Welsh Cup 11/12

Just been told there is a policy change that removes the exclusion of "exiled" clubs from Welsh Cup as of next season. Great news - could be Europe here we come (UEFA depending)!

Excellent. Even if it means a game against Newport or Wrexham, that's got to be a good thing. It would be handy to have a serious game or two against the Welsh League sides to measure the difference in league standards. There again, our cup form hasn't been the greatest.

http://www.s4c.co.uk/sgorio/e_/faw200411
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13150160.stm

This fully vindicates the Trust's decision to remain in the English pyramid.

Adds an extra dimension to next season for the new club.

Intresting comments from Mike Harris given they play their home games in England, i think it will be a case of watch this space on this matter

From the Welsh Premier website

A STEALTHY plan to re-admit the exiles to the Welsh Cup after 16 years was a complete shock to the majority of FAW Councillors, its paid employees and Welsh clubs.
Planted on Monday's agenda by so-called "power-brokers" Phil Pritchard and Ken Tucker, the controversial move had not been widely discussed within the governing body - and there had been no liaison with the Welsh Premier League's board or other stakeholders in the domestic pyramid.
Yet, despite having no mandate from their electors, some 75% of Councillors are understood to have approved the proposal which could potentially rob the domestic league of one of its three Europa League spots.
Their decision clears the way for the Bluebirds and the Swans, as well as Wrexham, Newport County, Merthyr Town and Colwyn Bay, to join the competition.
Welcoming the decision, the Western Mail said: The presence of the Bluebirds or Swans would instantly help restore European credibility to Welsh club football."
But the newspaper erroneously claimed: "Better results at that level also play a part in Wales’ FIFA ranking, so would inevitably boost Gary Speed’s team as well" as Welsh club results in Europe have no impact on national coefficients.
The "big two" of Cardiff City and Swansea City are likely to be the main beneficiaires if Uefa and the English FA sanction them representing Wales in Europe.
The decision is seen by many as a kick in the teeth for the Welsh Premier and its clubs, some of whom were coerced back into the domestic scene by the FAW in 1992, while the exiles fought a High Court battle to remain in the English pyramid and snub the League of Wales.
The New Saints' managing director Mike Harris says: "I have no issues with the decision but would hope that the English FA now extends the same courtesy to Welsh Premier clubs by inviting them to play in the FA Cup.
"Failure to do so would lead to Welsh Premier clubs being at a disadvantage, because it creates an unfair funding position under which the exiled clubs have two income streams from playing in two national cup competitions.
"It would be a restriction of trade if Welsh clubs can't play in the FA Cup," he added.
Llanelli welcomed the move but say that the exiled clubs should not be seeded and should be obliged to play their ties on the conference dates.
"I also think it will create more interest in the competition and obviously attract bigger crowds," says general manager Nigel Richards.
"A home game against one of them should also attract a larger attendance."
Cardiff City manager Dave Jones welcomed the move - if it provides a route into Europe - otherwise indicating he would field his youth team in the competition.

ANDREW Edwards, the Welsh Premier representative on the FAW Council, voted in favour of readmitting the exiled clubs to the Welsh Cup.
The Port Talbot Town chairman is understood to have followed the majority of Councillors in approving the U-turn, which would end a 16-year absence for Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham, Newport, Colwyn Bay and Merthyr Town.
Edwards believes that meeting the bigger guns among the exiles will have much greater appeal for spectators, but his stance has met with resistance from several clubs.
Bangor City manager Neville Powell is against the idea and says: "The clubs who play in the Welsh system have stuck by the Welsh FA and to deny them the chance of Welsh Cup success and the opportunity of Europe would be taking things away from them.
And Welsh Premier league secretary John Deakin says he needs talks with the FAW about the concerns of the clubs.
If the plan is to succeed in luring Cardiff and Swansea to enter and play anything like full-strength sides in cup ties, the governing body will need to lobby UEFA for a change in the rules.
Article 43 (b) of the UEFA club licence says: "At national level it (the club) will play in competitions recognised and endorsed by the UEFA member association eg national championship, national cup."
When Cardiff reached the FA Cup final last season, the English FA said they would nominate them for the Europa League if they won the trophy.
As Uefa licences for the Welsh Cup winners are issued by the FAW, none of the six exiled clubs would be eligible under the existing regulations and, in view of their large outstanding debt to HM Revenue & Customs, Wrexham - for one - would be unable to achieve the licence.
Meanwhile, Swansea say they are "in the dark" over the possible route into Europe.
"We have had no notification from the Football Association of Wales on this issue and therefore we know nothing about it," a Swans' spokesman said.

Any further news on whether the 'exiled' clubs will be invited back to play in the competition this season?

I've looked at the FAW site but can find no mention of the Welsh Cup at all.

Well, in the thread about season ticket prices John Strand mentioned 'the four cup competitions' next season. I took that to include the Welsh Cup, the four being (I assumed):

FA Cup
FA Vase
Les Phillips Cup
Welsh Cup

But no doubt we'll get the latest news at the meeting tonight.

It was confirmed at tonight's meeting that we would be in the Welsh Cup next season. The dates are available on the FAW website:-

http://www.faw.org.uk/Conference%20Dates2011-12.ink

It's not known yet at what stage we'll enter the competition. All those dates (at least up to Round 3) clash with either league fixtures or rounds in the other cups, so some rearrangement of one sort or another may be necessary.

It was asked whether we (or any of the clubs playing in English leagues) would be in Europe if we won the Welsh Cup, but it seems that wouldn't be decided until it actually happened.

We'll be entering the Welsh Cup at the 2nd qualifying round stage, the date of that fixture is scheduled for 3rd/4th September and so could clash with an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie should the Martyrs overcome Bitton in the previous round.

Full info at :

http://www.faw.org.uk/news/FAW61745.ink


There's potential for a Merthyr derby Town v Saints !

WELSH big-guns Swansea City and Cardiff City have shunned the FAW's invitation to enter the Welsh Cup for the first time in 16 years.
Colwyn Bay have also given the competition the thumbs-down, but Wrexham, Newport County and Merthyr Town are understood to have accepted.
It will be the first time since 1995 that clubs from outside the domestic pyramid have competed for the cup.
Newport and Wrexham, from the Blue Square Premier, will enter at the same third round stage as the Welsh Premier clubs, with Merthyr Town from Western League Division One joining at the second qualifying round stage.
The return of the exiles has not been welcomed by several Welsh Premier clubs, although the league's FAW Council representative Andrew Edwards supported the proposal.
But the refusal of the big two reflects the unavailability of a European place for the winners and surely defeats the object of the exercise!!!

this is brilliant, i cant wait for it

timshorts wrote:Excellent. It would be handy to have a serious game or two against the Welsh League sides to measure the difference in league standards. There again, our cup form hasn't been the greatest.

Errm maybe that wasn't such a good idea!!! Big question is if we reach the proper rounds will a LOW team put ten on us?

I'm not sure that last Saturday could be classed as a 'serious game' considering we'd only been back in a training a week and Llanelli were a few days away from their first competitive game of the season.

In my experience you can never read anything into the result of a friendly match.

Spot on there Sir, although it's nice to have a run in one of the cups the league must take precedence of any cup competition IMO.

Maesyfed wrote:
There's potential for a Merthyr derby Town v Saints !

Still a possibility after yesterday's result : Llangeinor v Merthyr Saints 2-4 aet (2-2 ft)