The FAW Welsh Trophy is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams from Wales and the borders.
43-737: The Football Association of Wales is the organising body of this competition, which has been run every year since its inception in 1890–91 (except during the two World Wars) for clubs competing in the lower echelons of the Welsh football league system . It was known as the Welsh Junior Cup until 1902, when it became the Welsh Amateur Cup, a title it held until 1974, when it was renamed the FAW Intermediate Cup. The competition took its current title in 1993. In order to play in this competition
86-536: A chance to defend their Cup Winners' Cup title (although no club ever managed to do this). However, if this team also qualified for the European Champions' Cup, then they would default on their place in the Cup Winners' Cup and no other team would replace them. If a domestic cup holder also wins the Cup Winners' Cup in the same season, the domestic cup runner-up will take that association's berth. On occasions when
129-587: A club completed a domestic league and cup 'double' that club would enter the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and their place in the Cup Winners' Cup would be taken by the domestic cup runners-up. In 1998–99, the competition's final year, Heerenveen of the Netherlands entered the Cup Winners' Cup despite only reaching the semi-final of the previous season's KNVB Cup. This was due to both KNVB Cup finalists Ajax and PSV Eindhoven qualifying for
172-791: A club must compete at Level 3 or below of the Welsh football league system . Teams playing in and below the Ardal Leagues are eligible to enter. All applying clubs must also meet the Competition Ground Criteria requirements. Just like the Welsh Cup , the FAW Trophy was once open to clubs from the Marches and an English club took the trophy out of Wales on nine occasions: Football Association of Wales The Football Association of Wales (FAW; Welsh : Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru )
215-618: A football nation was particularly weak in foreign eyes given the absence of any national league. Thus the FAW founded the League of Wales in 1992 to try and ensure its very future. Over 100 years after the formation of its national association, Wales finally became a football nation with its own national league. Yet despite the entry to European competitions that the league offered, Welsh clubs playing in England were less than enthusiastic about its prospects, and
258-576: A prolonged battle with the association began. This ended up in the High Court and defeat for the FAW in its attempt to coerce clubs to join the League of Wales. The league and the FAW emerged with their credibility and finances damaged, while Wales' best teams and players continue to play outside the immediate jurisdiction of their national association. The 1990s also saw the FAW struggle to establish its credibility with Welsh fans. Its choice of national manager,
301-466: A result, other ideas for new European football tournaments were being aired. One proposal was for a tournament based upon the format of the European Cup, but with national cup winners rather than league champions taking part, which could run alongside that competition. The inaugural Cup Winners' Cup was held in the 1960–61 season and was a semi-official pilot tournament. However, the initial reaction to
344-404: A whole, the FAW's ambitions for recognition were firmly within a British context. Wales' first international against opponents from beyond Britain was not until a match against France in 1933. In 1951, which was the association's 75th anniversary, they commissioned a new logo for the team. It was designed by H. Ellis Tomlinson , an English educationist and heraldist. By November of the same year,
387-592: Is also responsible for all disciplinary actions against players in teams associated with the FAW. This includes Welsh teams playing in the English football pyramid , superseding the English FA disciplinary system with the exception of Cardiff City and Swansea City A.F.C. In 2020 the FAW announced a major restructure of the Welsh female domestic leagues after a period of consultation with stakeholders. The statement confirmed that
430-456: Is based at Hensol in the Vale of Glamorgan. It is governed by a council, including nineteen councillors who are either elected, or appointed every three years. In 2012 chief executive Jonathan Ford claimed the FAW had an income of £14 million, funded from FIFA, UEFA, grants, sponsorship and television revenue. All expenditure was on the further development of the game. In 2013 Dragon Park ,
473-704: Is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Wales national football team , its corresponding women's team , as well as the Wales national futsal team . It is a member of FIFA , UEFA and the IFAB . Established in 1876, it is the third-oldest national association in the world, and one of the four associations, along with the English Football Association , Scottish Football Association , and Irish Football Association that make up
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#1732876503872516-486: The 1895 edition, where English champions Sunderland beat Scottish champions Heart of Midlothian. Mirroring the circumstances behind the creation of the European Cup five years earlier, the idea for a pan-European cup competition contested by all of Europe's domestic cup winners came from prominent European sports journalists. The European Cup had proven to be a great success and the Fairs Cup had also proven popular – as
559-732: The International Football Association Board , responsible for the Laws of the Game . The FAW was founded at a meeting held on 2 February 1876 at the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Wrexham , initially to formalise the arrangements for the forthcoming match against Scotland . In May 1876, a further meeting was called, this time in the ballroom of the Wynnstay Arms Hotel in Ruabon , where
602-482: The Scottish team Rangers ) but the games were generally well attended and the response from the public and the media to the new tournament was positive and enthusiastic. For the tournament's second season in 1961–62, UEFA took over the running of all aspects of the competition and this time all the clubs eligible to enter accepted the opportunity. By 1968, all UEFA member nations had set up domestic cup competitions due to
645-838: The UEFA Champions League ) in the European Super Cup . Since the abolition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup place previously reserved for the Cup Winners' Cup winner has been taken by the winner of the UEFA Cup, now the UEFA Europa League . The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup ; it was renamed the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1994 . Throughout its 39-year history,
688-476: The Cup Winners' Cup had come to be seen as a second-rate competition with only one or two big name teams available to enter each year and the interest in the tournament from both major clubs and the public dropped. Finally, with the further expansion of the UEFA Champions League to include as many as three or four teams from the top footballing nations, the decision was taken to abolish the competition after
731-501: The Cup Winners' Cup until the beginning of the 1990–91 season. No club managed to retain the Cup Winners' Cup, although eight times a winning side followed up their victories with a losing appearance in the following season's final. After the establishment of the UEFA Champions League (formerly called the European Champion Clubs' Cup) in the early 1990s, the standing and prestige of the Cup Winners' Cup began to decline. With
774-475: The Cup Winners' Cup was always a straight knock-out tournament with two-legged home and away ties until the single match final staged at a neutral venue, the only exception to this being the two-legged final in the competition's first year. In common with other UEFA club tournaments, the away goals rule was applied when aggregate scores were tied. The format was identical to the original European Champions' Cup with 32 teams contesting four knock-out rounds prior to
817-460: The Cup Winners' Cup. At the time of the Champions League expansion, UEFA also considered expanding the Cup Winners' Cup from 32 teams to 64 by allowing a second team to enter from many countries, although by what qualification criteria the second entrants would be determined were never settled upon – ultimately UEFA did not make any of these changes to the Cup Winners' Cup. By the late 1990s,
860-438: The Cup Winners' Cup. Nevertheless, many commentators and fans regarded the Cup Winners' Cup as weaker than the UEFA Cup, which had more and better teams from the stronger European leagues. In the 1985–86 season, English clubs were banned from European competition as a result of Heysel Stadium disaster . Consequently, Manchester United , Everton , Coventry City , Wimbledon and Liverpool were prevented from competing in
903-499: The FAW announced it was considering rebranding the Wales national football team as " Cymru ", the Welsh language name for Wales, in international events. The association already uses the term in its internal and external communications, including its staff at its base in the Vale of Glamorgan . The association said it was in discussions with UEFA over how to change the name, and were inspired by Turkey 's rebrand to Türkiye . The FAW
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#1732876503872946-457: The FAW until 1884, when he left, probably because of the trend towards professionalism. In 1897, when the FAW secretary was charged with fraud, Kenrick returned to guide the association through the crisis. He made the final break a few months later over the minor issue of the allocation of gate money to Welsh Cup semi-finalists and finalists. Inspired by the success of the FA Cup , in 1877 the FAW ran
989-635: The Football Association of Wales it was past closing time so would they mind forming it somewhere else… " Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn was in attendance; as the local JP (and also the incumbent Member of Parliament ), he went next door, opened the court , extended the hotel's licensing hours and thus enabled the meeting to continue. The meeting ended with Llewelyn Kenrick appointed as the first chairman and honorary secretary, with John Hawley Edwards as first treasurer. Kenrick continued to serve
1032-576: The Wales National Football Development Centre, opened in Newport . European Cup Winners Cup The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The cup was, chronologically, the second seasonal inter-European club competition organised by UEFA . The tournament ran for 39 seasons, with the final edition held in 1998–99 , after which it
1075-478: The association has struggled to achieve financial security. In the second half of the 20th century this was compounded by a failure to take full advantage of the new commercial and television opportunities that the wider game has enjoyed. On occasions financial problems have led the FAW to stage Wales' home matches in English stadia, whose capacities were larger than at domestic grounds. The FAW's inability to always pick
1118-482: The balance of power shifted firmly to the south. By the 1980s there was concern within the FAW that its very existence was under threat. There were four independent associations within the UK. This state of affairs was unique, and the result of football's British origins. As pressure grew from non-European associations for a greater say in the running of football, Britain's special position became vulnerable. The case for Wales as
1161-501: The best players for the national side was rooted in the Welsh game's subservience to English football. The FAW had no powers to demand players employed outside Wales be released for its international games. With Wales' best players mostly employed by English clubs, her national team was reliant on clubs' willingness to release players. This caused recurring tensions as the Football League and its clubs tried to impose their authority over
1204-412: The competition's creation was unenthusiastic on the part of many of Europe's top clubs – many European associations did not have domestic cup competitions at the time and in those countries that did, the cup competition was generally held in low esteem and often not taken seriously by the bigger clubs. It was essentially only in England, Scotland and to a lesser extent Germany and Spain that the domestic cup
1247-469: The design was granted by the College of Arms . The FAW's internal relationships were no easier, due to a history of tension between members from north and south Wales. Before World War II it did not even have complete control over football in the whole nation. The South Wales and Monmouthshire FA (founded in 1893) essentially acted as an independent association for all purposes except the national team. Although
1290-456: The end of the 1998–99 tournament and merge it into the UEFA Cup (now the UEFA Europa League ). Since then, domestic cup winners who do not otherwise qualify for the Champions League are given a place in the Europa League. The Cup Winners' Cup trophy itself is a property of UEFA and it is not assigned to any club, though clubs were allowed to have replicas made. There were various versions of
1333-496: The expansion of the Champions League in 1997 to allow more than one team from the highest-ranked member associations to enter, the Cup Winners' Cup began to look noticeably inferior. Many of the bigger teams who would previously have entered the Cup Winners' Cup were now gaining entry to the Champions League instead by finishing second in their domestic league – such as Cup Winners' Cup holders Barcelona in 1997–98 and Bayern Munich and PSV Eindhoven in 1998–99 – and this greatly weakened
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1376-544: The goal was to "provide competitive women's football appropriate to playing standards, economic means, geographical location, facilities and club structure." In 2021, chief executive Jonathan Ford lost a FAW board vote of no confidence after facing criticism for hiring Angela van Den Bogerd , due to her role in the Post Office scandal . He stepped down in March of that year, and she resigned shortly afterwards. In October 2022,
1419-518: The importance of the lower standard and less glamorous Welsh Cup. The allocation of a place in the European Cup Winners Cup from 1960 did boost interest in the competition, but it has remained secondary in the priorities of Wales' leading clubs. The FAW is financially reliant on the proceeds of international matches. A lack of success on the pitch, Wales' unstable economy and a recurring inability to pick its star players have all meant that
1462-409: The inaugural Welsh Cup competition. The trophy was intended to raise the standard of play and organisation of football in Wales. As such, English border clubs were invited to participate. However the prominent north–south divide within Wales meant that the association did not set up a national league. By the 20th century, Wales's senior clubs were competing in English league competitions, thus reducing
1505-483: The name "Football Association of Wales" was agreed and the constitution drawn up. The arguments and discussions continued so long that the local policeman came in to call time. "Sadly we have no record of the words actually used by the police constable as he stood sternly surveying the scene in the Wynnstay Arms, Ruabon, on that May night in 1876; but what they amounted to was that even if the gentlemen were busy forming
1548-447: The national associations. Many of the FAW's members have also always been affiliated to the FA, thus creating an uncertainty over the association's responsibilities and powers. Its unwillingness and inability to assert its independence was illustrated by it following the FA out of FIFA in 1919 and 1928, only to rejoin when its English counterpart did so in 1946. Before World War II, like Wales as
1591-502: The recently expanded Champions League. The earliest events where cup holders from different countries met were the friendly games nicknamed " world championships " at the end of the 19th century between English and Scottish cup holders. The respective leagues were yet established, and therefore, the first two editions involved meetings between cup holders – the fourth edition involved cup holders as well (won by Aston Villa , Renton , and Heart of Midlothian , respectively) – exception being
1634-463: The showpiece final, with the tournament usually running from September to May each year. Following the influx of new UEFA member nations during the 1990s, a regular August preliminary round was added to reduce the number of entrants to 32. Entry was restricted to one club from each UEFA member association, the only exception being to allow the current Cup Winners' Cup holders to enter alongside their nation's new domestic cup winners in order to allow them
1677-459: The south was represented on the FAW, the north effectively retained control of its decision-making council until the 1970s. The location of home internationals was the most common source of tension until 1989 when it was decided to hold all home games in the National Stadium at rugby's Cardiff Arms Park. When in 1985 the FAW moved its headquarters from Wrexham in the north to the capital Cardiff,
1720-568: The success of the Cup Winners' Cup. UEFA regarded it as the second most prestigious competition, behind the European Cup (later the UEFA Champions League) and ahead of the Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup). Therefore, a team qualified for both the European Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup would play in the European Cup, whereas a team qualified for both the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup would play in
1763-443: The weaknesses of its national league and its unmeritocratic committee structure left the association vulnerable to public criticism. In the 21st century, the FAW modernised, developed innovative marketing strategies and concentrated on improving its relationships with fans and on being seen as an important Welsh cultural institution. This centred on its Together Stronger campaign and culminated in qualification for Euro 2016. The FAW
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1806-410: Was considered especially prestigious. Many were sceptical about the viability of a European tournament for cup winners and many of the bigger clubs eligible to contest the first CWC turned down the chance to enter, such as Atlético Madrid of Spain and AS Monaco of France . Ultimately the inaugural CWC was contested by just 10 clubs (with Fiorentina of Italy winning the two-legged final against
1849-540: Was discontinued. The first tournament was held in 1960–61 , but it was organised by the Mitropa Cup 's Organising Committee and not recognised by the governing body of European football until 1963, when it was accepted as a UEFA competition on the initiative of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). From 1972 onwards, the winner of the tournament progressed to play the winner of the European Cup (later
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