Sad news: Two women’s cup competitions off the menu this season

Is it really eight years ago that this Northop Hall team won the NEWFA Challenge Cup?

Two popular cups on the North Wales women’s football calendar will not be competed for this season.

Both the Betty Pickering Cup and the North East Wales FA Challenge Cup are off the menu in 2025-26.

Wrexham Foresters, a new addition to the women’s football family this season, revealed they expressed interest in entering both competitions, but were told this week neither would be included on the roster.

Both cups came under the auspices of the North East Wales FA, who no longer are involved in 11 v 11 women’s football, although they have started up a recreational league.

The North East Wales Women’s League, as it was known, ceased this season and was replaced by the North Wales Coast Women’s League and the Central Wales North Ladies League, catering for all areas of the north.

League cup competitions are being run in the two newly-named leagues.

Pwllheli were winners of the Betty Pickering Cup in 2024-25, while Kinmel Bay landed the Betty Pickering Shield, with CPDM Y Felinheli lifting the NEWFA Challenge Cup.

Hopefully these great competitions will return.

BETTY PICKERING CUP

This Pwllheli side won the Betty Pickering Cup last season

This used to be a regular feature on the women’s calendar, but it disappeared after 2019-20 before returning in 2023-24.
It used to be a straight knockout, but later versions included a group stage to boost clubs’ fixture lists reduced in size due to split, smaller leagues.

LIST OF (KNOWN) WINNERS
2012-13 Airbus
2013-14 Denbigh Town
2014-15 Not known
2015-16 Caernarfon Town
2016-17 Caernarfon Town
2017-18 Not known
2018-19 Llanfair United
2019-20 Not played
2020-21 Not played
2021-22 Not played
2022-23 Not played
2023-24 Llangefni Town
2024-25 Pwllheli

NEWFA WOMEN’S CHALLENGE CUP

Felinheli lifted the NEWFA Challenge Cup last season

This competition is believed to have been introduced in 2017-18 with Northop Hall the first winners.

Connah’s Quay Nomads won it three times in a row between 2022-24.

WINNERS

2017-18 Northop Hall
2018-19 Llanfair United
2019-20 – Final not played – Covid ended season early
2020-21 Season scrapped due to lockdown
2021-22 Connah’s Quay Nomads
2022-23 Connah’s Quay Nomads
2023-24 Connah’s Quay Nomads
2024-25 CPDM Y Felinheli