A League One club will host several European cup matches this season after striking a partnership with a team making their debut in the competition.
The Champions League got underway last week in typical spectacular fashion, while Man United will get their Europa League campaign on Wednesday and Chelsea compete in the UEFA Conference League.
Europe’s third tier club cup competition brings together a real mix of David v Goliath clashes with Chelsea amongst the biggest teams making their debut in the competition, while minnow sides across the United Kingdom, Kazakhstan and Germany amongst others also feature.
But, perhaps the biggest underdogs are Welsh side The New Saints (TNS) who pulled off a heroic dream qualifying run together to qualify for the Conference League.
The Cymru Premier side will kick off their dream campaign in the initial league phase of the tournament with a trip to Italian giants Fiorentina – who lost last year’s final against Olympiacos – before returning to host Kazakhstan side FC Astana.
Welsh side The New Saints (TNS) have qualified for the Europa Conference League for the first time
The European underdogs will be playing their home ties at a different ground instead
League One side Shrewsbury Town are letting TNS use their Croud Meadow ground for European matches
However, that tie and other home fixtures won’t be held at the Oswestry-based club’s current Park Hall stadium that is only able to seat just over 1,700 fans.
Their limited accommodation size has prompted a venue change that will now see The New Saints play at League One outfit Shrewsbury Town instead.
Croud Meadow will act as a temporary base for TNS throughout the opening Conference League stage with just 22 miles separating Shrewsbury’s ground from the Welsh side’s founded location in Llansantfraid.
The stadium meets UEFA regulations for knockout matches and can seat a total of 9,875 supporters across a mixture of both home and away fans.
The Welsh club will face a mix of European giants across the opening rounds of the Conference League
Swedish side Djurgarden, FC Astana, and Greek giants Panathinaikos will all make the trip to Shrewsbury’s headquarters throughout the next three months.
Announcing an agreement between the two clubs, TNS Chairman Mike Harris said: ‘We’d like to thank Shrewsbury Town for allowing us to host these historic matches at the Croud Meadow.
‘We are hopeful the community will come out in full force to support The New Saints as we face some of the continent’s biggest clubs.
‘Being so close to our Park Hall home will mean that supporters from Oswestry, Mid Wales, and North Wales can travel to cheer on the team.’