The club’s unique collection of sporting memorabilia
Most rugby club’s have an assortment of rugby jerseys and plaque’s on display at their clubhouse’s and are justifiably proud of those displayed whether there be one or twenty shirts they certainly add to the atmosphere of any clubhouse on match days and are always a point of interest for visiting teams and supporters. Carmarthen Athletic’s collection however is quite unique because as well as the usual rugby international shirts it also boasts tennis, athletics, soccer and other shirts as well as all types of sporting footwear worn by the famous.
Gerald Davies of Wales & Lions fame recalls having a sneak preview inside the original Athletic clubhouse in Friar’s Park as a schoolboy and gazed in awe at the four international shirts on display there, today the club has two hundred and thirty shirts on display in purpose built floor to ceiling oak and glass display cabinets and over one hundred and seventy two pairs of sporting footwear. The collection is recognised by the Guinness book of records and is known around the world.
The boot collection was started by life long former President, the late Gwynne King Morgan. In 1967 the New Zealand All Blacks were on tour in the U.K. and because the bovine disease foot & mouth was rife in the country at that time the team could not take their boots back with them to New Zealand and Gwynne seized the opportunity to obtain the boots of Colin Meads and tour captain Brian Lochore. These boots originally hung by the laces behind the bar in the clubhouse but as the collection grew purpose built glass display units were erected. The most famous are the boxing boots of legendary world heavyweight boxing champion Mohammad Ali also the football boots of Pele and Sir Stanley Mathews, the tennis shoes of Borg and Nastase, the cricket shoes of Sir Gary Sobers, Viv Richards & Ian Botham and the golf shoes of Gary Player, Lee Trevino & Jack Nicklaus as well as of course rugby legends Barry John & Gareth Edwards.
Carmarthen Athletic now boasts a museum of sporting memorabilia unrivalled anywhere featuring the possessions of the very top sports personalities over the past fifty years.
A full listing of the contents of the museum & pictures will appear soon on this site.
For enquiries please contact curator Wynne Jones on this site or telephone 01267 221041.
