Cardiff Grange Harlequins (known as the 'Quins') are a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team originating in

Grangetown, Cardiff Grangetown (Welsh: usually ''Grangetown'', also Trelluest) is a district and community in the south of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is one of the largest districts in the south of the city and is bordered by Riverside, Canton and Butetown. T ...

. The team's first choice strip is red shirts, black shorts and red socks. Their second strip is gold and black shirts, black shorts and black socks. They used to play their football at

Cardiff Athletics Stadium The Cardiff Athletics Stadium (also known as Leckwith Athletics Stadium) was an athletics and football stadium in Cardiff, Wales. It opened in 1989 and was demolished in 2007, replaced by the Cardiff International Sports Stadium. The Card ...

in Leckwith. The Quins were formed in 1935, and progressed in the 1990s from 'parks' football into the Welsh League, via the FAW Pyramid system. The club won the Welsh League Challenge Cup in 1995. In the 2005–06 season, they played in the

Welsh Premier League The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 20 ...

. However, a lack of finances and fan support led to the departure of key players, leaving the club to rely on youth and reserve players. The 'Quins' remained rooted to the bottom of the table, and never looked able to avoid relegation. A second relegation followed in 2006–07, and the club's prospects of returning to the Premier in the short term looked slim. With the demolition of the old Cardiff Athletics Stadium in 2007 Grange Quins lost their home ground. Because a replacement was not due to be completed until late 2009 the Quins had nowhere to play and, in any case, were considering withdrawing from the Welsh League because of the far higher costs of playing at the new

Cardiff International Sports Stadium Cardiff International Sports Campus ( cy, Campws Chwaraeon Rhyngwladol Caerdydd), is an athletics stadium and playing fields in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales. The campus opened in 2009 as part of the major Leckwith Development, which incl ...

. The club had a long-standing rivalry with fellow Cardiff side Cardiff Corinthians which dated back to the 1980s, when both clubs were fierce cross-city rivals and took part in some mouth-watering fixtures. Both clubs have rarely been in the same division, but the rivalry resumed in 2014–15 with the Corinthians relegation to Division 3. In 2014–15 the Cardiff Grange Harlequins resigned from the Welsh League towards the end of the season and their record was expunged. The team continued to play in the

Cardiff & District League The Cardiff & District League is a football league covering the city of Cardiff and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the seventh to tenth levels of the Welsh football league system. Area of the league Clubs within the boun ...

for a season, though with none of the players that played in the Welsh League, using the park facilities at Pontcanna Fields as their home ground. The club folded shortly afterwards. The club was reformed in 2020 as ''Grangetown Harlequins'', playing in the Cardiff & District League Division Three for the 2021–22 season, but withdrew mid-season. The club continues as a junior club.

Honours

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 ...

- Runners-up: 2004–05 *

Welsh Football League Division Two The Welsh Football League Division Two, (last known as the ''Nathanielcars.co.uk Welsh League Division Two'', for sponsorship reasons) was a football league and forms the fourth level of the Welsh football league system in South Wales. If th ...

- Runners-up: 2002–03 *

Welsh Football League Division Three The Welsh Football League Division Three, (last known as the ''Nathanielcars.co.uk Welsh League Division Three'', for sponsorship reasons) was a football league. History Until the 1964–65 season the Welsh Football League operated three divi ...

- Runners-up: 1993–94 *

South Wales Senior League The South Wales Senior League is a former Association football, football league in South Wales. The league consisted of two divisions, named Divisions One and Two. Division One was a feeder to the Welsh Football League Division Three, and theref ...

- Champions: 1992–93 *

- Runners-up: 1991–92

Team names

*1935–1999: Grange Harlequins *1999–2002: Porto Grange Harlequins *2002–2005: Grange Harlequins *2005–2006: Cardiff Grange Harlequins *2006–2009: Grange Harlequins *2009–2010: Cardiff Bay Harlequins *2010–2015: Cardiff Grange Harlequins *2020–date: Grangetown Harlequins

References

{{Sport in Cardiff Football clubs in Cardiff 1935 establishments in Wales 2016 disestablishments in Wales Cymru Premier clubs Welsh Football League clubs South Wales Senior League clubs Association football clubs established in 1935 Association football clubs disestablished in 2016 Cardiff & District League clubs