The Newbridge Hotel has a new owner after the local football club sold the lease on the pub in less than a week.
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The connection between sports clubs and their local watering holes is important for many country towns.
Just over five years ago the Newbridge Football Netball Club bought the lease on the Newbridge Hotel in an effort to invest in the community as well as turn a profit for the club.
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Newbridge FNC president Kristian Shevlin said the club purchase the hotel lease five years ago.
"It's now been five and a half years since we took over," he said. "We were shut down through COVID and coming out of that, thought it was the right time to put it on the market.
"We spend a lot of time there. We're there Thursday night for selection which involves 70 or 80 meals. After home games we come back there.
"The biggest thing we found, with Newbridge being a small community, was it needs a local shop and a hotel to operate, so we operate seven days a week and the community engagement has been brilliant."
Terry Miller, who owns the freehold on the hotel, decided to buy the lease because he could see what the pub could do for the community.
He has owned the building for 16 years and is now returning to run the hotel.
"It's something I have been thinking about for a while," he said. "I had a break of about 10 years (but) it is something I enjoy doing and wanted to (return to).
"I know what it can do. The football club did a fantastic job with their volunteer setup running the place for five years. Previous lessees hadn't support the club
"A town the size of Newbridge needs a football club and a football club needs a pub. History shows when other towns see the pub go, the football club usually follows suit. The pub is the hub of a community and a meeting place."