The Welsh Football League (also known as the Nathaniel Car Sales Welsh Football League for sponsorship reasons) was a club football league in Wales . For its final season in 2019–20 season it operated at levels 3 and 4 of the Welsh football league system . Level 3 – the Welsh Football League Division One and level 4 Welsh Football League Division Two . It folded in 2020 after the Football Association of Wales took over the running of tier 3 leagues and the responsibility for tier 4 passed to regional football associations.
7-603: The Welsh Football League's history stretches back to 1904 when the competition was first formed and Aberdare 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 the South Wales League which had been in existence since 1891. This new competition would be named
14-751: A Welsh football club founded in 1893 and based at the Athletic Ground in Aberdare . They joined the Football League in 1921 but were replaced by Torquay United after failing to be re-elected in 1927. Founded in 1893, Aberdare were Welsh Cup runners-up, in 1903–04, 1904–05 and 1922–23. In 1920–21, they joined the Welsh Section of the Southern League and finished runners-up in their first season. That gained them entry to
21-621: The Football League Third Division South for the next season. Despite a promising start in league football, finishing 8th in the 1921–22 season, Aberdare suffered financial instable throughout the 1920s. The club merged with Aberaman Athletic in 1926 with the first team competing in the Football League under the name Aberdare Athletic, while the reserve team played in the Welsh League under
28-772: The Rhymney Valley League and the reason for its creation was due to the South Wales League being overly dominated by Cardiff clubs, though the number of teams from Cardiff barely numbered more than a couple in any one season. 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 the FAW Championship . Aberdare Athletic F.C. Aberdare Athletic Football Club were
35-540: The first ballot, Aberdare and Southern League side Torquay, the latter having previously applied to join the League in 1923, tied with 21 each. That round of voting was marred by controversy as the potentially tie-breaking ballot was reported to be "spoilt" and Aberdare's secretary claimed that one of the scrutineers was "an interested party". Aberdare lost the second ballot with 19 votes to Torquay's 26; fellow League side Watford, who had finished second-bottom, were comfortably re-elected with 44 votes. The club now fully adopted
42-689: The name "Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic", and rejoined the Southern League. The club only survived for another season, and in 1928, the Aberaman faction split away to re-form Aberaman Athletic, while the Aberdare half folded. Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic was again re-formed in 1945, but that side also split in 1947. Aberdare Town F.C. continue to play in the Welsh Football League today. The following were managers around
49-478: The name Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic. However the merged clubs still had to operate on a tight player budget meant it was unable to secure new players. In the 1926–27 season, Aberdare Athletic finished bottom of the Third Division South and failed to gain re-election to the League, with Torquay United taking their place. Aberdare's loss of their Football League place was controversial. In
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