Cymru Leagues
Founded | 2019 |
---|---|
Country | ![]() |
Number of teams | 45 |
Level on pyramid | 1 and 2 |
Relegation to | Ardal Leagues |
Domestic cup(s) | Welsh FA Cup Welsh League Cup |
Website | cymrufootball |
The Cymru Leagues is an umbrella name for the top two tiers of the Welsh football league system. It consists of the Cymru Premier at Tier 1, as well as the Cymru North and Cymru South at the second tier.
Tier 1
The Cymru Premier is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 2002, the league was known as the League of Wales (LoW), but changed its name as part of a sponsorship deal to the Welsh Premier League. The league has been rebranded as the Cymru Premier for the 2019–20 season. [1]
Tier 2
The Cymru North and Cymru South are two football leagues in Wales that forms the second level of the Welsh football league system. They have semi-professional status clubs. The first year of their operation is 2019-20 with the Football Association of Wales owning and administering the Tier 2 leagues for the first time. These changes follow from a review of the Welsh Football Pyramid,[2] where the Tier 2 was called the FAW Championship[3]
The tier is split regionally, with the Cymru North covering clubs playing in northern Wales, and the Cymru South covering clubs playing in southern Wales. The winners of each division are eligible for promotion to the Cymru Premier, subject to the clubs meeting FAW criteria for Tier 1 grounds, playing facilities and financial operations.
Relegation from the Cymru North is to three regional based Tier 3 leagues - the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area), the Welsh Alliance League and the Mid Wales Football League. The Cymru South has relegation to the Tier 3 Welsh Football League Division One.
52 teams applied for Tier 2 certification[4] with teams assessed against a number of infrastructure criteria including; safety policy and evacuation plan, covered seating, pitch dimensions, dressing room & sanitary facilities required to be granted Tier 2 certification. Following on from the meeting of the FAW's first decision body, 43 clubs were successful in gaining Tier 2 certification.[5]
Member clubs for 2020–21 season
The clubs for the second season are as follows:
Cymru Premier
The Cymru Premier is a twelve club league.
- Aberystwyth Town
- Bala Town
- Barry Town United
- Caernarfon Town
- Cardiff Metropolitan University
- Cefn Druids
- Connah's Quay Nomads
- Flint Town
- Haverfordwest County
- Newtown
- Pen-y-Bont
- The New Saints
Cymru North
The Cymru North is a sixteen club league.
Cymru South
The Cymru South is a sixteen club league.
Relegation
Teams relegated from the Cymru North and the Cymru South at the end of the 2019–20 season dropped to the newly established Ardal Leagues which will operate for the first time for the 2020–21 season.
The bottom three teams from each of the tier 2 leagues will be relegated.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "FAW / New identity for Tiers 1 & 2". Archived from the original on 2020-05-10.
- ^ https://www.faw.cymru/en/about-faw/domestic/pyramid-review/
- ^ http://www.wnl.org.uk/PYRAMID%20REGULATIONS%20Season%202018-2019%20and%202019-2020%20(Approved%20on%2027%2004%202018.pdf
- ^ https://clwbpeldroed.org/2019/01/10/fifty-two-faw-championship-tier-two/
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "FAW Tier 2 appeals body decisions". Football Association of Wales. 8 May 2019.
- ^ https://clwbpeldroed.org/2019/05/22/port-talbot-town-faw-championship/
- ^ https://www.faw.cymru/files/5515/2534/2376/FAW_Pyramid_Regulations_Season_2020-2021_Approved_12.12.2017.pdf