The South Wales League was a

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 ...

league in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. It ran between 1891 and 1911, closing down in September 1911 before the start of the planned 1911–12 season.

History

The league was formed in 1891.

Treharris Treharris is a small town and community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in the Taff Bargoed Valley in the south of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, South Wales. It is located about west of Trelewis, from which it is separated by the Taff Ba ...

were the first champions after a disorganised first season which was concluded by the top three clubs playing off for the championship. The next three seasons were affected by unplayed matches; and at the completion of the 1893–94 season, the management committee announced the winding up of the league. For the next two seasons, the league trophy was played for as a junior cup competition. The league restarted for the 1896–97 season and grew in numbers, eventually adding a second division, which operated without promotion or relegation. In 1904 another league formed in South Wales, the Rhymney Valley League, which later became the Glamorgan League, eventually becoming the

Welsh Football League 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 leagu ...

. The new league was effectively a junior league, with many South Wales League teams having teams in both leagues. During the 1909–10 season, some of the older teams left the league and the 1910–11 season was problematic. The league announced that 11 clubs would play the 1911–12 season, but the management committee cancelled the season in September 1911 with an initial plan to take a season off. The league never returned.

Champions

*1890–91:

*1891–92:

*1892–93: Cardiff *1893–94:

Rogerstone Rogerstone ( cy, Tŷ du, meaning "Black house") is a large village and community (parish) in Newport, Wales. The area is governed by Newport City Council. The village falls within the ancient parish of Bassaleg and historic county of Monmout ...

*1894–95: ''League inactive'' *1895–96: ''League inactive'' *1896–97: Porth *1897–98:

*1898–99:

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

*1899–1900: Aberdare *1900–01:

*1901–02: Barry Unionist Athletic *1902–03:

Aberaman Aberaman is a village near Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. It was heavily dependent on the coal industry and the population, as a result, grew rapidly in the late nineteenth century. Most of the industry has now ...

*1903–04:

Ebbw Vale Ebbw Vale (; cy, Glynebwy) is a town at the head of the valley formed by the Ebbw Fawr tributary of the Ebbw River in Wales. It is the largest town and the administrative centre of Blaenau Gwent county borough. The Ebbw Vale and Brynmawr con ...

*1904–05: Treharris *1905–06: Treharris *1906–07: Newport (Res?) *1907–08: Treharris *1908–09:

*1909–10: Cwm-parc & Treorchy United *1910–11: Tredegar

References

{{Football in Wales Football leagues in Wales Sports leagues established in 1891 Sports leagues disestablished in 1911 1911 disestablishments in Wales 1891 establishments in Wales Defunct football competitions in Wales

History

Champions

See also

References