The Cymru Premier League of Nations

Iwan Williams

Whilst the focus of the nation will be on the crucial World Cup qualifying play-off with Bosnia-Herzegovina this week, Welsh football will be represented across the world courtesy of international call-ups from the Cymru Premier, our national league. Iwan Williams takes a closer look

How a national league’s ‘success’ can be measured in several ways, ranging from attendance figures, profit and corporate/sponsorship appeal, media and social media interest, and European results (more on this later).

Another metric is how a league produces international players. And in March 2026, the JD Cymru Premier is performing well. Somalia have called up Connah’s Quay Nomads’ Abdi Sharif and Rhyl 1879’s Mo Ali, with the latter playing in the second tier Cymru North.

St Kitts and Nevis have called up Barry Town’s Theo Wharton, a former Cymru Under 21 player. Trinidad and Tobago have called up Llanelli Town’s James Lester, whilst Zimbabwe have selected Haverfordwest County’s Panashe Makwiramiti.

For the league’s profile, this is excellent news. Firstly, it shows that our national league includes some talented players worthy of international football, the highest honour for any player. Secondly, it shows that the Cymru Premier is a league that international players take seriously, and that playing in our national league is not seen as a ‘backwards step’ or ‘damaging move’. In other words, the league can be a ‘shop window’ for players eager to impress scouts and international managers.

And it’s nothing new. Over the years several players have earned international honours whilst representing a Cymru Premier club (and/or the tier below), or have previously played in our national league on the way to playing international football. Examples include David Forde (Barry Town and Republic of Ireland), David Artell (Bala Town and Gibraltar), Ibou Touray (Rhyl and Gambia), Mika Chunuonsee (Neath, Afan Lido and Thailand), Luke Tabone (Haverfordwest and Malta), Alec Mudimu (Cefn Druids, Caernarfon, Flint Town and Zimbabwe), Atif Bashir (Haverfordwest, Barry Town, Bridgend Town and Pakistan), Anton Nelson (Llanelli Town and Cayman Islands), Sam Durrant (Connah’s Quay and Sri Lanka), Neil Danns (Connah’s Quay and Guyana), Jamie Coombes (Undy Athletic and Gibraltar), Sam Ayorinde (Bangor City and Nigeria – the first international callup from the league), Matthew Berkeley (TNS and St Kitts and Nevis), Nat Jarvis (Barry Town and Antigua and Barbuda), and Curtis Jemmett-Hutson (Penybont, Barry Town, Pontypridd and Barbados). A wonderful combination of countries and continents with players who have made their clubs – owners, staff, teammates and supporters – proud.

The Cymru Premier has also played a key role in the development of several senior Cymru players, an important stepping stone as these players developed and required competitive minutes during their formative years. Examples include Glyn Garner (Cwmbran and Llanelli Town), Mark Delaney (Carmarthen Town), Steve Evans and Ben Cabango (TNS), Owain Tudur Jones (Porthmadog and Bangor City), Ryan Hedges (Flint Town), and Tom Bradshaw (Aberystwyth Town).

Whilst the Cymru senior men’s team hasn’t yet included an at-the-time Cymru Premier player (Barry Town’s Gary Lloyd the closest as an unused substitute in the 3-2 defeat to Belgium in Brussels in 1997), it demonstrates how our national league has helped to produce Cymru internationals, and how these clubs have made an invaluable contribution to their careers.

Gary Lloyd and his Barry Town teammate Eifion Williams did win Cymru B caps in 1998/99, and the inclusion of loanee goalkeepers, Connah’s Quay Nomads’ Kit Margetson and Penybont’s Luke Armstrong, in the latest Cymru Under 21 squad shows how the league keeps providing and nurturing young talent.

The Cymru Premier’s record in producing up and coming international players is something to be proud of, and at the other end, the league has attracted a number of former international players. Examples include Abiodun Baruwa (Barry Town and Nigeria), Paul Ramsey (Barry Town and Northern Ireland), Udo Nwoko (Neath and Malta), Neil Harvey (Cefn Druids and Barbados), Greg Draper (TNS and New Zealand), Jamie Wood (TNS and Cayman Islands), Matt Olosunde (TNS and USA), Bruno Fernandes (Cefn Druids and Guinea-Bissau), Pavel Vieira (Bangor City, Airbus UK, Aberystwyth Town, Cefn Druids and Guinea-Bissau), and Julian Schwarzer (Newtown and Philippines).

And the same goes for senior Cymru players. As their careers moved on to the latter stages, the fact that a number of players contributed to their local clubs and/or our national league is inspiring, a way of passing on their experience and know-how to the next generation.

Whilst there are far too many to name, examples include Neville Southall (Rhyl), Neal Eardley (Connah’s Quay Nomads), Mark Aizlewood (Aberystwyth Town and Cwmbrân Town), Clayton Blackmore (Bangor City, Porthmadog and Neath), Andy Legg and Jason Bowen (Llanelli Town), Jazz Richards (Haverfordwest County), Mark Jones and David Edwards (Bala Town), David Cotterill (Barry Town and Newtown), Shaun MacDonald (Penybont and Trefelin) and Daniel Nardiello (Bangor City).

The return of the Cymru C team as soon as possible with annual fixtures would be a huge step forward. Not only does the team give Cymru Premier players the immense pride and honour of pulling on the red shirt and representing the nation, but it’s also a huge advertisement for the league, a way of showing what these boys can do.

Four Nations

Participation in the Four Nations Tournaments of 2002-8 were unforgettable experiences for Cymru Premier record goal-scorer Marc Lloyd Williams and teammates. Fantastic wins and electric nights against England in Caernarfon in 2022 and Llanelli in 2024 is a testament to the league’s strength and individual talent, and playing England has led to EFL opportunities, including Connell Rawlinson (TNS and later Port Vale and Notts County), Adam Roscrow (a period with AFC Wimbledon after Cardiff Met), and Will Evans (Cardiff Met, Bala Town, Newport County and now Mansfield Town).

And in terms of increasing international interest and exposure, the men’s game could learn from the women’s. The inclusion of Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham in the Adran Premier and FAW Women’s Cup is beneficial, attracting interest from near and far thanks to Wrexham’s global audience with Rob and Ryan (Snoop Dogg and Luka Modric’s involvement at Swansea is also helping).

It would be wonderful to see the return of the three clubs, together with Newport County and Merthyr Town, in the men’s Welsh Cup.

The logistics would need to be worked on (Under 21 or reserve sides for the ‘Big four’?) and European places would need to be reserved for Cymru Premier/North/South clubs (a European play-off for beaten quarter or semi-finalists if required?) but it would generate plenty of curiosity and interest at home and abroad, create sponsorship and marketing opportunities and potentially lead to more players of international standard expressing a desire to play in the Cymru Premier.

The problems and challenges facing the Cymru Premier are well known. With the obvious exception of Sgorio (providing excellent coverage annually), our national league barely registers in our national media, with room for improvement in the case of BBC and ITV Sport Wales. The disconnect between the national league (ranked 54th from 55, above San Marino, in the UEFA league coefficient rankings) and national team (ranked 35th from 211 FIFA members) is arguably the greatest in Europe.

And yet without the national league we don’t have a national team, something that not all supporters realise.

As stated in Mark Langshaw’s A League Of Our Own: The Cymru Premier Story 1992/93 to 2022/23, in the early nineties some FIFA members questioned the right of Cymru, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland – all members on the influential International Football Association Board – to have their own teams rather than one UK team. “In the eyes of the FAW’s then-secretary general, Alun Evans, the threat to the fabric of Welsh football’s existence could not be overstated, and something drastic had to be done to safeguard its future…Wales needed to form a league of its own”.

As one would expect, for the majority of its existence the league is dominated by its only professional, full-time team. Teams play football and in the end, TNS (usually) win. It makes exciting title run-ins a rarity, an unfortunate buzz-killer. And yet other clubs are working hard to close the gap, making the Cymru Premier a more attractive and engaging product as a result.

European results are an important benchmark of progress, and with the exception of some fine wins over the years e.g. Barry Town beating Porto in 2001, Llanelli Town beating Dinamo Tbilisi in 2011, Connah’s Quay Nomads beating Kilmarnock in 2019, TNS beating Astana in the UEFA Conference League league phase in 2024, results in Europe have been poor and disappointing.

The discussion around the move to summer football to avoid increasing winter game cancellations, a key feature in the FAW’s Project Chwarae, is important for a number of reasons, including the possibility that it could help improve Cymru Premier club results in Europe, and improve attendance figures as football-hungry supporters look for games to attend in the absence of the English Premier League (which has benefited the League of Ireland Premier Division).

In the meantime, it is hoped that the Cymru Premier’s new sixteen team structure for the 2026/27 season will drive up interest, competition and attendances.

The Cymru Premier, an under-valued and under-appreciated league. It needs improving for sure, it requires an upturn in European results, but as the above shows, it’s full of talented players (Welsh and other nationalities), unearthed gems and under-the-radar prospects just waiting to be discovered. For all the ‘Mickey Mouse league!’ and ‘Farmers league!’ jibes and derision, the link between the Cymru Premier and international football is stronger than many realise.

With the exception of South America, international players from every continent have featured in the Cymru Premier over the course of its 34 year history. The contribution of others e.g. Caernarfon Town pair Paulo Mendes (Portugal) and Adrian Cieślewicz (Poland) have added to the league’s multi-national feel.

And if you support one of the big teams over the border and have grown disillusioned with the soul-destroying VAR, the increasing corporate feel of the English Premier League, club owners shouting about immigrants from Monaco, and other owners from sportswashing, human rights dodging nations, then give the Cymru Premier, North and South (and below) a try. Proper community football clubs with solid fanbases and hardworking volunteers providing the lifeblood of Welsh football.

As mentioned in A League Of Our Own, “The Cymru Premier is a weird and wonderful league of its own where brotherhoods have been forged, records have toppled and rivalries have been wrought in fire…Many of them (clubs) could teach the world a thing or two about resilience and the value of a never-say-die attitude…these are your local football clubs, and they don’t just need your support, they unequivocally deserve it”.

Pob Lwc / Good Luck to the Cymru national team in Cardiff on Thursday, and the same to Cymru Premier players who have set off on their globetrotting adventures and hoping to represent their nations in Matola, Jakarta, Tashkent and Francistown over the coming days. Our national league: Truly a league of nations.