Cymru Premier facts for kids
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| Founded | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Wales |
| Other club(s) from |  England (1 team) |
| Confederation | UEFA |
| Number of teams | 12 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Relegation to | Cymru North Cymru South |
| Domestic cup(s) | Welsh Cup |
| League cup(s) | Welsh League Cup |
| International cup(s) | |
| Current champions | The New Saints (16th title) (2023–24) |
| Most championships | The New Saints (16 titles) |
| Most appearances | Chris Venables (537) |
| Top goalscorer | Marc Lloyd Williams (319) |
The Cymru Premier, also known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the top football league in Wales. It includes both professional and semi-professional clubs. This league is the highest level of football in the Welsh football league system.
Before 2002, it was called the League of Wales. Then it changed its name to the Welsh Premier League due to a sponsorship deal. In the 2019–20 season, it was rebranded again as the Cymru Premier.
Contents
How the League Started
Creating a National League
The Cymru Premier was created in October 1991 by Alun Evans. He was the Secretary General of the Football Association of Wales (FAW). He believed that having a national league would help protect the Welsh international football team.
The new league officially started on 15 August 1992, for the 1992–93 season. Before this, the FAW had not organized a national league. The strongest Welsh teams usually played in the English leagues. Famous Welsh clubs like Cardiff City and Swansea City played in England.
It was often easier for Welsh clubs to travel east to England for games. This was because of poor transport links between north and south Wales. Many top Welsh semi-professional teams played in the English system. For example, Bangor City was a founding member of a major English non-league competition in 1979. They later joined the new League of Wales in 1992.
Welsh Clubs and English Leagues
When the League of Wales was formed, some Welsh clubs wanted to stay in the English league system. These clubs were sometimes called the 'Irate Eight'. They included teams like Bangor City, Barry Town, and Newport.
The FAW allowed Cardiff City, Swansea City, and Wrexham to continue playing in England. This was because they were already in The Football League.
Eventually, most of the 'Irate Eight' clubs joined the Welsh league system. Colwyn Bay stayed in the English system for 24 more years before joining the Welsh league in 2019. Only Newport County and Merthyr Town (a newer version of Merthyr Tydfil) still play in the English system.
Interestingly, an English team, Oswestry Town, joined the League of Wales in 1996. Today, The New Saints are based in Oswestry, England.
Should More Welsh Teams Join?
Some people believe that all Welsh football teams should play in the Cymru Premier. This includes teams like Cardiff City and Swansea City, who play in high English leagues.
There's a particular discussion about Merthyr Town, who play in a lower English non-league. An online poll showed that many fans would like Merthyr Town to join the Welsh football system.
How the League Works
Moving Up and Down (Promotion and Relegation)
Teams can move up to the Cymru Premier from two lower leagues: the Cymru North (for north/central Wales) and the Cymru South (for south/central Wales).
The champions of these feeder leagues can be promoted. If the champions don't want to move up, the second-place team might get the chance. To be promoted, clubs must apply and meet certain stadium and safety rules.
Over the years, the number of teams in the league has changed. For example, in 2010, the league was restructured. It went from 18 clubs down to 12. Some teams were moved down because they didn't meet the financial rules.
Current League Structure
The Cymru Premier season is divided into two parts. After these parts, there's a special playoff to decide which team gets the fourth European spot.
Phase 1
- Phase 1 runs from August to mid-January.
- Each team plays every other team twice (once at home, once away). This means each team plays 22 games.
- After these 22 games, the league splits into two groups:
* The top six teams form the Championship Conference. * The bottom six teams form the Playoff Conference.
- All points earned in Phase 1 carry over to Phase 2.
Phase 2
- Phase 2 runs from February to the end of April.
- Teams in each conference play the other five teams in their group twice more (home and away). This adds 10 more games, making a total of 32 games for the season.
- The team that finishes first in the Championship Conference after 32 games becomes the League Champion. They get to play in the UEFA Champions League.
- The team that finishes second in the Championship Conference automatically qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
- The bottom two teams in the Playoff Conference are moved down (relegated) to the lower leagues.
- The team that finishes first in the Playoff Conference (which is 7th overall in the league) gets to enter the European Playoffs.
European Playoffs
- The teams finishing from 3rd to 7th place compete in these playoffs.
- The 6th placed team plays the 7th placed team in a Quarter-Final.
- The winner of that game then plays the 3rd placed team in a Semi-Final.
- The 4th placed team plays the 5th placed team in the other Semi-Final.
- The winners of the Semi-Finals play in a Final. The winner of the Final qualifies for the UEFA Europa Conference League.
- If a team has already qualified for Europe by winning the Welsh Cup, the playoff rules adjust. Fewer teams might play in the playoffs, or teams might start directly in the Semi-Finals.
Playing in Europe
The team that wins the Cymru Premier gets to play in the UEFA Champions League. This is the biggest club competition in Europe.
The second and third placed teams in the league usually qualify for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa Conference League. The winner of the Welsh Cup also gets a spot in the Europa Conference League.
If the Welsh Cup winner has already qualified through their league position, then the next best teams get the European spots.
Welsh clubs have had mixed results in European competitions. Some have had exciting wins, like Barry Town drawing 3–3 with Aberdeen or beating FC Porto 3–1. Other times, they have faced tough defeats.
As of June 2019, the Cymru Premier is ranked 46th out of 55 European leagues by UEFA coefficient. This ranking helps decide how many teams from a country can play in European competitions.
Media Coverage
The Cymru Premier gets good media coverage in Wales. Its results are shown on major sports news services.
- Since 1996, the league's results have been included on the Press Association's service. This means they appear on BBC's Final Score and other sports shows.
- Local newspapers like the Western Mail and Daily Post also cover the league.
- On television, S4C, a Welsh-language broadcaster, shows live games and highlights.
- Since the 2018/19 season, S4C shows one live game each week. This can be from the league, the Welsh Cup, or the Scottish Challenge Cup if a Welsh team is playing.
- They also stream these live matches online on the Sgorio Facebook page.
- Weekly highlights of all league games are shown on S4C on Monday nights. You can also find them on Sgorio's social media and YouTube channels.
Clubs in the League
Out of the 20 clubs that played in the very first season of the League of Wales, only two have played in every season since it began. These two clubs are Aberystwyth Town and Newtown.
For a full list of all clubs that have played in the league, you can check the List of Cymru Premier clubs. To see who has won the league each year, look at the List of Welsh football champions.
Sponsors of the League
The league has had different sponsors over the years, which has sometimes changed its official name.
| Period | Sponsor | Brand |
|---|---|---|
| 1992–1993 | Konica Peter Llewellyn Limited of Swansea | Konica League of Wales |
| 1993–2002 | No sponsor | League of Wales |
| 2002–2004 | JT Hughes Mitsubishi | JT Hughes Mitsubishi Welsh Premiership |
| 2004–2006 | Vauxhall Masterfit Retailers | Vauxhall Masterfit Retailers Welsh Premier League |
| 2006–2011 | Principality Building Society | Principality Building Society Welsh Premier Football League |
| 2011–2015 | CorbettSports.com | Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League |
| 2015–2017 | Dafabet | The Dafabet Welsh Premier League |
| 2017–2019 | JD Sports | The JD Welsh Premier League |
| 2019–present | JD Cymru Premier |
League Champions
For the champions of the top division of the Welsh League from 1904 to 1992, see Welsh Football League
| Seasons | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Cwmbran Town (1) | Inter Cardiff | Aberystwyth Town | – |
| 1993–94 | Bangor City (1) | Inter Cardiff | Ton Pentre | – |
| 1994–95 | Bangor City (2) | Afan Lido | Ton Pentre | – |
| 1995–96 | Barry Town (1) | Newtown | Conwy United | – |
| 1996–97 | Barry Town (2) | Inter CabelTel | Ebbw Vale | Treble with Welsh Cup and Welsh League Cup |
| 1997–98 | Barry Town (3) | Newtown | Ebbw Vale | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 1998–99 | Barry Town (4) | Inter CabelTel | Cwmbran Town | Treble with FAW Premier Cup and Welsh League Cup |
| 1999–00 | Total Network Solutions (1) | Barry Town | Cwmbran Town | – |
| 2000–01 | Barry Town (5) | Cwmbran Town | Carmarthen Town | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2001–02 | Barry Town (6) | Total Network Solutions | Bangor City | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2002–03 | Barry Town (7) | Total Network Solutions | Bangor City | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2003–04 | Rhyl (1) | Total Network Solutions | Haverfordwest County | Treble with Welsh Cup and Welsh League Cup |
| 2004–05 | Total Network Solutions (2) | Rhyl | Bangor City | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2005–06 | Total Network Solutions (3) | Llanelli | Rhyl | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 2006–07 | The New Saints (4) | Rhyl | Llanelli | Double with FAW Premier Cup |
| 2007–08 | Llanelli (1) | The New Saints | Rhyl | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 2008–09 | Rhyl (2) | Llanelli | The New Saints | – |
| 2009–10 | The New Saints (5) | Llanelli | Port Talbot Town | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 2010–11 | Bangor City (3) | The New Saints | Neath | – |
| 2011–12 | The New Saints (6) | Bangor City | Neath | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2012–13 | The New Saints (7) | Airbus UK Broughton | Bangor City | – |
| 2013–14 | The New Saints (8) | Airbus UK Broughton | Carmarthen Town | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2014–15 | The New Saints (9) | Bala Town | Airbus UK Broughton | Treble with Welsh Cup and Welsh League Cup |
| 2015–16 | The New Saints (10) | Bala Town | Llandudno | Treble with Welsh Cup and Welsh League Cup |
| 2016–17 | The New Saints (11) | Gap Connah's Quay | Bala Town | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 2017–18 | The New Saints (12) | Bangor City | Connah's Quay Nomads | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 2018–19 | The New Saints (13) | Connah's Quay Nomads | Barry Town United | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2019–20 | Connah's Quay Nomads (1) | The New Saints | Bala Town | Double with Welsh League Cup |
| 2020–21 | Connah's Quay Nomads (2) | The New Saints | Bala Town | – |
| 2021–22 | The New Saints (14) | Bala Town | Newtown | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2022–23 | The New Saints (15) | Connah's Quay Nomads | Penybont | Double with Welsh Cup |
| 2023–24 | The New Saints (16) | Connah's Quay Nomads | Bala Town | Double with Welsh League Cup |
Who Has Won the Most Titles?
Seven different clubs have won the Cymru Premier title. The teams in bold are currently playing in the 2023–24 season.
| Club | Winners | Runners-up | Third place | Winning Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New Saints | 16 | 7 | 1 | 1999–00, 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 |
| Barry Town United | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03 |
| Bangor City | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1993–94, 1994–95, 2010–11 |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2019–20, 2020–21 |
| Rhyl | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2003–04, 2008–09 |
| Llanelli | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2007–08 |
| Cwmbran Town | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1992–93 |
| Inter Cardiff | – | 4 | – | – |
| Bala Town | – | 3 | 4 | – |
| Airbus UK Broughton | – | 2 | 1 | – |
| Newtown | – | 2 | 1 | – |
| Afan Lido | – | 1 | – | – |
| Ton Pentre | – | – | 2 | – |
| Ebbw Vale | – | – | 2 | – |
| Neath | – | – | 2 | – |
| Carmarthen Town | – | – | 2 | – |
| Aberystwyth Town | – | – | 1 | – |
| Conwy United | – | – | 1 | – |
| Haverfordwest County | – | – | 1 | – |
| Llandudno | – | – | 1 | – |
| Port Talbot Town | – | – | 1 | – |
| Penybont | – | – | 1 | – |
Notes:
- The New Saints were known by different names in the past: Llansantffraid until 1996, and Total Network Solutions between 1996 and 2006.
Top Players
- Marc Lloyd Williams is the top goalscorer in the league's history. He scored 319 goals in 467 games.
- Chris Venables holds the record for the most appearances, playing in 537 games.
- Paul Harrison has the record for the most games played in a row, with over 190 consecutive appearances.
See also
In Spanish: Cymru Premier para niños
- Football in Wales
- Welsh football league system
- Welsh Cup
- Welsh League Cup
- FAW Premier Cup
- List of association football competitions
- List of football clubs in Wales
- List of stadiums in Wales by capacity
