Adran Premier
| Founded | 2009 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Wales |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 9 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Regional Leagues |
| Domestic cup(s) | FAW Women's Cup |
| League cup(s) | Welsh Premier Women's Cup |
| International cup(s) | UEFA Champions League |
| Current champions | Cardiff Met.[1] (2018–19) |
| Most championships | Cardiff Met. (6 titles) |
| Website | Official |
The Welsh Premier League is the top level women's football league in Wales.
It was founded in 2009 and is the first women's football league in Wales. The winner qualifies for a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In previous years the national cup winner was sent into European competition.
Competition format
The club with the highest number of points at the end of the season will be the League Champions. In the event of two or more clubs having the same number of points the League winners will be decided by the difference between goals scored and goals against. In the event of more than one club having the same goal difference, the club that has scored the highest number of goals will be the Champions.[2]
Promotion and relegation
Two clubs may be promoted to the League and the equivalent number relegated from the League. One from the South Wales Tier Two and one from either the North Wales or Central Wales League. To determine the club to be promoted from North and Central Wales - the qualified clubs from the two leagues concerned will play off.
European qualification
| Rank | Association | Coefficient |
|---|---|---|
 37
|
 Estonia
|
4.500 |
 38
|
 Slovakia
|
3.000 |
 39
|
Wales
|
2.500 |
| 40
|
 Faroe Islands
|
2.500 |
| 41
|
 Northern Ireland
|
2.000 |
UEFA grants European places to the Football Association of Wales, determined by Wales' position in the UEFA country coefficient rankings. The Welsh Football Association in turn allocate a number of these European places to the final Welsh Premier Women's League positions. At the end of the 2018–19 season, Wales was ranked 39th in Europe – granting them a single side in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In the 2018–19 season, the top placed team in the Welsh Premier Women's League gained qualification to the Champions League qualifying round.[3]
History
In its first three seasons, the league was divided into two Conferences that played a double round robin, with the winner of both contesting a final for the championship. The first season featured no relegation, from the 2010-11 season onwards, the last placed team in each conference got relegated.[4]
Since 2012–13 the league is played in one group only. In 2015–16 two teams were relegated. The eight clubs who formed the League were Aberystwyth Town Ladies, Caernarfon Town Ladies, Llanidloes Ladies, Manorbier Ladies, Newcastle Emlyn Ladies, Swansea City Ladies, UWIC Ladies and Wrexham Ladies.
The league was increased to five teams per Conference in 2010–11,[5] with Caerphilly Castle Ladies and Trefelin Ladies joining the South and Llandudno Junction Ladies joining the North. Manorbier Ladies ceased playing activities after their inaugural season.[6]
Llandudno Junction's stay in the league lasted just one season before they were relegated; they were replaced by Northop Hall Girls.
Format
In its first three years the league was divided into two conferences, north and south. Both winners then played a championship play-off for the title and right to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League. A relegation system was introduced in the second season, when the last place in each conference was relegated. The league changed the format to a single division for the 2012–13 season.[7] The league was also expanded for the second time. The number of teams in the league has fluctuated in preceding years and has contained eight, ten and twelve teams in various seasons. The 2019-20 league season will contain 9 teams after Rhyl Ladies withdrew.
2019–20 teams
Former teams were: Manorbier Ladies, Northop Hall Girls, Caerphilly Castle Ladies, Caernarfon Town Women, Trefelin Ladies (since then joint Port Talbot Town), Llanidloes Ladies F.C. (now Hafren United Ladies), Cwmbran Celtic, Caldicot Town Ladies, Rhyl & Prestatyn Ladies and Wrexham Ladies.
List of champions
In the first three seasons a final between the north and south division winners determined the champion.
|
|
Premier League Cup
A Premier League cup has been held since 2014.
- 2014: Cardiff Met. Ladies F.C.[11]
- 2015: PILCS[12]
- 2016: Swansea City Ladies F.C.[13]
- 2017: Cardiff Met. Ladies F.C.[14]
- 2018: Cyncoed Ladies F.C. [15]
- 2019: Cardiff Met. Ladies F.C.[16]
References
- ^ "League Tables - Welsh Premier Womens League". www.welshpremierwomensleague.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
- ^ "Welsh Premier Women's League 2018/19 Rules" (PDF). Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Women's Champions League entries confirmed". UEFA.com. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ http://atfc.org.uk/page.php?16 ; Website of Aberystwyth Town Ladies
- ^ http://www.welshpremier.com/uploads/documents/WelshPrem10977Pages1.PDF
- ^ Tenby Observer (15 October 2010). "Manorbier Ladies call it a day".
- ^ "Wrexham Odds on for Play-off place". shekicks.net. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ "Net draw hands Swansea Welsh title". shekicks.net. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
- ^ "#WPWL: Cardiff Met secure title for fifth time". shekicks.net. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ https://int.women.soccerway.com/national/wales/welsh-premier-womens-league/20182019/regular-season/r47487/
- ^ http://www.azure-design.com/. "She Kicks - News Section: Cardiff Met Win Welsh Premier Cup". www.shekicks.net. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ 2650, Andy Houldsworth, Jon Harris (c) 2017 www.OmniwebAgency.com +44 1883 742. "PILCS Come From Behind to Claim League Cup - Welsh Premier League". www.welshpremier.co.uk. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
{{cite web}}:|last=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ http://www.azure-design.com/. "She Kicks - News Section: Swans Exact Welsh Premier Cup Final Revenge". www.shekicks.net. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ http://www.azure-design.com/. "She Kicks - News Section: Cardiff Met Win Welsh Premier League Cup". shekicks.net. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ http://tbgwales.com/index.php/2018/03/25/cyncoed-lift-the-cup-for-first-time/. "She Kicks - News Section: Cyncoed lift the League Cup for first time". Retrieved 22 April 2018.
{{cite web}}: External link in|last= - ^ "Cardiff Met beat Swansea Ladies 3-1 to win Welsh Premier Women's Cup". 5 April 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
