Welsh Premier Women's Football League


The Welsh Premier League is the top level women's football league in Wales.
It was founded in 2009 and is the first women's football league in Wales. The winner qualifies for a spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In previous years the national cup winner was sent into European competition.

Competition format

The club with the highest number of points at the end of the season will be the League Champions. In the event of two or more clubs having the same number of points the League winners will be decided by the difference between goals scored and goals against. In the event of more than one club having the same goal difference, the club that has scored the highest number of goals will be the Champions.

Promotion and relegation

Two clubs may be promoted to the League and the equivalent number relegated from the League. One from the South Wales Tier Two and one from either the North Wales or Central Wales League. To determine the club to be promoted from North and Central Wales - the qualified clubs from the two leagues concerned will play off.

European qualification

grants European places to the Football Association of Wales, determined by Wales' position in the UEFA country coefficient rankings. The Welsh Football Association in turn allocate a number of these European places to the final Welsh Premier Women's League positions. At the end of the 2018-19 season, Wales was ranked 39th in Europe - granting them a single side in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In the 2018-19 season, the top placed team in the Welsh Premier Women's League gained qualification to the Champions League qualifying round.

History

In its first three seasons, the league was divided into two Conferences that played a double round robin, with the winner of both contesting a final for the championship. The first season featured no relegation, from the 2010-11 season onwards, the last placed team in each conference got relegated.
Since 2012–13 the league is played in one group only. In 2015–16 two teams were relegated.
The eight clubs who formed the League were Aberystwyth Town Ladies, Caernarfon Town Ladies, Llanidloes Ladies, Manorbier Ladies, Newcastle Emlyn Ladies, Swansea City Ladies, UWIC Ladies and Wrexham Ladies.
The league was increased to five teams per Conference in 2010–11, with Caerphilly Castle Ladies and Trefelin Ladies joining the South and Llandudno Junction Ladies joining the North. Manorbier Ladies ceased playing activities after their inaugural season.
Llandudno Junction's stay in the league lasted just one season before they were relegated; they were replaced by Northop Hall Girls.

Format

In its first three years the league was divided into two conferences, north and south. Both winners then played a championship play-off for the title and right to play in the UEFA Women's Champions League. A relegation system was introduced in the second season, when the last place in each conference was relegated. The league changed the format to a single division for the 2012–13 season. The league was also expanded for the second time. The number of teams in the league has fluctuated in preceding years and has contained eight, ten and twelve teams in various seasons. The 2019-20 league season will contain 9 teams after Rhyl Ladies withdrew.

2019–20 teams

TeamCityGround
Abergavenny Women FCAbergavennyPen-Y-Pound Stadium, Abergavenny
Aberystwyth TownAberystwythPark Avenue
Briton Ferry LlansawelBriton FerryOld Road, Briton Ferry
Cardiff CityCardiffLeckwith Athletics Stadium
Cardiff MetCardiffCardiff Metropolitan University, Cyncoed Campus
CyncoedCardiffCardiff University Playing Fields Llanrumney
LlandudnoLlandudnoMaesdu Park
Port Talbot TownPort TalbotThe Genquip Stadium
Swansea CityNeathLlandarcy Academy of Sport

Former teams were: Manorbier Ladies, Northop Hall Girls, Caerphilly Castle Ladies, Caernarfon Town Women, Trefelin Ladies, Llanidloes Ladies F.C., Cwmbran Celtic, Caldicot Town Ladies, Rhyl & Prestatyn Ladies and Wrexham Ladies.

List of champions

In the first three seasons a final between the north and south division winners determined the champion.
SeasonChampionRunners-upThird place
2009–10Swansea City LadiesCaernarfon Townn/a
2010–11Swansea City LadiesCaernarfon Townn/a
2011–12UWIC LadiesWrexham Ladiesn/a
2012–13Cardiff CityCardiff Met. LadiesWrexham Ladies
2013–14Cardiff Met. LadiesPILCS LFCCardiff City
2014–15Cardiff Met. LadiesSwansea City LadiesPILCS LFC
2015–16Cardiff Met. LadiesSwansea City LadiesCardiff City
2016–17Swansea City LadiesCardiff Met. LadiesCardiff City
2017–18Cardiff Met. LadiesSwansea City LadiesAbergavenny
2018–19Cardiff Met. LadiesSwansea City LadiesCardiff City

TitlesTeam
6Cardiff Met. Ladies
3Swansea City Ladies
1Cardiff City

Premier League Cup

A Premier League cup has been held since 2014.