Flint Mountain drop two leagues – lucky reprieves for Ruthin Town and Kerry FC
Flint Mountain have dropped out of the JD Cymru North League, meaning Ruthin Town are handed a relegation reprieve as a result.
The FAW report that Mountain’s request for ‘elective relegation’ from Tier 2 has been granted and Ruthin will stay up in their place, rather than compete in Tier 3 Ardal North East next season.
Mountain has been placed into the tier 4 North East Wales League for 2026-27. As well as Ruthin’s good fortune, Kerry FC will avoid relegation to T4 and remain in Ardal North East in the campaign ahead.
The FAW released the following statement:
The Football Association of Wales has received formal communication from Flint Mountain FC, requesting elective relegation from the Cymru North.
The FAW has granted this request and as per FAW Men’s Pyramid Regulation 4(b), Flint Mountain FC will compete in Tier 4 for the 2026/27 season.
FAW Men’s Pyramid Regulation 4(b) states:
“iii. The application will be determined by the Directors in their absolute discretion. Without limiting such discretion, the Directors shall have the power to:
a. grant consent as applied for; or
b. grant consent in principle but order the Qualifying Club play at a different Tier in Pyramid Tiers 1 -3 to that applied for; or
c. refuse consent for the Qualifying Club to play in Pyramid Tiers 1 – 3 but order the Qualifying Club play in a league at a Tier in the Pyramid League System below Tier 3; or
d. in any of the above cases where consent is granted or an order made, impose such conditions as the Directors think necessary including, without limitation, a condition requiring the applicant club to discharge (in whole or in part in the Directors’ absolute discretion) the Football Related Liabilities of the club before the commencement of the next Playing Season; or
e. refuse the application.
Solely as guidance to Qualifying Clubs making an application under this Regulation 4(b) and without limiting the absolute discretion of Directors, the FAW will ordinarily expect a Qualifying Club to play in Tier 3 of the Pyramid League System or two levels below the level at which it competed prior to ceasing to compete, whichever is the lower.”
As a result of the decision, Ruthin Town FC and Kerry FC have been granted a reprieve from relegation from their respective divisions, as the highest-ranked relegated Clubs in 2025/26.
Ruthin Town FC will continue to compete in the Cymru North in the 2026/27 season, while Kerry FC will continue to compete in the Ardal North East in the 2026/27 season.
The complete FAW Men’s National Leagues composition for 2026/27 will be confirmed in due course.
FLINT MOUNTAIN FC
The club was formed in 2009 as Flint Mountain FC and joined the Clwyd Football League. In 2011 the league was split so they signed up to the new Clwyd East.
In 2015 this league was renamed the North East Wales League. The 2018–19 season was one of great success for the club as they claimed the North East Wales League title and Horace Wynne Cup, as part of a quadruple.
They moved into the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) on the back of their promotion as champions.
Prior to the 2019–20 season, Flint Mountain announced they would be moving from the Northop Hall Pavilion to Halkyn United’s Pant Newydd. As a result of the relocation, the team changed its name to Halkyn and Flint Mountain.
The club joined the newly-formed North East Wales Football League in 2020 as a Premier Division club. In May 2022 they announced they would be moving to ground share Cae-y-Castell, home of Flint Town United.[
On 9 June 2022, it was announced Mountain had been promoted to the tier 3 Ardal NW League for the 2022–23 season,
The following day it announced that after approval from the North East Wales Football Association, the club had reverted to its previous name of Flint Mountain Football Club with immediate effect.
In the 2023-24 season, Flint Mountain won the Ardal North West title and NEWFA Challenge Cup and reached the final of the Ardal North Cup, plus the Welsh Cup last 8.
Mountain have spent the past two seasons at their highest ever level – the Tier 2 Cymru North – finishing seventh in 2024-25 and 14th in 2025-26, having made Bastion Gardens, Prestatyn, their home ground.
On June 1, 2026, the club’s “elective relegation” request from the Cymru North was granted by the FAW and Mountain will compete in the Tier 4 North East Wales League next season.