The New Saints F.C. facts for kids

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The New Saints

Full name	The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Saints, TNS
Short name	TNS
Founded	1959; 66 years ago (1959)
Ground	Park Hall Oswestry, Shropshire, England
Ground Capacity	3,000 (3,000 seated)
Chairman	Mike Harris
Head coach	Craig Harrison
League	Cymru Premier
2021–22	Cymru Premier, 1st of 12
Home colours Away colours Third colours

The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club, often called The New Saints or TNS FC, is a professional football club. Even though they play in the Welsh league, they are based in Oswestry, England.

TNS is the most successful club in the Welsh league system. They have won 17 league titles. Since the 2001–02 season, they have almost always finished first or second. In the 2024–25 season, they made history. They became the first team from the Welsh league to reach the group stage of a major European competition, the UEFA Conference League.

Club History: From Village Team to Champions

Early Days as Llansantffraid F.C.

The club started in 1959 as Llansantffraid F.C.. It represented a small village called Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain. They played their games at the Recreation Ground.

They began in the Montgomeryshire Amateur Football League. This was the fourth level of Welsh football. They won this league seven times. In 1989–90, they moved up to the Central Wales League. They quickly got promoted again to the Cymru Alliance. In 1992–93, they won the Cymru Alliance and the Welsh Intermediate Cup. This earned them promotion to the top league, now called the Cymru Premier.

Becoming Total Network Solutions

In 1996, Llansantffraid won the Welsh Cup. This meant they could play in the European Cup Winners' Cup. A local computer company, Total Network Solutions, became their sponsor. The club changed its name to Total Network Solutions Llansantffraid.

They played against Ruch Chorzów from Poland. They drew 1–1 at home but lost 5–0 in Poland. Over the years, they played in European competitions many times. Their home games in Europe were often played at bigger stadiums like Newtown or Wrexham. This was because their old ground was not big enough for UEFA rules. For a game against Manchester City in 2003, they even played at the 72,000-seat Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. To follow UEFA rules, the club was known as TNS in European games.

In 1997, the club's name changed again to Total Network Solutions F.C.. They were the first club in the UK to be named only after their sponsor. By 2003, TNS was the only club in the Cymru Premier with full-time players.

Merging with Oswestry Town

In 2003, TNS merged with Oswestry Town. Oswestry Town was a nearby club that also played in the Welsh league. The merger was approved by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) and UEFA.

The 2003–04 season was tough for TNS. They finished second in the league and lost in the Welsh Cup final, both to Rhyl. But the 2004–05 season was much better. TNS won both the league and the Welsh Cup.

In 2005, TNS was drawn to play against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round. Liverpool won both games 3–0. Even though TNS lost, their young goalkeeper, Gerard Doherty, was praised by Liverpool's manager.

The New Saints Era Begins

In early 2006, the club's sponsor, Total Network Solutions, was bought by British Telecom. This meant the sponsorship ended. The club needed a new name. After looking for ideas, they chose "The New Saints." This name honored both original clubs: Llansantffraid was known as "The Saints," and Oswestry had ties to Saint Oswald. Also, the club was already called TNS for short. A new club badge was created, showing a dragon for Llansantffraid and a lion for Oswestry.

In 2010, The New Saints won the Welsh Premier League. They then played in the Champions League qualifiers. They beat Bohemians from Ireland 4–1 on aggregate. This was their first win in a European tie since 1996. They then faced Anderlecht from Belgium and later CSKA Sofia in the Europa League. They were knocked out by both teams.

On December 30, 2016, The New Saints beat Cefn Druids 2–0. This win set a new European record. They had won 27 matches in a row, beating Ajax's record from the 1970s.

In August 2024, The New Saints made history again. They beat Panevėžys 3–0 to qualify for the group stage of the 2024–25 UEFA Conference League. This was the first time a club from the Welsh league reached this stage of a major UEFA competition. They had to play their home games at Shrewsbury Town's New Meadow stadium. This was because their own ground, Park Hall, did not meet UEFA rules for group stage matches. On October 24, TNS became the first Welsh club to win a group stage match in Europe. They beat Astana 2–0 at New Meadow.

Futsal Success

The club also has a successful futsal team. They won the first FAW Futsal Cup in 2011. They also reached the final in 2012.

Current Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Nathan Shepperd 2 MF Jacob Owen 3 DF Jordan Marshall 4 MF Dominic Corness 5 DF Ryan Astles 6 DF Jack Bodenham 7 MF Josh Daniels 8 MF Ryan Brobbel 9 FW Ken Charles 10 MF Daniel Redmond (Captain) 11 FW Adrian Cieślewicz 12 DF Harvey Godsmark-Ford 13 GK Alex Ramsay 14 MF Dan Williams 15 FW Aramide Oteh 16 DF Harrison McGahey 17 MF Jordan Williams

No. Position Player 18 MF Rory Holden 19 MF Ben Clark 20 MF Sion Bradley 21 MF Leo Smith 22 DF Danny Davies 24 MF Jack Nadin 26 MF Louis Phillips 27 MF Jake Canavan 28 FW Ben Wilson 29 FW Gwion Dafydd 30 GK Jack Edwards 32 GK Reece Thompson 33 DF Nathan Doforo 34 MF Josh Lock 36 MF Jake Morris 39 FW Tom Jones 64 DF Kade Craig

Players Out on Loan

No. Position Player 23 FW Zack Clarke (at Caernarfon Town until 31 May 2026) 31 DF Ben Woollam (at Flint Town United until 31 May 2026)

League Performance Over the Years

Notes

European Competition History

As of December 14, 2024

Overall European Record

European Matches Played

Season	Competition	Round	Club	1st Leg	2nd Leg	Agg.
1996–97	UEFA Cup Winners' Cup	QR	Ruch Chorzów	1–1 (H)	0–5 (A)	1–6
2000–01	UEFA Champions League	1Q	FC Levadia Tallinn	2–2 (H)	0–4 (A)	2–6
2001–02	UEFA Cup	QR	Polonia Warsaw	0–4 (A)	0–2 (H)	0–6
2002–03	UEFA Cup	QR	Amica Wronki	0–5 (A)	2–7 (H)	2–12
2003–04	UEFA Cup	QR	Manchester City	0–5 (A)	0–2 (H)	0–7
2004–05	UEFA Cup	1Q	Östers IF	0–2 (A)	1–2 (H)	1–4
2005–06	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Liverpool	0–3 (A)	0–3 (H)	0–6
2006–07	UEFA Champions League	1Q	MYPA	0–1 (A)	0–1 (H)	0–2
2007–08	UEFA Champions League	1Q	FK Ventspils	3–2 (H)	1–2 (A)	4–4 (a)
2008–09	UEFA Cup	1Q	FK Sūduva	0–1 (A)	0–1 (H)	0–2
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Fram Reykjavik	1–2 (A)	1–2 (H)	2–4
2010–11	UEFA Champions League	2Q	Bohemians	0–1 (A)	4–0 (H)	4–1
		3Q	Anderlecht	1–3 (H)	0–3 (A)	1–6
	UEFA Europa League	PO	CSKA Sofia	0–3 (A)	2–2 (H)	2–5
2011–12	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Cliftonville	1–1 (H)	1–0 (A)	2–1
		2Q	FC Midtjylland	1–3 (H)	2–5 (A)	3–8
2012–13	UEFA Champions League	2Q	Helsingborgs IF	0–0 (H)	0–3 (A)	0–3
2013–14	UEFA Champions League	2Q	Legia Warsaw	1–3 (H)	0–1 (A)	1–4
2014–15	UEFA Champions League	2Q	ŠK Slovan Bratislava	0–1 (A)	0–2 (H)	0–3
2015–16	UEFA Champions League	1Q	B36 Tórshavn	2–1 (A)	4–1 (H)	6–2
		2Q	Videoton	0–1 (H)	1–1 (A)	1–2
2016–17	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Tre Penne	2–1 (H)	3–0 (A)	5–1
		2Q	APOEL	0–0 (H)	0–3 (A)	0–3
2017–18	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Europa FC	1–2 (H)	3–1 (A)	4–3
		2Q	Rijeka	0–2 (A)	1–5 (H)	1–7
2018–19	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Shkëndija	0–5 (A)	4–0 (H)	4–5
	UEFA Europa League	2Q	Lincoln Red Imps	2–1 (H)	1–1 (A)	3–2
		3Q	Midtjylland	0–2 (H)	1–3 (A)	1–5
2019–20	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Feronikeli	2–2 (H)	1–0 (A)	3–2
		2Q	Copenhagen	0–2 (H)	0–1 (A)	0–3
	UEFA Europa League	3Q	Ludogorets Razgrad	0–5 (A)	0–4 (H)	0–9
2020–21	UEFA Europa League	1Q	Žilina	3–1 (aet) (H)	N/A	N/A
		2Q	B36 Tórshavn	2–2 (4–5 p) (A)	N/A	N/A
2021–22	UEFA Europa Conference League	1Q	Glentoran	1–1 (A)	2–0 (H)	3–1
		2Q	Kauno Žalgiris	5–0 (A)	5−1 (H)	10−1
		3Q	Viktoria Plzeň	4–2 (H)	1–3 (aet) (A)	5–5 (1–4 p)
2022–23	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Linfield	1–0 (H)	0–2 (aet) (A)	1–2
	UEFA Europa Conference League	2Q	Víkingur Reykjavík	0–2 (A)	0–0 (H)	0–2
2023–24	UEFA Champions League	1Q	BK Häcken	1–3 (A)	0–2 (H)	1–5
	UEFA Europa Conference League	2Q	Swift Hesperange	1–1 (H)	2–3 (A)	3–4
2024–25	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Dečić	3–0 (H)	1–1 (A)	4–1
		2Q	Ferencváros	0–5 (A)	1–2 (H)	1–7
	UEFA Europa League	3Q	Petrocub Hîncești	0–1 (A)	0–0 (H)	0–1
	UEFA Conference League	PO	Panevėžys	3–0 (A)	0–0 (H)	3–0
		LP	Fiorentina	0–2 (A)	N/A	N/A
			Djurgårdens IF	0–1 (H)	N/A	N/A
			Astana	2–0 (H)	N/A	N/A
			Shamrock Rovers	1–2 (A)	N/A	N/A
			Panathinaikos	0–2 (H)	N/A	N/A
			Celje	2–3 (A)	N/A	N/A
2025–26	UEFA Champions League	1Q	Shkëndija	0–0 (H)	1–2 (aet) (A)	1–2
	UEFA Conference League	2Q	Differdange 03

Notes

• QR: Qualifying round
• 1Q: First qualifying round
• 2Q: Second qualifying round
• 3Q: Third qualifying round
• PO: Play-off round

Club Achievements

First Team Trophies

• Cymru Premier (Welsh Top League)
  • Champions (17 times; record): 1999–2000, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25
  • Runners-up (7 times): 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2007–08, 2010–11, 2019–20, 2020–21
• Welsh Cup
  • Winners (10 times): 1995–96, 2004–05, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2018–19, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2024–25
  • Runners-up (4 times): 2000–01, 2003–04, 2016–17, 2023–24
• Welsh League Cup
  • Winners (11 times; record): 1994–95, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2023–24, 2024–25
  • Runners-up (1 time): 2012–13
• Scottish Challenge Cup
  • Runners-up (1 time): 2023–24
• FAW Premier Cup
  • Winners (1 time): 2006–07
• Welsh Intermediate Cup
  • Winners (1 time): 1992–93
• Cymru Alliance League
  • Winners (1 time): 1992–93
• Shropshire Senior Cup
  • Winners (1 time): 2011–12

Reserve and Youth Team Achievements

• FAW Reserve League North East
  • Champions: 2024–25 (reserves)
• Cymru Premier Development League National
  • Winners: 2023-24 (development team)
• FAW Reserve League North Cup
  • Winners: 2023–24
• FAW National Academi North Development League
  • Champions: 2024–25 (development team)
• Cymru Premier Development League National North
  • Champions: 2017–18, 2023-24 (development team)
• FAW Welsh Youth Cup
  • Winners (2 times): 2021–22, 2022–23
  • Runners-up (3 times): 2011–12, 2013–14, 2018–19

Achievements as Llansantffraid

• Montgomeryshire Amateur Football League Division One
  • Champions (6 times): 1968–69, 1969–70, 1982–83, 1986–87, 1991–92, 1992–93
• Montgomeryshire Amateur Football League Division Two
  • Champions (2 times): 1970–71, 1980–81

Individual Records

• Highest attendance at a game: 14,563 against Liverpool in 2005.
• First time progressing in European football: 4–1 win against Bohemians in 2010.

Biggest Wins and Losses

• Largest League of Wales win: 12–0 against Airbus UK Broughton in November 2019.
• Largest League of Wales defeat: 0–10 against Barry Town in 1997.
• Largest Welsh Cup win: 16–0 against Llangollen in October 2024.

Club Managers

First Team Coaching Staff

Women's Football Team

The New Saints Ladies FC started in 2002. In August 2020, the women's section became a separate club called Wem Town L.F.C..

However, in June 2021, The New Saints F.C. Women were restarted. They were allowed to play in the Adran Premier, which is the top women's league in Wales. They play their home games at Park Hall Stadium.

In the 2022–23 season, they finished in 4th place. For the 2024–25 season, the team became semi-professional. This means some players are paid to play. In that same season, they won their first trophy, the Adran Trophy, beating Swansea 3–1.

Women's Team Honours

• Adran Trophy – Winners: 2024–25

Women's Team Coaching Staff

See also

In Spanish: The New Saints Football Club para niños

• Football in Shropshire
• Football clubs playing in another country's league