Wales League Division 1

Wales League Division 1

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Wikipedia - Ardal Leagues

The Ardal Leagues are a football league in Wales. The word "ardal" translates as "district" in English, with Wales split into four regions at this level. They have clubs with amateur/semi-professional status and sit at the third level of the Welsh football league system. The first year of their operation would have been 2020–21 but the 2020–21 Ardal North East season, 2020–21 Ardal North West season, 2020–21 Ardal South East season and 2020–21 Ardal South West season were all cancelled. The inaugural season was moved to 2021–22. The creation of the leagues mark the first time the Football Association of Wales owns and is administering tier 3 of the Welsh league system. These changes follow from a review of the Welsh football pyramid. To be eligible clubs need to meet the criteria for FAW tier 3 certification.

The league is split into two leagues, covering North and South Wales. Both Northern and Southern leagues have two regionally-based sections of sixteen clubs each:

  • Ardal Northern
    • Ardal North East (2023–24 Ardal NE season)
    • Ardal North West (2023–24 Ardal NW season)
  • Ardal Southern
    • Ardal South East (2023–24 Ardal SE season)
    • Ardal South West (2023–24 Ardal SW season)

The winners of each league are promoted to either the Cymru North or the Cymru South as long as they meet the FAW's tier 2 certification criteria. Subject to also meeting these criteria, the four runners-up clubs enter play-off matches with two of the clubs also gaining promotion (one from the north and one from the south).

The Ardal Leagues structure replaced the former tier 3 leagues: Welsh Football League Division One, Mid Wales Football League Division One, Welsh Alliance League Division One and the Welsh National League Premier Division, leagues based in South Wales, Mid Wales, North West Wales and North East Wales respectively.

Relegation from the Ardal Leagues is to six local tier 4 leagues, with three clubs relegated from each of the tier 3 leagues at the end of the season. The tier 4 leagues are run by each of the Area Associations of Welsh football, the West Wales Football Association, the South Wales Football Association, the Gwent County Football Association, the Central Wales Football Association, the North East Wales Football Association and the North Wales Coast Football Association.

Wales Division One er den højeste fodboldrække i Wales. Ligaen blev grundlagt i 1992 og består af 12 hold, som spiller mod hinanden to gange hver sæson. De to bedste hold rykker op i den engelske Football League Two, mens de to nederste hold rykker ned i den walisiske Cymru Premier.

Wales Division One er en meget konkurrencedygtig liga, og de bedste hold er i stand til at besejre hold fra højere divisioner i FA Cuppen og League Cuppen. Ligaen har også produceret en række spillere, som har spillet for det walisiske landshold, herunder Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey og Joe Allen.

De mest succesfulde hold i Wales Division One er Cardiff City, Swansea City og Newport County. Disse hold har alle vundet ligaen flere gange og har også spillet på højere niveau.

Wales Division One er en vigtig liga i det walisiske fodboldsystem, og den spiller en afgørende rolle i at udvikle nye spillere og hold. Ligaen er også en populær turistattraktion og tiltrækker fans fra hele verden.