Cymru Premier
Uwch Gynghrair Cymru
Season2023–24
Dates11 August 2023 – 11 May 2024
Matches played132
Goals scored406 (3.08 per match)
Biggest home winThe New Saints 8–0 Cardiff Met
(6 January 2024)
Biggest away winBarry Town 2–6 The New Saints
(21 October 2023)
Highest scoringThe New Saints 6–2 Connah's Quay Nomads
(11 August 2023)
Longest winning run16 - The New Saints 16 September 2023-
Longest unbeaten run22 - The New Saints 11 August 2023-
Longest winless run8 - Aberystwyth Town 12 August 2023-27 September 2023, Pontypridd United 17 October 2023-26 December 2023
Longest losing run6 - Colwyn Bay 29 November 2023-
Highest attendance1411 - Colwyn Bay 0–4 Caernarfon Town
(13 August 2023)
Lowest attendance138 - Bala Town 0–0 Pontypridd United
(4 November 2023)
Average attendance397
2024–25 →

The 2023–24 Cymru Premier (Welsh: Uwch Gynghrair Cymru 2023–24; known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons) is the 32nd season of the Cymru Premier (formerly known as the Welsh Premier League), the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992.

The winners qualify for the 2024–25 Champions League first qualifying round. The runners-up, play-off winners, and 2023–24 Welsh Cup winners (or the third-placed team if the Welsh Cup winners finish in the top two of the Cymru Premier) qualify for the 2024–25 Conference League first qualifying round. The bottom two teams are relegated to either the 2024–25 Cymru North or the 2024–25 Cymru South.

Teams

The league consisted of twelve teams; the top ten teams from the previous season, and one team each promoted from the second-tier leagues, the Cymru North and Cymru South. The New Saints entered the season as defending champions (for the second consecutive season).

The two promoted sides were Colwyn Bay (winners of the 2022–23 Cymru North) and Barry Town United (winners of the 2022–23 Cymru South).[1][2] Barry Town United were promoted back to the top tier on the first time of asking following their relegation in the 2021–22 season, while Colwyn Bay were promoted to the top tier of Welsh football for the first time since switching from the English football league system in 2018–19.

The bottom two teams from the 2022–23 season (Airbus UK Broughton and Flint Town United) were both relegated to the Cymru North for the 2023–24 season.[3] Flint Town United's relegation was only confirmed on the final day of the previous season, where a dramatic victory for Aberystwyth Town, combined with Flint's defeat to Pontypridd United, saw the Silkmen drop into the relegation zone.[4]

Haverfordwest County came close to being relegated following their failure to achieve a Tier One license at the first time of asking, but their appeal was successful, ensuring their stay in the league.[5]

Stadia and locations

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Aberystwyth TownAberystwyth Park Avenue5,000
Bala TownBala Maes Tegid3,000
Barry Town UnitedBarry Jenner Park Stadium2,650
Caernarfon TownCaernarfon The Oval3,000
Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityCyncoed Cyncoed Campus1,620
Colwyn BayOld Colwyn Llanelian Road2,500
Connah's Quay NomadsFlint Cae-y-Castell3,000
Haverfordwest CountyHaverfordwest Bridge Meadow Stadium2,100
NewtownNewtown Latham Park5,000
PenybontBridgend Bryntirion Park3,000
Pontypridd UnitedTreforest USW Sports Park1,000
The New SaintsEngland Oswestry Park Hall2,034

Personnel and kits

Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Front shirt sponsor
Aberystwyth Town Wales Anthony Williams England Jack Thorn Acerbis Aberystwyth University
Bala Town England Colin Caton England Kieran Smith Macron Aykroyd's
Barry Town United Wales Steve Jenkins Wales Kayne McLaggon Macron RIM Motors
Caernarfon Town Wales Richard Davies Wales Darren Thomas Errea Gofal Bro Cyf
Cardiff Metropolitan University Wales Ryan Jenkins Wales Kyle McCarthy Errea Cardiff Metropolitan University
Colwyn Bay Wales Steve Evans England Tom McCready Hope and Glory GO2 People
Connah's Quay Nomads Wales Neil Gibson Republic of Ireland John Disney Adidas Castle Green Homes
Haverfordwest County Wales Tony Pennock Wales Dylan Rees Macron Clegg Gifford / The Athletic
Newtown Wales Shane Sutton Errea Control Techniques
Penybont Wales Rhys Griffiths Wales Kane Owen Macron Nathaniel Car Sales
Pontypridd United Wales Clayton Green Joma UPVCDIRECT.CO.UK
The New Saints England Craig Harrison England Chris Marriott Macron SiFi Networks

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Barry Town United Wales Lee Kendall Resigned[6] 26 July 2023 Pre-season Wales Steve Jenkins 5 August 2023[7]
Pontypridd United Wales Andrew Stokes Resigned[8] 4 January 2024 12th
Newtown Wales Chris Hughes Mutual consent[9] 10 January 2024 4th

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
1 The New Saints 22 20 2 0 77 14 +63 62 Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round
2 Connah's Quay Nomads 22 15 2 5 59 29 +30 47 Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]
3 Bala Town 22 10 7 5 25 20 +5 37 Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off
4 Cardiff Metropolitan University 22 9 7 6 28 39 −11 34
5 Newtown 22 10 3 9 35 31 +4 33
6 Caernarfon Town 22 9 4 9 40 41 −1 31
7 Haverfordwest County 22 7 7 8 29 33 −4 28 Qualification for the Conference League first qualifying round play-off
8 Penybont 22 8 4 10 28 32 −4 25[lower-alpha 3]
9 Barry Town United 22 6 5 11 27 41 −14 23
10 Aberystwyth Town 22 4 3 15 18 46 −28 15
11 Colwyn Bay 22 4 2 16 27 49 −22 14 Relegation to Cymru North or Cymru South
12 Pontypridd United 22 5 4 13 13 31 −18 13[lower-alpha 4]
Updated to match(es) played on 13 January 2024. Source: Cymru Premier
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Goals scored; 5) Matches won.
Notes:
  1. ↑ Teams played each other twice (22 matches), before the league was split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
  2. ↑ The 2023–24 Welsh Cup winners also qualify for the Conference League first qualifying round (or the third-placed team of the Cymru Premier if the Welsh Cup winners finish in the top two).
  3. ↑ Penybont were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player against Aberystwyth Town on 27 October 2023. The club has until 15 January 2024 to launch an appeal.
  4. ↑ Pontypridd United were deducted six points for failing to pay players on time, failing to comply with contractual player obligations, failing to register players correctly, and fielding ineligible players.

Results

Matches 1–22

Teams played each other twice, once at home and once away.

Home \ Away ABE BAL BAR CAE CMU COL CQN HAV NEW PEN PON TNS
Aberystwyth Town — 2–3 2–4 2–4 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–1 1–2 0–1 1–3
Bala Town 0–1 — 1–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 0–0 0–0
Barry Town United 0–1 3–1 — 0–3 0–0 1–1 1–4 2–2 4–0 1–1 2–0 2–6
Caernarfon Town 3–0 1–1 2–3 — 5–1 2–1 0–4 0–1 2–1 2–4 1–0 1–3
Cardiff Metropolitan University 4–2 0–0 2–1 2–2 — 1–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–3 2–0 1–5
Colwyn Bay 3–1 2–3 0–1 0–4 2–2 — 2–3 1–2 2–4 2–1 2–3 0–1
Connah's Quay Nomads 4–0 1–1 7–0 6–1 4–0 2–1 — 1–2 3–1 4–2 3–1 0–4
Haverfordwest County 3–0 2–3 2–0 1–1 1–1 5–0 1–3 — 0–4 3–2 0–0 0–1
Newtown 0–0 1–0 2–0 4–0 2–1 4–2 1–2 1–1 — 1–3 3–1 0–2
Penybont 0–2 0–2 1–0 3–2 0–0 0–1 0–1 2–0 1–1 — 1–0 1–4
Pontypridd United 2–0 0–0 1–0 1–2 1–3 0–3 0–3 2–0 0–1 0–0 — 0–1
The New Saints 6–0 2–0 2–2 2–1 8–0 6–1 6–2 5–1 3–1 3–0 4–0 —
Source: Cymru Premier
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 23–32

After 22 matches, the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six). Each team plays every other team in their group twice (once at home and once away).

Top six

Home \ Away BAL CAE CMU CQN NEW TNS
Bala Town —
Caernarfon Town —
Cardiff Metropolitan University —
Connah's Quay Nomads —
Newtown —
The New Saints —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Cymru Premier
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Bottom six

Home \ Away ABE BAR COL HAV PEN PON
Aberystwyth Town —
Barry Town United —
Colwyn Bay —
Haverfordwest County —
Penybont —
Pontypridd United —
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: Cymru Premier
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Conference League play-off

Teams placed 3rd-7th enter one-off play-off matches for the third spot in the Conference League first qualifying round. The higher-placed team gains home advantage. One of the spots is vacated if the 2023–24 Welsh Cup winners finish 7th or higher, with the 3rd-placed team qualifying automatically if the Welsh Cup winners finish in the top two.

Season statistics

As of 17 December 2023[10]

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 England Aaron Williams Newtown 16
2 Wales Jordan Davies Connah's Quay 15
England Brad Young The New Saints
4 Northern Ireland Ryan Brobbel The New Saints 14
5 England Adam Davies Caernarfon Town 12
6 Wales Chris Venables Penybont 11
7 England Ollie Hulbert Barry Town United 10

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDate
Northern Ireland Ryan Brobbel The New Saints Haverfordwest County 5–1 (H) 16 September 2023
England Aaron Williams Newtown Caernarfon Town 4–0 (H) 7 October 2023
England Brad Young The New Saints Barry Town United 2–6 (A) 21 October 2023
Wales Sion Bradley Caernarfon Town Cardiff Met 5–1 (H) 21 October 2023
England Harry Franklin Connah's Quay Caernarfon Town 6–1 (H) 27 October 2023
Wales Chris Venables Penybont Caernarfon Town 2–4 (A) 4 November 2023
England Martell Taylor-Crossdale Haverfordwest County Colwyn Bay 5–0 (H) 4 November 2023
England Brad Young The New Saints Cardiff Met 8–0 (H) 6 January 2024
Notes

(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

Most assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1 England Declan Poole Connah's Quay Nomads 9
England Josh Daniels The New Saints
2 Wales Lewis Rees Cardiff Met 8
England Daniel Redmond The New Saints
5 England Jamie Cumming Colwyn Bay 7
England Ben Clark The New Saints
7 Wales Mathew Jones Newtown 6
England Zeli Ismail Newtown
Wales Mael Davies Penybont
Wales Sion Bradley Caernarfon Town

Monthly awards

Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August Richard Davies Caernarfon Town Sion Bradley Caernarfon Town
September Chris Hughes Newtown Jordan Davies Connah's Quay
October Craig Harrison The New Saints Ben Nash Connah's Quay
November Tony Pennock Haverfordwest County Ryan Sears Newtown

Attendances

Team Highest Lowest Average
Aberystwyth Town 502 271 342
Bala Town 564 138 324*
Barry Town United 521 340 441
Caernarfon Town 978 339 565
Cardiff Metropolitan University 563 178 304
Colwyn Bay 1,411 523 770
Connah's Quay Nomads 506 139 274
Haverfordwest County 550 308 412
Newtown 421 181 297
Penybont 863 179 371*
Pontypridd United 537 191 304*
The New Saints 511 248 320

Figures taken from FAW Cymru Football app and other club channels. Correct as of 15 January 2024. *Denotes incomplete record, as missing attendance figures. Figures for Penybont v Caernarfon (16/9), Pontypridd v Bala (16/9), Bala v Aberystwyth (27/9), Penybont v TNS (7/10) and Penybont v Aberystwyth (27/10) have not been publicly recorded.

References

  1. ↑ "Colwyn Bay secure Cymru North title to confirm promotion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Barry Town and Colwyn Bay granted Tier 1 licences, Haverfordwest refused". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  3. ↑ "Cymru Premier round-up: Airbus relegated after defeat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  4. ↑ Harry Ware. "Aberystwyth Town survive the drop in dramatic style as Flint Town United are relegated". Y Clwb Pêl-Droed. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  5. ↑ Tom Pritchard. "Chairman Rob Edwards on successful Tier 1 Licence appeal". Haverfordwest County. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Cymru Premier: Manager Lee Kendall steps down at Barry Town". BBC Sport. 26 July 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  7. ↑ "Cymru Premier: Manager Lee Kendall steps down at Barry Town". BBC Sport. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Manager Andrew Stokes and assistant Danny Thomas leave Pontypridd United". BBC Sport. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Chris Hughes: Newtown manager leaves club after more than a decade in charge". BBC Sport. 10 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Cymru Football". cymrufootball.wales. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
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