Rhyl Ladies FC pull out of Welsh Premier Women’s League due to lack of players

Rhyl Ladies have withdrawn from the Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s Football League today (1 August) with immediate effect.

As a result, the League will continue with nine teams for the 2019/20 season, commencing on September 8.

Tom Jamieson, director of football at Rhyl Ladies, said of the decision: “Following the departure of a number of key players and after all the hard work to progress this team from regional football to the Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League, it’s very much with regret that we need to take this decision and this has been taken early to ensure that the League can consider the implications of this in advance of the start of the season.”

Ianthe Mumford, general manager of the Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League, said: “It is disappointing to hear this news but we thank Rhyl Ladies for being part of our National League and we wish them the very best for the forthcoming season and hope to see them return to the Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League at some point in the future.”

Rhyl, who finished bottom of the WPWL last season, received a relegation reprieve as no club from the north applied for promotion.

The team also escaped the drop at the end of 2015/16 after finishing in the bottom two relegation spots.

Rhyl Ladies first joined the WPWL in 2014/15.

They played under the name Rhyl and Prestatyn for two seasons before becoming known as Rhyl Ladies in 2016/17.

This season was due to be their sixth in the WPWL.

Further news is now awaited on whether the first team will compete in the North Wales Women’s Football League this season.

The club already has a team called Rhyl Development entered in the NWWFL.