Principality Welsh Premier League

Porthmadog celebrate the goal against Rhyl that ensured their Welsh Premier survival in the last game of season 2007/8 [Jurek Biegus].

THE Welsh Premier - the national league of Wales - will kick-off 2008/9 with 18 clubs. Only promoted at the start of 2007/8, Llangefni Town were relegated after finishing bottom, to be replaced by Prestatyn Town, champions of the Cymru Alliance.
But, as no club that met the ground criteria of the top flight finished in the top two of the Welsh League, 17th-placed Caersws survive to fight their 17th consecutive season in the league.started season 2007/8 restored to 18 clubs with the promotion of Llangefni and Neath Athletic (champions of the Welsh League Division One). Inaugural champions in 1992/3, Cwmbran Town were relegated.
The previous season, bottom club Cardiff Grange Quins had elected to resign from the league after struggling throughout much of the campaign, Welsh League champions Goytre United declined the chance to move up and runners-up Neath Athletic were unable to meet the ground criteria.
Despite a late bid, their application was rejected by the clubs. Neither of the top two clubs in the Cymru Alliance had applied for promotion, thus 17th placed Cwmbran survived in the top flight, despite a 13-point deduction for fielding ineligible players.
In 2006, the clubs voted that only one club should be relegated the following season, to restore the league to an even number.
There is no route for promotion from the Welsh Premier, although the champion side is entered in the Uefa Champions League, with two clubs entered in the Uefa Cup (one of which is the Welsh Cup winners) and one in the InterToto Cup.
Although only one club has been relegated in recent seasons, two clubs are normally demoted, to be replaced by the champions or runners-up of the Welsh League (south Wales) and the Cymru Alliance (north and mid Wales).
This is provided those clubs have applied for membership of the Welsh Premier and meet the League's ground and infrastructure criteria.
The league is sponsored by the Principality Building Society for three years starting from season 2006/7.
• Total Network Solutions changed their name to The New Saints in June 2006.
• Airbus UK changed their name to Airbus UK Broughton in August 2007.

Welsh Premier clubs map

Click name for club guide.

Welsh Premier League history

Left: Barry Town dominated the league until their relegation in 2004.


THE first national football league to encompass teams from the whole of the principality, the League of Wales was formed in 1992.
It was a long-standing dream of the Football Association of Wales to have its own national league and many would agree that its formation was long overdue.
However, better late than never, 19 clubs embarked on the inaugural campaign on 15 August 1992, sponsored by Konica Peter Llewellyn Limited of Swansea.
After a very exciting championship race, Cwmbran Town, managed by Tony Willcox, pipped Inter Cardiff for the title and became the first League of Wales club to play in Europe when they took on Cork City in the Uefa Champions Cup in August 1993.
The Crows won the first leg at home 3-2, but lost 2-1 in Cork and were eliminated on the away goals rule.
Bangor City won the title for the next two seasons in 1993/1994, Inter Cardiff being again runners-up. That title was decided when City won their final league match 2-0 at Porthmadog in front of a then record crowd of 2,400.
Afan Lido finished runners-up the following season, having made an impact on the league by winning the cup competition in 1992/1993 and 1993/1994. The Aberavon-based outfit were unfortunately relegated at the end of 1995/1996, only to gain promotion back into the league two years later.
The next four campaigns were dominated by Barry Town, who won the championship on four consecutive occasions and the League Cup, by then sponsored by James Gilbert Limited.
Three times the Dragons, under the guidance of player/coach Gary Barnett, were almost unbeatable domestically. They also enjoyed an excellent European campaign in 1996, beating FC Dinaburg from Latvia and Visutas Budapest from Hungary, before going down 6-4 on aggregate to Aberdeen. Over 6,000 people attended the second leg at Jenner Park.
League runners-up during the four years of Barry Town dominance included Newtown in 1995/96 and 1997/1998 and Inter Cable Tel in 1996/1997 and 1998/1999.
Barry’s long reign as champions came to an end at the close of the 1999/2000 campaign when they lost 2-0 at Connah’s Quay, making Total Network Solutions (Llansantffraid) only the fourth club to win the coveted league title.
In the summer of 2001 Barry became the first League of Wales club to win a UEFA Champions League tie when they defeated FC Shamkir from Azerbaijan.
The Dragons regained the league crown the following season and retained it for the next two years, before dramatically being relegated in 2003/4, when Rhyl were crowned champions for the first time and also won the Loosemores Challenge Cup.
Total Network Solutions won the title (and the Welsh Cup) the following season and went on to play reigning champions Liverpool in the Uefa Champions League, while Carmarthen Town and Rhyl both won first qualifying round Uefa Cup ties.
TNS retained the league title in 2006, adding the Challenge Cup to complete the double, and were again crowned champions 2007 (as The New Saints) when they became only the second domestic league club (after Barry Town) to win the FAW Premier Cup.
The league has seen numerous players move into English competitions over the years, notably Mark Delaney from Carmarthen Town to Aston Villa via Cardiff City, Andy Cooke (Newtown to Burnley), Lee Trundle (Rhyl to Swansea via Wrexham), Eifion Williams (Barry to Torquay), Owain Tudor Jones (Bangor to the Swans) and Gary Roberts (Welshpool to Rochdale). More recently, Steve Evans made the transition from TNS to Wrexham and the full Welsh international squad.

Eifion Williams, a goal a game in the Welsh Premier.

Williams (pictured), who was a prolific goalscorer in the League of Wales, moved from Caernarfon to Barry for £25,000, and was unchallenged as the league's leading marksman until his move to the West Country, where he scored a hat-trick on his debut at Plainmoor.
Only five clubs - Aberystwyth Town, Bangor City, Caersws, Connah's Quay Nomads and Newtown - of the original membership have played in all 16 seasons, while four founder members - Afan Lido, Haverfordwest County, Llanelli and Porthmadog - have fought their way back after relegation at one time or another.
Mickey Evans of Caersws was the longest-surviving manager from the 19 who entered the dugout in August 1992 until his retirement in 2007, while Colin Reynolds of Caersws currently holds the record for League appearances with more than 450.
The League has had its knockers and critics but has doubtless enhanced the stature of its clubs, through higher playing standards, better facilities and far more media interest. Long may it prosper.

Llanelli celebrate their 2007/8 Welsh Premier title win.

Gone, but not forgotten

Behind the goal at the Wierglodd, home of Rhayader Town.










PROMOTED from the Cymru Alliance in 2008, Prestatyn Town brought to 37 the total of clubs to have featured in the League since it was founded in 1992.
After just one season in the league, Llangefni Town were relegated to become one of the 19 clubs who have been members at one time or another, but who no longer play at the top level.
Some of the clubs no longer exist or have fallen on hard times. Ebbw Vale sadly folded in 1998, just 12 months after featuring in the Uefa InterToto Cup. Oswestry Town's recent chequered history ended in a merger with TNS in 2003.
Seven-times Welsh Premier champions Barry Town languish in the Welsh League, while Abergavenny Thursdays, Cemaes Bay, Llanidloes and Mold Alexandra, amongst others, toil down the pyramid.
Rhayader Town also ceased to exist in 2006 blaming lack of local interest and support in their endeavours to sustain life in the Spar Mid Wales League.
Here are histories for the clubs who are 'gone but not forgotten', accompanied by complete stats for the seasons from 1992 to the present day.
The histories were compiled originally by Dave Rapson, but have been updated where possible.

The exiled clubs

Left: Newport County officials and supporters celebrate the High Court victory.
Below: Merthyr Tydfil were the only Welsh club allowed to remain in England by the FAW and went on to lift the Conference title in 1998/9 [www.themartyrs.com].

WHEN news broke in October 1991 that the Football Association of Wales was to create a new League of Wales, it was not greeted with universal acclaim by the Principality's football clubs.
The FAW announced that it would withdraw a sanction for all the Welsh non-league clubs that were playing in the English pyramid.
Bangor City, Barry Town, Caernarfon Town, Colwyn Bay, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport AFC, Newtown and Rhyl argued the case for their right to play where they wished.
An appeal was heard by the FAW and all the clubs - with the exception of Merthyr Tydfil - were told that they must return to the Welsh system.
Bangor and Newtown joined the new set-up, but Rhyl were too late with their application and played season 1992/3 in the Cymru Alliance.
But several clubs defied the FAW which resulted in them being forced to play their games on English grounds.
Barry Town, who went on to win the Welsh Premier title seven times, shared the ground of Worcester FC for one season, before deciding to return to Wales. They spent the 1993/4 season in the Welsh Football League First Division but it was a memorable one - they won the championship, the League Cup, the Welsh Cup for the first time since 1955 and were promoted to the League of Wales.
Caernarfon and Colwyn Bay opted to remain in the Northern Premier League. The Canaries were forced to play their 'home' games more than 100 miles away at east Manchester club Curzon Ashton, while the Seagulls played at the Drill Field, the ground of Northwich Victoria.
This inevitably affected their support and for the following season they moved closer to the Welsh border and to Ellesmere Port.
Newport County have been known as the Exiles since they were forced to play their inaugural season in the Hellenic League at Moreton in Marsh in Gloucestershire.
Despite returning to their Somerton Park home for two seasons, more football politics consigned them to a further two seasons of exile at Gloucester and the club was forced to resort to legal action to protect themselves from being forced out of the English football pyramid.
Matters were finally resolved by the High Court in April 1995 when the three remaining clubs in exile - Newport, Caernarfon and Colwyn - won their case against the Welsh FA and were able to return to play in Wales.
But, following a series of mediocre performances over several seasons in the Northern Premier League's First Division, Caernarfon decided to return to Welsh soccer and joined the League of Wales four months later.
Newport County remain in the English system, but their dream of returning to the Football League is as far away as ever, while Colwyn languish in the Unibond League's First Division.
Merthyr also remain in England, playing in the Southern Premier League.
Uefa may yet take a hand in the destiny of the exiled clubs and, indeed, the anomalous situation which sees Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham also playing over the border.