FAW Premier Cup
The FAW Premier Cup (previously the FAW Invitation Cup ) was a Welsh football competition held annually from 1997 to 2008 by the Football Association of Wales . After the six Welsh clubs playing in English leagues were excluded from the Welsh Cup in 1996 , the FAW decided to create a new competition to find the really best Welsh team.
Attendees
Originally it was planned that Cardiff City , Swansea City and AFC Wrexham from the English league system played together with Merthyr Tydfil FC, also playing in England, and four clubs from the League of Wales . Until 2001/02 Merthyr Tydfil had a safe starting place, as the England playing AFC Newport County and Colwyn Bay FC were not invited. It was then decided that of these three clubs (Newport, Merthyr and Colwyn Bay) the best-placed one could participate in the FAW Premier Cup.
As of the 2004/05 season, the competition was expanded from eight to 16 clubs. The ten best clubs in the League of Wales , the two best-ranked clubs from Newport County, Merthyr Tydfil and Colwyn Bay as well as the respective winners of the Welsh Cup and, last but not least, the three top Welsh clubs in England Cardiff City, Swansea City and AFC are allowed to participate Wrexham.
Remarks
By Welsh football standards, the Premier Cup offered the participating clubs good additional income. In the 2006/07 season, the losers in the semi-finals received £ 25,000, the finalists £ 50,000 and the winners £ 100,000.
The top clubs, but especially Cardiff City , were faced with allegations that they were not playing with the best teams and that they were only playing half-heartedly. The other participants value the competition, however, as it is the only way to measure yourself against the top Welsh clubs from the English league pyramid. Despite the success in the English second division, Cardiff could only win the Cup in 2002 against arch-rivals Swansea City .
The most successful team is Wrexham . With three exceptions, the club always reached the cup final. The losing clubs of the League of Wales have hardly played a role in the final. Barry Town, Rhyl, The New Saints and Llanelli represented them as the only finalists so far. Only in 2007 did no professional team playing in England make it to the final.
The FAW Premier Cup was broadcast on BBC Wales . After the broadcaster ended its support in 2008, the competition was discontinued.
Final results
| year | winner | Narrow result | Second | Stadion | spectator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/98 | Wrexham AFC | 2: 1 | Cardiff City | Racecourse Ground | |
| 1998/99 | Barry Town | 2: 1 | Wrexham AFC | Racecourse Ground | |
| 1999/2000 | Wrexham AFC | 2-0 | Cardiff City | Racecourse Ground | |
| 2000/01 | Wrexham AFC | 2-0 | Swansea City | Vetch Field | |
| 2001/02 | Cardiff City | 1-0 | Swansea City | Ninian Park | 6,629 |
| 2002/03 | Wrexham AFC | 6: 1 | AFC Newport County | Racecourse Ground | 4.014 |
| 2003/04 | Wrexham AFC | 4: 1 | Rhyl FC | Belle Vue | 2,800 |
| 2004/05 | Swansea City | 2: 1 | Wrexham AFC | Vetch Field | 9,000 |
| 2005/06 | Swansea City | 2: 1 | Wrexham AFC | Racecourse Ground | 3,032 |
| 2006/07 | The New Saints FC | 1-0 | AFC Newport County | Newport Stadium | 1,809 |
| 2007/08 | AFC Newport County | 1-0 | AFC Llanelli | Newport Stadium | 1,889 |
Overview
| rank | Club | Victories | Second | Winner Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrexham AFC | 5 | 3 | 1997/98, 1999/2000, 2000/01, 2002/03, 2003/04 |
| 2 | Swansea City | 2 | 2 | 2004/05, 2005/06 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 1 | 2 | 2001/02 |
| AFC Newport County | 1 | 2 | 2007/08 | |
| 5 | Barry Town | 1 | 0 | 1998/99 |
| The New Saints FC | 1 | 0 | 2006/07 | |
| 7th | Rhyl FC | 0 | 1 | |
| AFC Llanelli | 0 | 1 |