The Ardal Leagues are a football league in Wales. The word "ardal" translates as "district" in English, with Wales split into four regions at this level. They have clubs with amateur/semi-professional status and sit at the third level of the

Welsh football league system The Welsh football league system (or pyramid) is a series of football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them. While most Welsh clubs play in the Welsh pyramid and most clubs in that pyramid are Welsh, five Welsh clubs play ...

. The first year of their operation would have been 2020–21 but the 2020–21 Ardal North East season, 2020–21 Ardal North West season, 2020–21 Ardal South East season and 2020–21 Ardal South West season were all cancelled. The inaugural season was moved to 2021–22. The creation of the leagues mark the first time the

Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...

owns and is administering tier 3 of the Welsh league system. These changes follow from a review of the Welsh football pyramid. To be eligible clubs need to meet the criteria for FAW tier 3 certification. The league is split into two leagues, covering North and South Wales. Both Northern and Southern leagues have two regionally-based sections of sixteen clubs each: *Ardal Northern ** Ardal North East ( 2022–23 Ardal NE season) ** Ardal North West ( 2022–23 Ardal NW season) *Ardal Southern ** Ardal South East ( 2022–23 Ardal SE season) ** Ardal South West ( 2022–23 Ardal SW season) The winners of each league are promoted to either the

Cymru North The Cymru North is a regional football league in Wales, covering the northern half of the country. It has clubs with semi-professional status and together with the Cymru South, it forms the second tier of the Welsh football league system. The f ...

or the

Cymru South The Cymru South is a regional football league in Wales, covering the southern half of the country. It has clubs with semi-professional status and together with the Cymru North, it forms the second tier of the Welsh football league system. Th ...

as long as they meet the FAW's tier 2 certification criteria. Subject to also meeting these criteria, the four runners-up clubs enter play-off matches with two of the clubs also gaining promotion (one from the north and one from the south). The Ardal Leagues structure replaced the former tier 3 leagues:

Welsh Football League Division One The Welsh Football League Division One, known as the Nathanielcars.co.uk Welsh League First Division for sponsorship reasons, was a football league in South Wales. It formed the top division of the Welsh Football League and the second level of ...

, Mid Wales Football League Division One, Welsh Alliance League Division One and the

Welsh National League Premier Division 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 T ...

, leagues based in South Wales, Mid Wales, North West Wales and North East Wales respectively. Relegation from the Ardal Leagues is to six local tier 4 leagues, with three clubs relegated from each of the tier 3 leagues at the end of the season. The tier 4 leagues are run by each of the Area Associations of Welsh football, the West Wales Football Association, the South Wales Football Association, the Gwent County Football Association, the Central Wales Football Association, the North East Wales Football Association and the North Wales Coast Football Association.

Ardal League teams

On 10 July 2020 the FAW confirmed the 64 teams in the new tier 3 leagues. In an attempt to avoid dividing the current Mid-Wales teams across all four leagues, the North-East league contains a large contingent of the Mid-Wales teams. The North-West league contains the sides near the North Wales coast. After confirmation of their inclusion STM Sports announced on 27 July that they had folded, leaving only 15 sides in the South West league. On 3 August it was confirmed that Cardiff Draconians had been promoted from the

South Wales Alliance League The South Wales Alliance League is a football league structure in South Wales, currently known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Highadmit Projects South Wales Alliance League''. The top tier of the league, the Premier Division is at the fourth ...

to fill the remaining place in the league.
Since COVID-19-originated restrictions were put in place by the FAW, as from 10 August, clubs could have trained in groups of 15 and contact training would have been allowed at all-levels of football. However, competitive and exhibition matches were still not allowed to take place. Consequently, the FAW decided to cancel what was to be the Ardal Leagues' inaugural 2020–21 season on 4 February 2021, and on 26 March, Montgomery Town withdrew from the North East league for pandemic-related reasons. They were replaced by Cardiff Draconians, as the highest placed team from the Alliance League who had been awarded a licence.

2022–23 season

The following clubs are league members for the 2022–23 season.

Ardal NE

Berriew Berriew ( cy, Aberriw) is a village and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales. It is on the Montgomeryshire Canal and the Afon Rhiw, near the confluence (Welsh: ''aber'') with the River Severn (Welsh: Afon Hafren) at , 79 miles (128 k ...

''(resigned July 2022)'' *

Bow Street Bow Street is a thoroughfare in Covent Garden, Westminster, London. It connects Long Acre, Russell Street and Wellington Street, and is part of a route from St Giles to Waterloo Bridge. The street was developed in 1633 by Francis Russell ...

Builth Wells Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of th ...

Caersws Caersws ( cy, Caersŵs; ) is a village and community on the River Severn, in the Welsh county of Powys (Montgomeryshire) west of Newtown, and halfway between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury. It has a station on the Cambrian Line from Aberystwyth ...

Cefn Albion Cefn Albion Football Club is a Welsh football club representing the village of Cefn Mawr in Wrexham County Borough. The club was founded in 2013 and plays in the Ardal Leagues North East, in the third tier of the Welsh football league system. ...

Corwen Corwen is a town and community in the county of Denbighshire in Wales. Historically, Corwen is part of the county of Merionethshire. Corwen stands on the banks of the River Dee beneath the Berwyn mountains. The town is situated west of Llan ...

* Dolgellau Athletic *

Llandrindod Wells Llandrindod Wells (, ; cy, Llandrindod, /ɬanˈdɾindɔd/ "Trinity Parish"), sometimes known colloquially as Llandod, is a town and community in Powys, within the historic boundaries of Radnorshire, Wales. It serves as the seat of Powys ...

* Llanfair United * Llangollen Town * Llanrhaeadr *

Llanuwchllyn Llanuwchllyn () is a village and community in Gwynedd, Wales, near the southern end of Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid). It is one of the most sparsely populated communities in Wales. The electoral ward includes the small settlement of Llangywer. The ...

Machynlleth Machynlleth () is a market town, community and electoral ward in Powys, Wales and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It is in the Dyfi Valley at the intersection of the A487 and the A489 roads. At the 2001 Census it had a pop ...

''(withdrew July 2022)'' * Penycae * Rhos Aelwyd * Rhayader Town *

Welshpool Town Welshpool Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Y Trallwng) is a football team, based in Welshpool, playing in the Mid Wales Football League. The club was founded as Welshpool Football Club on 28 August 1877 following a meeting at the National Sc ...

Ardal NW

* Bangor 1876 * Bodedern Athletic * Brickfield Rangers * Denbigh Town *

Flint Mountain Flint Mountain (Welsh: Mynydd-y-Fflint) is a small village seated in Flintshire, North Wales, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Chester, midway between Mold and Flint, and situated just off junction 33 of the A55 North Wales Expressway ...

* Hawarden Rangers * Llandudno Albion * Llangefni Town * Llanrwst United * Llay Welfare * Nantlle Vale *

Rhostyllen Rhostyllen () is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, south-west of the city of Wrexham. At the time of the 2001 census, area Wrexham 014A, which includes Rhostyllen itself, had a population of 1,383 in 599 households.

Rhydymwyn Rhydymwyn (the name in Welsh means 'Ford of the Ore' and takes its placename from the ford across the River Alyn now replaced by a small iron bridge) is a village in Flintshire, Wales, located in the upper Alyn valley. Once a district of Mold, it ...

''(resigned Sept 2022)'' * Rhyl 1879 * Saltney Town *

Y Felinheli Y Felinheli (), formerly known in English as Port Dinorwic, is a village and community beside the Menai Strait ( cy, Y Fenai or ''Afon Menai'') between Bangor and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. History Toponymy Etymologically, its ...

Ardal SE

* Abertillery Bluebirds * Blaenavon Blues * Brecon Corries * Caldicot Town * Chepstow Town *

Croesyceiliog Croesyceiliog (, ''Cockerel's Cross'') is a suburb of Cwmbran, Wales. Housing Croesyceiliog is primarily a residential district and contains a wide variety of housing from Victorian terraces and even older Welsh cottages to property built betw ...

Goytre Goytre ( cy, Goetre) is a village near the town of Port Talbot, Wales. The village lies in the valley of the Nant Ffrwdwyllt, between the communities of Taibach, Cwmafan, Bryn and Margam. The former St Peter's Church ( Church in Wales) w ...

Lliswerry Lliswerry ( cy, Llyswyry), or Liswerry is an electoral district (ward) and community of the city of Newport, South Wales. The area is governed by Newport City Council. It is the largest community/ward in the city. History and origins Lliswer ...

* Monmouth Town * Newport City * Risca United * RTB Ebbw Vale * Tredegar Town * Treowen Stars * Trethomas Bluebirds * Undy Athletic

Ardal SW

* AFC Llwydcoed * Baglan Dragons * Caerau Ely * Cardiff Draconians *

Cefn Cribwr Cefn Cribwr is a village and community in Bridgend County Borough in south Wales. The village is located about 5 miles (8 km) from the centre of Bridgend town, and inbetween Bridgend and Pyle. Description The village is situated on a ridge ...

* Cwmamman United *

Dinas Powys Dinas Powys (; also spelt "Dinas Powis" in English) is a small town and community in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales. Its name means "fort of the provincial place" and refers to the Iron Age hillfort which overlooks the village. Dinas Powys i ...

* Garden Village * Mumbles Rangers * Penrhiwceiber Rangers *

Penydarren BGC Penydarren BGC is a football club based in Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, who play in the Ardal Leagues South West, the third tier of the Welsh football pyramid. History During the 2018-19 season they gained promotion to the Welsh Football Leagu ...

Pontyclun Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a village and community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Like the surrounding towns, it has seen a sharp increase in its population in the last ten years as people migrate south from the So ...

* Port Talbot Town * Seven Sisters Onllwyn * Treharris Athletic * Ynysygerwn

League champions, runners-up/promotion play-off finalists, relegated teams, and Fair Play winners

Ardal NE

Ardal NW

Ardal SE

Ardal SW

Promotion play-offs

Ardal NE and Ardal NW

= Ardal SE and Ardal SW

Applicants for FAW Tier 3 Certification

For the 2020–21 season 93 clubs applied for FAW tier 3 Certification. 84 clubs were successful in their applications.

References

External links

Ardal Northern twitter

Ardal Southern twitter

Ardal Northern Leagues

Y Clwb Pêl-droed
{{UEFA third leagues 2 2020 establishments in Wales Sports leagues established in 2020 Third level football leagues in Europe

Ardal League teams

2022–23 season

Ardal NE

Ardal NW

Ardal SE

Ardal SW

League champions, runners-up/promotion play-off finalists, relegated teams, and Fair Play winners

Ardal NE

Ardal NW

Ardal SE

Ardal SW

Promotion play-offs

Ardal NE and Ardal NW

= Ardal SE and Ardal SW

Applicants for FAW Tier 3 Certification

See also

References

External links