North Cardiff teams in Welsh soccer's new-look top tiers
The new soccer season is now in full swing - with North Cardiff interest in the top two tiers of the league in Wales.
David Collins, editor of Rhiwbina-based Welsh Football magazine told us about the sport's new look at the top - with a number of format and branding changes.
There’s a new sponsor, Novira, for the Cymru Leagues, and the Cymru Premier League is receiving increased media coverage, with live match broadcasts on S4C, BBC Wales and every match available to watch on a new streaming service launched by the Football Association of Wales.
The Cymru Premier has increased from 12 to 16 teams too, and most matches are now being scheduled for Friday evenings.
David believes the changes are mostly positive: “There’s certainly been a noticeable increase in interest in the league already, with some impressive four-figure crowds in the first month.
"But I do worry about the impact of the switch to Friday evenings on travelling clubs and their supporters, with journeys from south to north Wales (and vice-versa) taking three or four hours”.
There’s north Cardiff interest in both top tiers: in the Cymru Premier, Cyncoed-based university club Cardiff Met should benefit from the Friday evening kick-offs, David reckons, as fans who regularly support Cardiff City and other full-time clubs will be able to watch their local Cymru Premier team in action too.
Meanwhile, community club Cardiff Draconians, based in Gabalfa, established itself last season in the second tier league, the Cymru South, and continues to invest in improving spectator facilities at their Lydstep Park ground.
“I thoroughly recommend anyone to pay a visit to one of our local clubs”, David added. “You’ll always be made very welcome and you might be surprised at the quality of entertainment at a very affordable price.”
Welsh Football magazine published its season preview edition last month, and the second issue of the season will be available from mid-September, covering the early season news and action. To find out how to get your copy, check out the website.
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