Welsh football league system

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

Structure of Welsh Football

At the top is the League of Wales, now known as the Welsh Premierhip, which is the only national league in Wales. Below it is the second tier of leagues, each covering roughly half the country. The south of the country is covered by the Welsh Football League (Division 1) while the north and centre of the country is covered by the Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance. The champions of each of these leagues can be promoted to the Welsh Premier, 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 of the country the Cymru Alliance has only one division, and has a feeder league structure of its own with three regional leagues feeding it -- the Spar Mid Wales League covering Powys and Ceredigion, the Tyn Lon Rover Welsh Alliance covering most of the old counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd, and the Welsh 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 Cardiganshire, 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 Wrexham Area League has two lower divisions of its own but no feeder leagues below it.

Second and lower tier leagues (South Wales)

In the south, the CC Sports Welsh League has three divisions all covering the whole of the South Wales geographical area, and it isn't until the 5th 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 League. This is straightforward enough in Gwent, where there is one senior league, the Gwent County League, whose champions (or runners-up) are eligible, if they satisfy Welsh League criteria. (Below the three divisions of the Gwent County, there are local leagues in Newport, East Gwent, Central Gwent and North Gwent...). The South Wales FA area is more complicated however, as this region has managed to have two senior leagues of identical status covering the same area, each with two divisions -- the Thomas Carroll South Wales Senior League and the Regal Travel South Wales Amateur League -- often the champions of these leagues have to play off for the single promotion place to the Welsh League! Below these two leagues are local leagues in the towns and cities of south Wales, the champions of which can confusingly be promoted into EITHER of the higher leagues. 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) 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 League, this four-way play-off idea is theory rather than practice.

The 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 League of Wales
(JT Hughes/Mitsubishi Welsh Premier)
17 clubs
2 Cymru Alliance
(Hughes Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance)
17 clubs Welsh Football League First Division
(CC Sports Welsh League First Division)
18 clubs
3 Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) Premier Division
14 clubs Welsh Alliance
(Tyn Lon Volvo Welsh Alliance)
?? clubs Mid Wales League
(Spar Mid Wales League)
?? clubs Welsh Football League Second Division
(CC Sports Welsh League Second Division)
18 clubs
4 Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) First Division
14 clubs Gwynedd League Premier Division
(Silver Star Holidays League Premier Division)
?? clubs Clwyd League Premier Division
?? clubs Aberystwyth League First Division
(Cambrian Tyres League First Division)
?? clubs Montgomeryshire League First Division
(JT Hughes Montgomeryshire League Premier Division)
?? clubs Cardiganshire League First Division
(L'Hirondelle League First Division)
?? clubs Mid Wales South League
(Castle Carv League)
?? clubs Welsh Football League Third Division
(CC Sports Welsh League Third Division)
18 clubs
5-8 Many more regional leagues

External Link

Welsh Football Magazine's page on the Welsh Pyramid

Welsh Cup