championship |
| Official website | |
| www |
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Glynneath RFC are a Welsh Rugby Union club playing in WRU Championship of the WRU National Leagues. The Club has win a number of honours over the years, including the locally famous Invincibles of the 1961–62 season captained by Bas Thomas.
Playing out of Abernant Park in red and black jerseys, the Club has one senior teams and six junior sides. Famous sons of Glynneath RFC include David Weaver, David Richards, Dai Morris and Tavis Knoyle.
Glynneath RFC was founded in the 1889-90 season. According to Gwilym R Davies, Will Jones, son of the Landlord of the Angel Hotel, introduced the game to the village in 1880. Two local sides were set up - the 'Woollen Factory' and the 'Lamb & Flag'. Glynneath RFC was formed in 1889 and captained by Will Jones.
The club moved to its current home at Abernant Park in 1901. In common with many other clubs, no rugby was played in the years 1904-5 and 1905-6 due to the Religious Revival. The 1909-10 season saw Glynneath RFC admitted as a member of the Welsh Rugby Union.
The Golden Period (1919-1922) saw Glynneath finish with the following record: Played 129, Won 86, Drawn 27, Lost 16. The 1921-22 season also saw the formation of the first Juniors team who wore a black and white strip. However, the team disbanded after three seasons. The same season also saw the introduction of a reserve team, which disbanded four years later.
Following on from the Second World War, Glynneath RFC decided in the Summer of 1944 that they were to reform. A meeting was held and a committee was formed. The club sought permission for the use of Abernant Park and the opportunity to buy new balls and 17 jerseys at a cost of £11-13-6 plus 4 coupons each. Goal posts and a first-aid kit were also purchased. New rules were also introduced, such as, any Committee member absent four times from meetings without reasonable excuse would be automatically expelled.
The first visit of Hawick Trades took place in 1956 - a fixture that still continues to this day. Following a conversation between Rees Thomas (GRFC Fixture Secretary) and Bert Miller, Mr Thomas was put in touch with John Imrie of Hawick Trades. The two teams battle it out each year for the Andrew Deans Challenge Cup.
It was decided in 1959 that Glynneath RFC should seek out a permanent clubhouse, as they had previously been using The Rock Hotel. Abernant House was purchased for the sum of £4,000. A further £10,000 was spent on the premises to transform it into a spacious modern rugby club. It was officially opened on 7 October 1959.
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