 | |
| Founded | 1904; 121 years ago (1904) (as "Rhymney Valley League Div. 1") |
|---|---|
| Folded | 2020 |
| Country | Wales |
| Number of clubs | 32 (16 in each division) |
| Level on pyramid | 1 (1904–1992) 2 (1992–2019) 3 & 4 (1992–2020) |
| Domestic cup(s) | Welsh Cup Welsh Football League Cup |
TheWelsh Football League (also known as theNathaniel Car Sales Welsh Football League for sponsorship reasons) was a clubfootball league inWales. For its final season in 2019–20 season it operated at levels 3 and 4 of theWelsh football league system. Level 3 – theWelsh Football League Division One and level 4Welsh Football League Division Two. It folded in 2020 after theFootball Association of Wales took over the running oftier 3 leagues and the responsibility for tier 4 passed to regional football associations.
The Welsh Football League's history stretches back to 1904 when the competition was first formed andAberdare were crowned first champions of a seven-team First Division. Abergavenny were champions of Division 2 and Trelewis the winners of Division 3.
In April 1904, the Merthyr Express newspaper reported that a new football league would be formed in addition to theSouth Wales League which had been in existence since 1891.
This new competition would be named the Rhymney Valley League and the reason for its creation was due to the South Wales League being overly dominated byCardiff clubs, though the number of teams from Cardiff barely numbered more than a couple in any one season.[1]
Division One of the League operated at the second tier of the Welsh system, until 2019–20, when it was replaced at that tier by theFAW Championship.[2]
