ABERYSTWYTH Town Football Club have announced the passing of club life vice-president, Len Rufus.

Dilwyn Ellis Roberts, the club's programme editor, has paid tribute to his friend.

Dilwyn said: “Len Rufus was a good friend from the moment I arrived in Aberystwyth in the summer of 1987.

“We first met at Park Avenue and he was someone with whom I enjoyed discussing our shared love of football and politics.

“When I moved to Bow Street, we lived two doors away from each other in Bryncastell – Len was in Number 75 and we were in Number 77.

“He has been sorely missed at Park Avenue in recent years by everyone, and we extend the deepest of condolences to his family and friends.

“When speaking to Derrick Dawson, the former club chairman and an equally legendary footballer, we discussed his three great loves: his wife Margaret; Aberystwyth Town and Plaid Cymru.

“He was a devoted husband; they were always together whenever I saw them other than at the ground.

“Not that Margaret was a stranger on matchdays, she often joined him at games and later in the clubhouse.

“I remember Len as the most hardworking of people in his commitment to the Black and Greens.

“Strangely enough, I have no recollections of discussing any other football clubs with Len – he was fully focussed on The Town other than when we discussed our national team.

“When I had a chat with his nephew Martin Thomas, a former club treasurer, he had fond memories of travelling with his uncle to watch Hereford United in the Welsh Cup and games at Bangor City; Porthmadog and Caernarfon Town.

“He vividly remembers being sick in Len’s grey Ford Anglia as they travelled through Corris!

“An electrician at the university for many, many years, and a friend and colleague of our club director Jimmy Edwards, Len could turn his hands to any work that needed to be done at the ground.

“He was both practical, thoughtful and wise. Derrick Dawson remembered his two periods as a committee member - between 1961 and 1969 before returning between 1974 and 1998.

“Len represented Aberystwyth Town on the Abacus League management committee for two season (1987-1989) as the discussions began to formulate the establishment of a national League of Wales.

“Many of you will remember the ceremony at the clubhouse when Len, Gwynfor Edwards and Merfyn Davies received long service medals from the Football Association of Wales in the presence of Dai Alun Jones (CWFA and FAW) and former FAW President Tegwyn Evans of Welshpool.

“Our discussions often revolved around the lack of respect shown to our ‘national game’ by our ‘national’ newspapers.

“He was always aggrieved that the Western Mail always gave rugby more attention that football and that our national league was given far less status than the other sports.

“He felt the same about their attitudes to devolution and a general impression that they were always dismissive of Wales and its aspirations and of the Welsh language and culture.

“Len never spoke Welsh with me, but he always celebrated the vibrancy of Welsh language culture and understood every word.

“He was immensely proud of his input to those Abacus league meetings as he saw the formation of a national league as crucial to the future of Wales as a nation and of being a founding director of the League of Wales.

“His passion for Wales was unwavering and he was fully committed to Plaid Cymru as the party who could deliver for our country.

“He often talked about his early days as a supporter and was so proud that he was represented by Elin Jones in the Senedd and by Ben Lake at Westminster.

“I remember sitting with him and Dai ‘Dogs’ Thomas at the husting for the party leadership at Canolfan Morlan when Leanne Wood took over the party reigns and feeling so privileged to be able to hear their views and insights on the future of our country.

“He was rightly recognised by the club as a Life Vice-President and was loved by everyone fortunate enough to have spent time in his company.

“Cwsg yn dawel Len. Diolch am dy ymroddiad a’th gariad i Margaret, i Gymru ac i’r Gwyrdd a Du.

“Mae Coedlan y Parc wedi bod yn rhyfedd heb i ni gael dy gwmni ac mae’r byd yn llawer tlotach o dy golli.”