Aberystwyth Town F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Aberystwyth Town Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Seasiders Black and Greens |
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| Founded | 1884 | ||
| Ground | Park Avenue, Aberystwyth | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 (1,500 seated) | ||
| Chairman | Donald Kane | ||
| Manager | Callum McKenzie | ||
| League | Cymru South | ||
| 2021–22 | Cymru Premier, 8th of 12 | ||
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Aberystwyth Town Football Club (which is Clwb Pêl-Droed Tref Aberystwyth in Welsh) is a football team from Wales. They are currently playing in the Cymru South league.
The club started in 1884. Their home ground is Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, which can hold 5,000 fans. About 1,000 of those seats are covered. Aberystwyth Town was one of the first teams to join the Cymru Premier, which is the top football league in Wales.
The club also has a youth team for players under 19. They play in the Welsh Premier Development League – South. The women's team plays in the Genero Adran Premier. Aberystwyth Town has a special academy that helps young players develop. Many players from this academy have gone on to play for the main team. Some have even played at higher levels of football.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
Aberystwyth Town FC officially formed in 1884. However, there might have been a football club in the town even earlier, in the 1870s. The club was started by Arthur Hughes and his brothers, Jack and Hugh.
In October 1884, Arthur Hughes put an advertisement in the local newspaper. He invited gentlemen who wanted to join the new football club to a meeting. This meeting was held at the Belle Vue Hotel.
It's possible the club stopped playing for a short time. Records show that the Aberystwyth Association Football Club formed again in September 1892. A speaker at a club banquet mentioned how the idea for the club came about. He saw three friends looking bored and suggested they start a football club. The idea was popular, and many members joined right away.
In its early days, the club mostly played friendly matches. They didn't join a league until 1896. They played in the Welsh League for one year. Then they went back to playing friendly games. In 1900, Aberystwyth Town won the Welsh Cup by beating Druids 3–0. This was a big achievement for a team from mid-Wales.
Mid-20th Century to 2000
In 1951, the club joined the Welsh League (South). They also kept a team in the Mid-Wales League. Aberystwyth returned to the Mid-Wales competition in 1963. They finally won the league championship in 1984, after being runners-up six times. They won the title again the next season, led by manager Meirion Appleton.
In 1987, they went back to the Welsh League (South). They finished second three times. Then, in 1992, they became one of the founding members of the League of Wales. Aberystwyth finished third in the very first season, which was 1992-93.
Aberystwyth Town is one of only two teams that have played in every single season of the Cymru Premier. The other team is Newtown. Manager Meirion Appleton was replaced by Barry Powell in 1999. In the 1998-99 season, the club qualified to play in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. This was a European competition.
Aberystwyth played against Floriana from Malta. They lost 3–4 over two games. Qualifying for Europe brought many changes to their home ground, Park Avenue. They added a new TV area for broadcasters and a new stand called the Dias stand. This stand was named after David "Dias" Williams. He holds the club record for scoring the most goals, with 476 goals in 433 games between 1966 and 1983.
21st Century Challenges
After their European appearance, the club didn't qualify for European football again for a while. In 2001, Frank Gregan became the new manager. He brought in experienced players. However, the team had some tough losses, including in the Welsh Cup.
Gary Finley took over as player/manager in late 2001. The team's performance improved quickly. In the 2003-04 season, Finley led the club to fourth place. This meant they qualified for the UEFA InterToto Cup again. However, the club decided to focus on using more local players. Finley left, and David Burrows became the new player/manager. This new strategy led to worse results, and fewer fans came to games.
In December 2004, a fire badly damaged the social club facilities at Park Avenue. This meant the ground couldn't host cup finals for a while. A new lounge, named after John Charles, opened in 2005.
In 2009, under manager Brian Coyne, the Seasiders reached the final of the Welsh Cup. They lost 2–0 to Bangor City F.C.. Coyne left the next season, and Alan Morgan became the new boss. The club finished fourth in the 2009-10 season.
In the 2011-12 season, Aberystwyth Town found themselves fighting to avoid relegation. After a loss in the Welsh Cup, Alan Morgan stepped down. Tomi Morgan returned as manager. The team finished eighth and qualified for the Europa League playoffs. They won one playoff game but then lost to Llanelli.
The club had a very tough game in the 2019-20 season, losing 10–1 to The New Saints. On December 2, 2022, they had their biggest ever defeat, losing 11-0 to The New Saints again.
Club Records
Biggest Wins and Losses
- Biggest win: 21–1 against Machynlleth in 1934.
- Biggest defeat: 1–20 against Caersws in 1962.
- Biggest Cymru Premier defeat: 0–11 against The New Saints on December 2, 2022.
- Biggest League of Wales wins:
- 6–0 against Briton Ferry Athletic and Llanidloes Town, both in 1993.
- 6-0 against Afan Lido on February 18, 2014.
- 7-1 against Afan Lido on March 28, 2014.
- 7–1 against Prestatyn on December 16, 2017.
European Matches
Aberystwyth Town has played in European competitions a few times. Here's how they did:
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponents | 1st Leg | 2nd Leg | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1st Round |  Floriana FC |
2–2 | 1–2 | 3–4 |
| 2004 | UEFA Intertoto Cup | 1st Round |  Dinaburg |
0–0 | 0–4 | 0–4 |
| 2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 1Q |  Derry City |
0–4 | 0–5 | 0–9 |
Current Players
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Club Staff
Here are some of the people who work behind the scenes at Aberystwyth Town FC:
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Donald Kane |
| Secretary |  Thomas Crockett |
| Manager |  Callum McKenzie |
| Assistant Manager | Matthew Bishop |
| Strength and Conditioning Coach | Tomos Wilson |
| Player/Coach | Alex Darlington |
| Player/Coach | Steff Davies |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Dave Owen |
| Physiotherapist | Lucy Jones |
| Physiotherapist | Megan Meredith |
Famous Players
Many talented players have been part of Aberystwyth Town FC. Some have played for bigger clubs or even for their country. Here are a few notable ones:
- Andy Parkinson: Played for many professional clubs, including Tranmere Rovers.
- Tom Bradshaw: Was called up to play for the Wales national team in 2015.
- Christian Edwards: Played for six professional clubs, like Nottingham Forest and Swansea City.
- Gwion Edwards: Currently plays for Morecambe in EFL League One.
- John Hughes: Played for Wales twice and was with Aberystwyth from 1873–79.
- Marc Lloyd-Williams: Is the top scorer of all time in the Cymru Premier with 319 goals.
- Leigh Richmond Roose: A goalkeeper who played for Wales while at Aberystwyth in 1900.
- Wyn Thomas: Holds the record for most appearances in the Cymru Premier with over 500 games.
- Rhys Norrington-Davies: Plays for Sheffield United and is a Wales international player.
- Geoff Kellaway: A club legend who played over 350 games for the club over 15 years.
See also
In Spanish: Aberystwyth Town Football Club para niños
