Neath RFC has been bought from the Welsh Rugby Union by a consortium of local businessmen.
The WRU set up a subsidiary company - Gower Park Ltd - to administer the Gnoll outfit after it ran into financial difficulties in the mid-1990s.
But now the club has been bought by a group led by lifelong supporter Geraint Hawkes, who will be the new chairman and chief executive of Neath Rugby Limited.
Hawkes told the Western Mail, "We have a lot of work to do in a very short time.
"But there is a dedicated group of volunteers in place who I am sure will continue to be actively involved in administering the club.
"I plan to get Neath RFC back doing what it has always done best, developing rugby players from the grass routes upwards.
"We intend to take the club back to the local people, making the clubhouse a focal point for the community, running group rugby teams and community development programmes.
"Neath RFC has had a fantastic level of success over recent seasons, effectively with one hand tied behind its back through the severe constraints placed on it by the WRU."