The Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) was a football league in Wales and operated at level 3 and 4 of the Welsh football league system in Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough, but with some teams from Denbighshire (Corwen and Llangollen Town) and Gwynedd (Llanuwchllyn). For sponsorship purposes it was last known as the Guy Walmsley & Co Welsh National League.
| Founded | 1945 |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2020 |
| Country |  Wales |
| Number of teams | 26 |
| Level on pyramid | 3 and 4 |
| Last champions | Premier Division - Holywell Town Division One - Hawarden Rangers Reserves - Mold Alexandra Reserves & Colts - Connah's Quay Nomads (2019–20) |
| Website | League Website |
History
editThe League grew out of the Wrexham and District League which ran during the early years of the twentieth century. At that time the senior clubs in the Wrexham area played in English leagues such as The Combination and the Birmingham & District League. Their reserve sides, along with local amateur teams, contested the Wrexham and District League (1903–1912). The Wrexham and District League folded in 1912 and its clubs joined the North Wales Alliance League.[1]
In the inter-war years, the new Welsh National League with its various sections was organised. Clubs from the Wrexham area, and the rest of North Wales, joined the Welsh National League Northern Section which ran from 1921–1930.
Teams from the Wrexham Area competed in the Wrexham and District League (1925–1939).
After World War II they re-organised as the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area).[2]
At the end of the 2019–20 season the league folded as part of the reorganisation on the Welsh football pyramid, with the Football Association of Wales taking over running tier 3 leagues and local football associations tier 4.[3]
Member clubs for the final 2019–20 season
edit
| Club | Ground | Town |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Division | ||
| Brickfield Rangers | Clywedog Park | Wrexham |
| Brymbo | Brymbo Sports Complex | Broughton |
| Castell Alun Colts | Castell Alun Sports & Leisure Complex | Hope |
| Cefn Albion | The Myga, Cefn Mawr | Cefn |
| Chirk Amateur Athletic Association | Holyhead Road | Chirk |
| FC Queens Park | The Dunks | Caia Park |
| Holywell Town | Halkyn Road | Holywell |
| Llanuwchllyn | Church Street | Llanuwchllyn |
| Llay Welfare | The Ring | Llay |
| Mold Alexandra | Alyn Park | Mold |
| Penycae | Afoneitha Road | Penycae |
| Plas Madoc (club folded July 2020 after end of season) | The Myga, Cefn Mawr | Cefn Mawr |
| Rhos Aelwyd | Ponciau Park, Ponciau | Rhosllanerchrugog |
| Rhostyllen | Parish Hall | Rhostyllen |
| Saltney Town | Saltney Community Centre | Saltney |
| Rhydymwyn | Vicarage Road | Rhydymwyn |
| Division One | ||
| Cefn Mawr Rangers | The Myga, Cefn Mawr | Cefn Mawr |
| Coedpoeth United | Penygelli Playing Fields | Coedpoeth |
| Halkyn & Flint Mountain | Pant Newydd | Pentre Halkyn |
| Hawarden Rangers | Gladstone Playing Field | Hawarden |
| Johnstown Youth | Moreton Playing Fields | Johnstown |
| Lex XI | Stansty Park | Summerhill |
| Llangollen Town | Tower Fields | Llangollen |
| Mynydd Isa Spartans | Argoed | Mynydd Isa |
| New Brighton Villa | New Brighton Community Centre | New Brighton |
| Overton Recreation | Recreation Ground | Overton-on-Dee |
| Rhosllanerchrugog (resigned from league in December 2019)[4] | Rhos Rugby Club | Rhosllanerchrugog |
Divisional Champions
editThe league underwent various restructures in its history, with the number of divisions and their names changing.[5]
For its first season the league had just one division, the Senior Division.
| Season | Senior Division |
|---|---|
| 1945–46 | Llay United |
In 1946 two regional divisions were introduced below the Senior Division.
| Season | Senior Division | East Division | West Division |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Wrexham 'A' | Gresford Athletic | Rhostyllen Sports Club |
| 1947–48 | Chirk AAA | Rhostyllen/Bersham BL | Coedpoeth |
| 1948–49 | Johnstown United | Overton St Mary's | Coedpoeth |
In 1949 the regionalised divisions were merged and the resulting three divisions renamed Divisions One, Two and Three.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Chirk AAA | Ruabon Athletic | New Boughton |
| 1950–51 | Druids United | Penycae | Rubery Owen Rockwell |
| 1951–52 | Chirk AAA | Holt Nomads | Royal Pioneer Corps |
| 1952–53 | Overton St Mary's | Llangollen Town | Bradley Rangers |
In 1953–54 Division Three was not contested due to a lack of clubs.
| Season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1953–54 | Overton St Mary's | Bradley Rangers |
In 1954 Division Three was revived.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–55 | Welshpool | Gresford Colliery | Bradley Rangers Reserves |
| 1955–56 | Buckley Wanderers | Holt Nomads | Tanyfron Youth Club |
| 1956–57 | Welshpool | Rubery Owen Rockwell | Ponciau Youth Club |
| 1957–58 | Brymbo Steelworks | Royal Pioneer Corps | Marshalls Sports Club |
| 1958–59 | Chirk AAA | Rhos Aelwyd | Tanyfron |
| 1959–60 | Chirk AAA | Buckley Rovers | Fron |
In 1960 Division Three was discontinued once again.
| Season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1960–61 | Chirk AAA | Pentre Broughton |
| 1961–62 | Welshpool | Rhosddu |
In 1962 Division Three was revived once again.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | Llay Welfare | Gresford Athletic | Summerhill |
| 1963–64 | Ruthin Town | Summerhill | Llanuwchllyn |
| 1964–65 | Welshpool | Buckley Rovers | Coedpoeth Sports Club |
| 1965–66 | Brymbo Steelworks | Rubery Owen Rockwell | Marshalls Sports Club |
| 1966–67 | Brymbo Steelworks | Coedpoeth Sports Club | British Celanese |
| 1967–68 | Llangollen Town | Bala Town | Rossett Villa |
| 1968–69 | Brymbo Steelworks | Rossett Villa | Burntwood & Drury |
In 1969 Division Three was split into two sections, A and B.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three A | Division Three B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | Brymbo Steelworks | Druids United | Gresford Athletic Reserves | Cefn Albion |
In 1970 the two Division Three sections were reorganised into Divisions Three and Four.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Division Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970–71 | Brymbo Steelworks | Burntwood & Drury | Rhosddu | Castell Alun |
| 1971–72 | Llangollen Town | Rhosddu | Castell Alun | Druids United Reserves |
| 1972–73 | Denbigh Town | Ruabon St Marys | Hawarden Rangers | Treuddyn Villa |
| 1973–74 | Denbigh Town | Buckley Rovers | Coedpoeth Sports Club | Overton Athletic |
In 1974 the four divisions were reduced to just two.
| Season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1974–75 | Denbigh Town | Lex XI |
In 1975 Division Three was reintroduced.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–76 | Denbigh Town | Coedpoeth Sports Club | Castell Alun Colts |
In 1976 Division Three was discontinued once again.
| Season | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|
| 1976–77 | Brymbo Steelworks | Castell Alun Colts |
| 1977–78 | New Broughton | Cefn Albion |
In 1978 Divisions Three and Four were revived.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Division Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Brymbo Steelworks | Chirk AAA | Penley | Tunnel Cement |
In 1979 Division Four was discontinued once again.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979–80 | Cefn Albion | Ruthin Town | Grapes |
NB: The NW Sport site[6] disagrees that Division Four was not in operation for season 1979-80, and gives the four divisional winners as Cefn Albion, Ruthin Town, Ruthin Town Reserves, and Grapes, respectively.
In 1980 Division Four was once again revived.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Division Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Cefn Albion | Rhostyllen Villa | Grapes | New Broughton |
| 1981–82 | Brymbo Steelworks | Grapes | Hawkesbury Villa | Coedpoeth |
| 1982–83 | Brymbo Steelworks | Rhos Aelwyd | Coedpoeth | Llay RBL |
In 1983 Division Four was split into two sections, North and South.
| Season | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Division Four (North) | Division Four (South) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983–84 | Chirk AAA | Lex XI Reserves | Penycae | Connah's Quay Reserves | Johnstown Athletic |
In 1984 the two Division Four sections were merged back and the four divisions renamed Premier, One, Two and Three.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Lex XI | Llay RBL | Chirk AAA Reserves | Llangollen Town Reserves |
| 1985–86 | Mold Alexandra | Llangollen Town | Penycae Reserves | Bradley |
| 1986–87 | Mold Alexandra | Llay Welfare | Corwen | Flint Town |
| 1987–88 | Lex XI | Corwen | St Marys Ruabon | New Broughton |
| 1988–89 | Lex XI | Rhostyllen Villa | Marchwiel Villa | Kelloggs |
| 1989–90 | Mold Alexandra | Bala Town | New Broughton | Kinnerton |
In 1990 Division Three was discontinued.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–91 | Marchwiel Villa | Llay Welfare | Bradley |
| 1991–92 | Wrexham Reserves | Treuddyn Villa | British Aerospace |
| 1992–93 | Penley | Cefn Druids Reserves | Rhostyllen/Bersham |
| 1993–94 | Penycae | Brymbo Reserves | Rhosddu |
| 1994–95 | Oswestry Town | Rhostyllen/Bersham RBL | Wrexham Colts |
| 1995–96 | Gresford Athletic | Wrexham Colts | Gresford Athletic Colts |
| 1996–97 | Wrexham Colts | Castell AC | Owens Corning |
| 1997–98 | Penley | Bala Town | Bradley Villa |
| 1998–99 | Corwen | Bradley Villa | Borras Park Albion |
In 1999 Division Three was revived.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Division Two | Division Three |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | British Aerospace | Hand Hotel | Cefn United | Buckley Town |
| 2000–01 | Gresford Athletic | Cefn United | Llay Welfare Colts | Queen's Park |
| 2001–02 | Mold Alexandra | Mynydd Isa | Queen's Park | Brynteg Village |
| 2002–03 | Castell Alun Colts | Queen's Park | Brynteg Village | Ruabon Villa |
| 2003–04 | Bala Town | Acrefair Youth | Coedpoeth United | Buckley Town Reserves |
| 2004–05 | Queen's Park | Brynteg Village | New Brighton FC | Mold Juniors |
| 2005–06 | Rhos Aelwyd | Castell Alun Colts | Bala Town Reserves | Venture Community |
| 2006–07 | Brymbo | Bala Town Reserves | Venture Community | Brymbo Reserves |
| 2007–08 | Brymbo | Airbus UK Reserves | Garden Village | FC Cefn |
In 2008, all reserve and colts teams were split off, leaving two divisions for first teams and two divisions for lower teams.
| Season | Premier Division | Division One | Reserves Division | Reserves & Colts Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | Llangollen Town | FC Cefn | Bala Town | Castell AC |
| 2009–10 | Rhos Aelwyd | Garden Village | Airbus UK | Ruthin Town |
| 2010–11 | Penycae | Penyffordd | Rhos Aelwyd | Airbus UK |
| 2011–12[7] | FC Cefn | Saltney Town | Chirk AAA | Mold Alex |
| 2012–13 | Chirk AAA | Borras Park Albion | Ruthin Town | Buckley Town |
| 2013–14 | Mold Alexandra | FC Nomads of Connah's Quay | Penycae | FC Nomads of Connah's Quay |
| 2014–15 | Gresford Athletic | FC Queens Park | Cefn Druids | Mold Alex |
| 2015–16 | FC Nomads of Connah's Quay | Cefn Albion | Mold Alex | Saltney Town |
| 2016–17 | FC Queens Park | Lex Glyndwr | Cefn Druids | Flint Town United |
| 2017-18 | Buckley Town | Brymbo | Ruthin Town | Brickfield Rangers |
| 2018-19 | Corwen | Plas Madoc | Cefn Druids | Holywell Town FC |
| 2019-20 | Holywell Town | Hawarden Rangers | Mold Alexandra | Connah's Quay Nomads |
References
edit- ^ "Wrexham & District League 1911/12". Welsh Football. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
- ^ "Welsh National League". wnl.org.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Farewell to the Welsh National (Wrexham Area) League – a tribute". North Wales Sport. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
- ^ @i/web (20 December 2019). "Majority of our players and management have merged with @JTYouthFC (Johnstown). We are delighted with this merger and gives the chance for both sides to put together a really good competitive outfit. We thank everyone for there support over the years!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Welsh National League". wnl.org.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ nwsport.co.uk/2020/05/27/farewell-to-the-welsh-national-wrexham-area-league-a-tribute/amp/
- ^ "2011-12 tables, part 5" (PDF). Football Club History Database. Retrieved 16 November 2021.