2024 has been yet another dramatic year in the Genero Adran Leagues.
We only had to wait a month for the year’s first must-watch game. With six of the eight places settled in the first phase of the Genero Adran Premier, the final spot in the Championship Group would go to either Aberystwyth Town or TNS, and what followed at Park Avenue was nothing short of spectacular.
In a game that resembled a heavyweight boxing clash, both sides hit blow after blow. TNS scored with their opening jab, with Caitlin Chapman opening the deadlock after just two minutes. Aber hit back with a one-two combo of their own either side of half time, with Amy Jenkins and Niamh Duggan putting them ahead. Lia Lewis then pulled the Saints level again, only for Rebecca Mathias to nod the Seasiders in front once more. Mel Barlow then equalised late on for the visitors, but it was too little too late. A 3-3 thriller, and with that draw, it was Aber who took the final Championship Group spot.
TNS, however, wouldn’t wallow in pity for long, as they capped off the season in style, winning their final four games to life the Plate. Cardiff Met and Barry Town United stayed up, but Pontypridd United’s race in the top-flight came to an end as they were relegated.
In the top half, Aberystwyth kept up their remarkable unbeaten away record at Llandarcy, but ultimately would finish fourth after a superb season. Wrexham, meanwhile, finished third, capping off a memorable debut season in the Genero Adran Premier in which they also reached the Bute Energy Welsh Cup final. Despite pushing all the way and being the team to break Cardiff City’s near two-year unbeaten league run, Swansea City narrowly missed out on the title.
Instead, the season once again belonged to the Bluebirds, who recorded back-to-back league wins. Wrapping up the title with a huge 4-0 win over Swansea City at home, it really was the most unforgettable of campaigns for Iain Darbyshire’s side. Along with winning the Bute Energy Welsh Cup and the Genero Adran Trophy, they became the first team to win the treble since Cardiff Met in 2019.
But which team would be joining the top-flight party? In the Genero Adran North, there was a fascinating three-horse race for the title. Llandudno, Connah’s Quay Nomads and Felinheli all had eyes on promotion, and after the Nomads fell away to Rhyl, everything came down to a battle in Treborth.
In a game that flowed one way and then the other, Kelsey Davies scored the winning goal of the game five minutes from time to seal a 4-3 win for Dudno, who would go on to wrap up the title the following week and reach the play-off final.
The Genero Adran South, on the other hand, was far more straightforward. After suffering playoff heartbreak the previous season, Briton Ferry Llansawel were in no mood to miss out once again. Winning all twelve of their league games, Ferry finished top, scoring 55 and conceding only five in the process.
And so to Latham Park both Llandudno and Briton Ferry went, but who would take their seat at Welsh football’s top table? After a goalless first half, the Genero Adran South holders shifted into a different gear and took the game to their northern counterparts. An Alison Witts brace coupled with strikes from Fleur Jenkins and Laura-May Walkley meant, finally, Briton Ferry were promoted to the Genero Adran Premier.
As spring turned to summer, attention turned to the transfer window, and there was plenty of movement. In the Genero Adran Premier, the Aberystwyth trio of Gwen Jones, Elin Jones, and Niamh Duggan started a new chapter at Cardiff Met, Tija Richardson swapped the blue of Cardiff City for the red of Briton Ferry, while Barry Town United and TNS signed eleven players each.
Players with international pedigree also joined clubs in the topflight. Nia Jones made the move to Swansea City, while Maria Francis-Jones was the newest Saint on the block. There were new faces in the dugout too, with Shauna Duffy taking charge of TNS as they became the latest club to adopt a semi-professional model, Jamie Sherwood taking the reins at Swansea, Chris Church moving north to Aberystwyth Town, and Chris Baker taking interim charge of Met.
Plenty of Adran Premier experience also headed to the Adran North and South. Former TNS stars Nicole Samson and Mel Barlow made the short trip to Connah’s Quay Nomads, Lucie Gwilt signed with Llanfair United, and Katie Williams made Cwmbran Celtic her new home.
However, as well as it being a summer of hellos, it was also a summer of goodbyes, with plenty of the country’s best players finding opportunities elsewhere. Swansea City stalwart Ellie Lake moved over to Gwalia United, Cardiff City duo Seren Watkins and Rhianne Oakley joined West Brom, while Barry youngster Vera Jones now calls WSL champions Chelsea her home.
It was also a time that saw some of the league’s more notable characters call time on their careers. Nomads stalwart Kylie Jones retired, as did Barry keeper Erin Brennan. Aberystwyth legend Kelly Thomas swapped the pitch for the dugout, while both Catherine and Siobhan Walsh also hung up their boots.
With the transfer window slamming shut, attention turned to actions on the pitch, and so far, it’s been a fascinating season across all three divisions.
In the Genero Adran North, it looks set to be another titanic battle between Llandudno and Connah’s Quay Nomads for the title, with the latter having the upper hand so far, thanks in no part to goalscoring supremo Ella Jones, who has joined from the Seasiders. Flint Town United are showing signs of promise in their first campaign in the second tier, while Llanfair United have already matched their points tally from the whole of last season.
The Genero Adran South looks impossible to call. Cwmbran Celtic end the year on top of the table, but with Pontypridd United and Swansea University having games in hand on them, the title could head to any of the three. Celtic forward Jade Crofts is once again setting the division alight, joined now by ex-Cascade and Abergavenny star Lauren Boyd, while young Ponty stars Nicole Fenton and Lauren Payne are leading the Dragons’ charge.
And finally, to the Genero Adran Premier, where there are storylines throughout the table. In the battle to survive, it certainly looks like a race between Cardiff Met and Aberystwyth Town. The Archers currently occupy that sole relegation place on goal difference, but with plenty of games left to play, it could all change.
Wrexham have struggled to match their performances of last season and have been left chasing a spot in the top half, alongside Barry’s reinvigorated side who have earned draws home and away against Swansea City.
But the cherry on top of the cake is of course the tussle for the title, with any of the current top four arguably in with a shot of the trophy as we enter 2025. Cardiff City are still finding their feet after their summer squad changes and the reigning champions end the year in second place behind a new look TNS team who look like real contenders to win their first ever league crown – a 5-0 win away at Swansea in October was a statement result.
The Swans, in fourth, will argue they are not to be ruled out though as they beat Cardiff in front of this season’s biggest crowd so far of 2,225 at the Swansea.com Stadium, while Briton Ferry just keep cruising and finished the year with stunning back-to-back wins over the Swans and Bluebirds to sit third in the table with a game in hand over the top two.
2024 has once again proved that women’s football in Wales is moving to another level, and with 2025 set to be a historic year for this country, expect the Adran Leagues to push the needle once again!
