There was plenty of drama and excitement across all levels of the domestic game in 2025, but a couple of familiar names rose to the top as The New Saints and Cardiff City once again asserted their authority over their rivals.
The New Saints dominated on the domestic front as Craig Harrison guided his side to the treble and claimed the Manager of the Year award. The Saints won the JD Cymru Premier with a 14-point advantage over Penybont, and their achievement was even more remarkable as they were also competing in the league phase of the UEFA Conference League.
Haverfordwest County joined the top two in qualifying for European competition as goals from Dan Hawkins and a double from Ben Ahmun sealed a 3-1 win over Caernarfon Town in the Play-Off Final in front of over 1,700 fans at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium.
At the other end of the table, two founder members of the league were relegated as Newtown and Aberystwyth Town occupied the bottom places. However, with three promotion places available this season in the JD Cymru North and South, competition has significantly increased due to the additional spots on offer.
Colwyn Bay and Llanelli Town sealed promotion back to the domestic top-flight as champions of the JD Cymru North and South respectively. There was also a double for Colwyn Bay in the annual awards with Michael Wilde being named Manager of the Year and captain Sam Hart claiming the Player of the Year title.
Llanelli’s Liam Eason marked the end of his time with the club as JD Cymru South Player of the Year, while Louis Lloyd of Caernarfon Town and James Crole of Penybont shared the JD Cymru Premier Golden Boot with 16 goals each.
There was international recognition for the JD Cymru Premier as goalkeeper Connor Roberts was called into Craig Bellamy’s Cymru senior squad after an impressive final season with The New Saints, while Colin Caton departed Bala Town after an incredible 22 years as manager.
The New Saints continue to set the pace at the top of the JD Cymru Premier heading into 2026 while Llanelli Town will need to reverse their form to avoid dropping straight back down. Looking ahead, the 2026/27 season will also mark the start of a new era for the JD Cymru Premier as the league will increase to 16 clubs.
Cardiff City won their third consecutive Genero Adran Premier title despite being pushed all the way by newly-promoted Briton Ferry Llansawel. Shannon Evans and Fiona Barry were named Player and Young Player of the Year for the Bluebirds. Meanwhile, former champions Cardiff Met were relegated to the Genero Adran South and were replaced by play-off winners Pontypridd United.
The current season is promising to be one to remember with Wrexham showing their title credentials at the midway point of the campaign, while Pontypridd United continue to struggle at the bottom. Cardiff Met are setting the early pace in the Genero Adran South, while Connah’s Quay Nomads are looking to realise their promotion ambitions in the Genero Adran North.
The launch of the 2025/26 Genero Adran Premier season
The league also received backing from Cymru head coach Rhian Wilkinson following the selection of a further two former players in Phoebie Poole and Olivia Francis into the senior squad last month. “I want to be really clear about the Adran Premier,” said Wilkinson. “I think it is such an important piece of the footballing landscape in Wales.
“I’m a huge supporter of it. It’s not yet the feeder league to the national team, but that’s just one piece of a puzzle. But what is great is young players or players with potential are coming through that league and then moving on to the next stage where they can be invited to the national team.”
It is set to be an exciting 2026 for the Genero Adran Premier with the new strategy for the league due to be published in the first half of the year. “We are excited to share the vision of announcing an Adran Premier strategy in 2026 with the aim to strengthen and elevate the domestic game in Wales,” said Bethan Woolley, FAW Women & Girls’ Football Strategic Lead.
Silverware winners
In a repeat of the 2024 JD Welsh Cup Final, The New Saints once again met Connah’s Quay Nomads at Rodney Parade, but this time it was the Saints that came out on top with a 2-1 win through goals from Rory Holden and Jordan Williams.
The victory avenged their defeat to the Nomads by the same scoreline the year before and completed the domestic treble. However, in a surprise twist both teams have been eliminated from the competition already this season, offering an incredible opportunity for the remaining clubs to take advantage in what is one of the oldest competitions in the world game.
Cardiff City retained the Bute Energy Welsh Cup for the fourth consecutive year with a 3-1 win over Wrexham at Rodney Parade. Lily Billingham set the tone for the victory with an early goal before Shannon Evans and Fiona Barry completed the scoring. Abbie Iddenden scored a consolation penalty for Wrexham.
The New Saints began 2025 with silverware as they retained the Nathaniel MG Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over Aberystwyth Town thanks to a goal from Remi Oteh. Craig Harrison’s side will again look to retain the trophy on 28 February when they take on Barry Town United in the 2026 final at Penybont’s DragonBet Stadium.
The success was mirrored for The New Saints in the Genero Adran Trophy as goals from Chantelle Teare, Lexi Jones and an own goal from Lauren Davies proved enough to defeat Swansea City 3-1 at Latham Park as the Saints claimed the trophy for the first time. The semi-finals will take place in early January as the holders face Cardiff City and Wrexham take on Briton Ferry Llansawel.
Haverfordwest County won the FAW Youth Cup for the first time in their history as goals from Dylan Maguire and Sammie Vaughan-Harries sealed a 2-1 win over Caernarfon Town, while Airbus UK Broughton edged an exciting 3-2 victory over Trefelin at Aberystwyth to claim the Welsh Blood Service League Cup.
Port Talbot Town claimed their first piece of silverware for 25-years as they defeated Penygraig United 2-1 to win the Dragon Signs Amateur Trophy, while Pontypridd United defeated holders Cardiff Wanderers 2-1 to lift the Bute Energy U16’s Cup through goals from Ayla Harris and Ene Audu.
European results
It was disappointing European campaign for The New Saints following the success of the previous season. Entering the 1st qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, the domestic champions were eliminated by North Macedonian outfit Shkëndija 2-0 on aggregate and then suffered the same fate against Differdange of Luxembourg in the Conference League.
Penybont and Haverfordwest County also exited the Conference League at the first hurdle. A 4-1 aggregate victory for Kauno Žalgiris of Lithuania quickly ended Penybont’s hopes of a European run, while Haverfordwest County suffered a 5-3 aggregate loss to Maltese side Floriana.
Cardiff City suffered a 4-0 defeat against Irish side Athlone Town in the UEFA Women’s Champions League qualifiers, while Haverfordwest County performed well against Budućnost Podgorica of Montenegro in the UEFA Youth League. However, like their senior side, they were also eliminated 5-3 on aggregate.
In the UEFA Futsal Champions League, Cardiff Futsal Club headed to Bosnia and Herzegovina, but three defeats left them bottom of their qualifying group as they finished behind Blue Magic Dublin, Buba Mara and CIU of Georgia in the final standings.
