When you take the time to analyze all the different football leagues that you find in the United Kingdom, there is a fascinating disconnect when you compare certain countries to others and how their respective leagues are run.
Of course, football fans are quite aware that the English Premier League is very likely the most popular football league in the world at the moment and it is one where that gathers a lot of attention, whether it’s on television, social media or many other places. But it is also worth pointing out that the reality is quite different in other countries in the United Kingdom and the case of Wales is quite notorious in that particular regard.
Welsh football has enjoyed a bit of a resurrection and important growth at the level of international football, and this is partly due to the methods they have applied through their federation, as football writer Trevor Murray stated in his article on These Football Times back in 2017:
“It’s no wonder others are jealous of the Welsh FA’s progress. Whether it has been the development of Beatball (a unique mixture of football, dance and music) to get more young girls of all ages interested and involved in the game, the PDP, which places the needs of the player first, the introduction of several 3G pitches to improve the surfaces that players are training and competing on, or the introduction of voluntary coaching courses to fast-track the progress of hundreds of qualified coaches every year, there is plenty being done to improve football at every level and in all areas of the country. The association has been very proactive in their efforts because they love the game, but also because the improvements made have been fundamental.”
But it is safe to say that this wasn’t always the case and that played a monumental role in the growth of Welsh football, with their different leagues at club struggling to make a positive impact for the sport in Wales and to contribute to their development. This is why in the mid-70s they tried one of their many different attempts to revolutionize Welsh football by creating the Clwyd Football League.
The principle was very simple: the Clwyd Football League was formed back in 1974, with Elfed Ellis, future board member of the aforementioned league and Welsh international committee chairman a few years down the line, being the main promoter of the idea as Halkyn and Dyserth District Leagues, both operating at Division III status, were failing in terms of generating interest in football on their respective local areas.
So Ellis’ proposal, backed by other personalities involved in Welsh football, was to amalgamate both leagues and create the Clwyd Football League, which would be located in the Division II status–a position that football in Wales didn’t have at the time and which would prove to be quite beneficial for them and the fact that the league lasted until the late 2000s is a testament to their validity throughout the years.