Welsh football league system

The Welsh football league system (or pyramid) is a series of football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them.

Structure of Welsh football

At the top is the Welsh Premier League, which is the only national league in Wales. Below it is the second tier of leagues, covering north and south Wales. The south is covered by the Welsh Football League while the north and centre is covered by the Cymru Alliance. The champions of each of these leagues can be promoted to the Welsh Premier League, subject to acceptable ground facilities, and if the champions cannot meet the criteria the runner-up team may be considered.

Second and lower tier leagues (North Wales)

In the north the Cymru Alliance has only one division, and has a feeder league structure of its own with three regional leagues feeding it—the Mid Wales League (covering Brecknockshire, Radnorshire, Montgomeryshire and Ceredigion) the Welsh Alliance League (covering all of the north except Wrexham) and the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) (covering the small region around Wrexham). Again, the champions or runners-up of these leagues can be promoted into the Cymru Alliance, given suitable grounds.

Below these third tier leagues are even more localised leagues: in Central Wales there are four leagues feeding into the Mid Wales League (covering Ceredigion, Montgomeryshire, Mid Wales South, and Aberystwyth areas respectively), while below the Welsh Alliance there are the Gwynedd League and the Clwyd League and these even have feeder leagues of their own such as the Anglesey League. The Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) has two lower divisions of its own and the Clwyd East Football League is the feeder league below it.

Second and lower tier leagues (South Wales)

In the south, the Welsh Football League has three divisions all covering the whole of the South Wales geographical area, and it is not until the fifth tier of the pyramid that local leagues appear. Promotion to, and relegation from the Welsh League is structured, as in the north, on three regional football associations (Gwent FA, South Wales FA, and West Wales FA). Each can send one promoted team into the Welsh Football League. This is straightforward enough in the Gwent FA area, where there is one senior league, the Gwent County League, whose champions (or runners-up) are eligible, if they satisfy Welsh Football League criteria. (Below the three divisions of the Gwent County, there are the Newport and District, East Gwent, Central Gwent and North Gwent leagues)

The South Wales FA area was formerly more complicated however, as this region had two senior leagues of identical status covering the same area, each with two divisions - the South Wales Senior League and the South Wales Amateur League but as of the 2015/16 season the two divisions merged to become the South Wales Alliance League- whereby the champions could be promoted to the Welsh Football League subject to meeting criteria. Below these two leagues are local leagues in the towns and cities of South Wales, the champions of which may play off to be promoted into the new league.

The West Wales FA area is the only one not to have set up a senior league in its area - this means that there are four local leagues (Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Neath & District) with all their champions potentially having to play-off for the one available promotion place. However, as few west Wales clubs can face the prospect of the travelling implications of moving up to the Welsh Football League, this four-way play-off idea is theory rather than practice. The latest clubs to gain promotion from this region were Llansawel in 2006 (from the Neath & District League), West End in 2005 (from the Swansea Senior League), Ystradgynlais in 2004 (from the Neath & District League), Cwmamman United in 2002 (from the Neath & District League) and Garden Village in 1999 (from the Carmarthenshire League). On 31st May 2016, Ynysygerwn (Neath & District League) beat Team Swansea (Swansea Senior League) 3-1 at the Old Road, Briton Ferry Llansawel in a play-off to gain promotion to the Welsh League Division 3.

Current system

For each division, its official name, sponsorship name (which often differs radically from its official name) and number of clubs is given:

Level League(s)/Division(s)

1

 Welsh Premier League
12 clubs

2

 Cymru Alliance
16 clubs		 Welsh Football League Division One
16 clubs

3

 Welsh National League Premier Division
15 clubs		 Welsh Alliance League Division One
15 clubs		 Mid Wales Football League Division One
16 clubs		 Welsh Football League Division Two
16 clubs

4

 Welsh National League Division One
14 clubs		 Welsh Alliance League Division Two
13 clubs		 Mid Wales Football League Division Two
13 clubs		 Welsh Football League Division Three
19 clubs

5

 North East Wales League
13 clubs		 Gwynedd League
16 clubs		 Vale of Clwyd and Conwy Football League Premier Division
11 clubs		 Aberystwyth League Division One
10 clubs		 Montgomeryshire League Division One
12 clubs		 Ceredigion League Division One
12 clubs		 Mid Wales South League
15 clubs		 Gwent County League Division One
16 clubs		 South Wales Alliance League Premier Division
16 clubs		 Carmarthenshire League Premier Division Neath & District League Premier Division Pembrokeshire League Division One Swansea Senior League Division One
13 clubs

6

 Anglesey League
9 clubs		 Vale of Clwyd and Conwy Football League Division One
10 clubs		 Aberystwyth League Division Two
9 clubs		 Montgomeryshire League Division Two
11 clubs		 Ceredigion League Division Two
12 clubs		 Gwent County League Division Two
16 clubs		 South Wales Alliance League Division One
16 clubs		 Carmarthenshire League Division One Neath & District League Division One Pembrokeshire League Division Two Swansea Senior League Division Two

7

 Gwent County League Division Three
15 clubs		 South Wales Alliance League Division Two
16 clubs		 Carmarthenshire League Division Two Neath & District League Division Two Pembrokeshire League Division Three Swansea Senior League Division Three

8

 East Gwent League Division One Gwent Central League Division One Newport and District League Premier Division North Gwent League Premier Division Aberdare Valley League Premier Division Bridgend & District League Premier Division Cardiff & District League Premier Division Cardiff Combination League Premier Division Merthyr & District League Premier Division Port Talbot Football League Premier Division Rhondda & District League Premier Division Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley Alliance League Premier Division Vale of Glamorgan League Premier Division Carmarthenshire League Division Three Swansea Senior League Division Four

9

 East Gwent League Division Two Gwent Central League Division Two Newport and District League Division One Aberdare Valley League Division One Bridgend & District League Division One Cardiff & District League Division One Cardiff Combination League Division One Merthyr & District League Division One Port Talbot Football League Division One Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley Alliance League Division One Vale of Glamorgan League Division One

10

 Newport and District League Division Two Cardiff & District League Division Two Cardiff Combination League Division Two Vale of Glamorgan League Division Two

11

 Newport and District League Division Three Cardiff & District League Division Three

See also

References

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