FAW claims that new Welsh League Cup plan has wide support appear misleading

Claims by the FAW that plans to revamp the Welsh League Cup have received widespread support from Cymru Premier clubs appear to be misleading.

While making it clear they have still to decide whether to back that plan, part of the FAW’s Project Cymru scheme, Caernarfon Town published a statement today making the current situation clear.

The FAW In a statement yesterday that the proposal has already received the unanimous backing of the JD Cymru Premier clubs.

“Following the recent press release by the FAW regarding Project Cymru we wish to make it clear that, whilst the club is open to receiving more information regarding the initiative, as far as we are concerned, no official vote involving the clubs has been taken about it nor the proposed new Welsh League Cup,” said Caernarfon’s statement.

“We will not be making any further comments about Project Cymru nor the League Cup until we receive definite details from the FAW of what it will all look like.”

Yesterday, the FAW revealed Wales’ four English Football League (EFL) clubs have moved a step closer towards increasing their involvement in the Welsh domestic game.

Cardiff City, Newport County, Swansea City and Wrexham would have a chance to qualify for European football via a revamped Welsh League Cup.

The move now only needs approval from the England-based Football Association to make the project a reality.

FAW chief executive Noel Mooney has labelled the league cup plan ‘a game changer’ which could generate an additional £3million per season to support football at all levels throughout Wales.

The new Welsh League Cup competition will include the 12 clubs in the JD Cymru Premier and the full participation of the four Welsh clubs that currently participate in the English Football League system (Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham). So, a 16-team competition.

However, since the update on the cup plan was released yesterday, there has been plenty of opposition, largely from fans of Tier 2 clubs who will miss out.

Clubs from Cymru North and Cymru South currently participate in the present version of the league cup, which offers them a potential shot at higher-ranked teams and a revenue boost.

The FAW was accused yesterday of shutting out lower tier clubs in favour of the CPL and the four EFL sides.

MAIN OPPOSITION (put forward by well-informed, passionate Welsh football fans who have stuck by the domestic game for most of their lives)

• The league cup plan would take away opportunities from our own domestic clubs in favour of the exile clubs.
• There are many great clubs sitting below the Cymru Premier. We should be promoting and pushing our Tier 2 clubs, not rejecting them.
• Many Tier 2 clubs attract much bigger crowds than some in the Cymru Premier, many of whom would struggle to fill a caravan
• The loss of earnings for a good cup run to T2 teams shouldn’t be ignored, it can be the difference between a club surviving or not
• Thought it was supposed to be the “Cymru Leagues”, so why are 32 of the clubs not allowed to be in the LEAGUE Cup?

FAW POINTS

• Three of those four EFL clubs already participate in League Cup but are not required to meet player experience standards and do not typically play first team players. These four clubs would be required to field a strong side in line with the team strength criteria operated in the EFL Trophy.
• Pending finalisation and necessary approvals, the FAW is intending to begin this format of the Welsh League Cup starting in the 2025-26 season.
• The expansion of the JD Cymru Premier in 2026-27 to 16 clubs will increase the size of the Welsh League Cup to 20 clubs, with the knockout format retained and an additional round added to the beginning of the competition to produce 16 clubs from the second round.
• The FAW will review the impact of Prosiect (Project) Cymru four years after its inception to ensure that it is delivering the intended benefits for key stakeholders, and Welsh football and society, with all options on the table if it is not.