| Founded | 1904, 1924 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Wales |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Level on pyramid | 7 |
| Promotion to | South Wales Alliance League |
| Current champions | Penywaun (2023–24) |
| Website | Aberdare Valley League |
The Aberdare Valley Association Football League is a football league affiliated to the South Wales FA and provides football at the seventh level of the Welsh football league system. The league's boundaries stretch from Rhigos in the north to Carnetown, Abercynon in the South of the Cynon Valley.
The Aberdare & District Junior League was founded in 1904. The founder member clubs were: Aberaman Stars, Aberaman Windsors, Aberdare Crescents, Aberdare Excelsiors, Cefnpennar, Cwmbach Lilywhites, Gadlys Rovers, Greenhill Rovers, GWR Rovers and Mardy Albions, and the first champions were Aberdare Crescents.
Also in 1904, the Aberdare Leader Junior Medals competition was founded by the local newspaper, and was won by Aberaman Windsors. [1]
The league renamed to the Aberdare & District (Belle Vue) League in 1907, but folded in 1908. The league briefly returned for the 1909–10 season, but then would not return until 1924, being reformed as the Aberdare Valley Football League. [2]
Since 2015, the league has not had junior divisions (under-12 to under-16), with it now being the responsibility of the newly formed Cynon Rhondda Merthyr Junior Football League.
The league is currently at the seventh tier of the Welsh football league system, and a feeder league to the South Wales Alliance League.
As of the 2024–25 season, the league consists of 13 clubs:
Promotion from the Premier Division is possible to the South Wales Alliance League, with the champion of the league playing the other tier 7 champions from the South Wales regional leagues via play-off games to determine promotion.
 |
Aberdare is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550. Aberdare is 4 miles (6 km) south-west of Merthyr Tydfil, 20 miles (32 km) north-west of Cardiff and 22 miles (35 km) east-north-east of Swansea. During the 19th century it became a thriving industrial settlement, which was also notable for the vitality of its cultural life and as an important publishing centre.
Cynon Valley is a former coal mining valley in Wales. It lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash in the south. From 1974 to 1996, Cynon Valley was a local government district.
The Welsh Football League Division Two, was a football league and forms the fourth level of the Welsh football league system in South Wales.
Cynon Valley was a constituency in Wales, of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 1983 to 2024. Its last MP from 2019 to 2024 was Beth Winter of the Labour Party.
The Merthyr line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from central Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare. The line is part of the Cardiff urban rail network, known as the Valley Lines.
Hirwaun is a village and community at the north end of the Cynon Valley in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. It is 4 miles (6 km) NW of the town of Aberdare, and comes under the Aberdare post town. At the 2001 census, Hirwaun had a population of 4,851. increasing at the 2011 census to 4,990. The village is on the Heads of the Valleys Road and at the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Aberdare railway station is a railway station serving the town of Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is the terminus of the Aberdare branch of the Merthyr Line, 22½ miles (36 km) north northwest of Cardiff Central. Passenger services are provided by Transport for Wales.
The River Cynon in South Wales is a main tributary of the Taff. Its source is the rising of Llygad Cynon at 219 m (719 ft) above sea level at Penderyn, Rhondda Cynon Taf and flows roughly southeast, into the Taff at Abercynon in the same district. The water emerging at Llygad Cynon has been traced back to the sink of the Nant Cadlan at Ogof Fawr.
The Vale of Neath Railway (VoNR) was a broad gauge railway company, that built a line from Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare to Neath, in Wales, mostly to transport the products of the Merthyr iron industries to ports on Swansea Bay.
The Aberdare Canal was a canal in Glamorgan, Wales which ran from Aberdare to a junction with the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon. It opened in 1812 and served the iron and coal industries for almost 65 years. The arrival of railways in the area did not immediately affect its traffic, but the failure of the iron industry in 1875 and increasing subsidence due to coal mining led to it becoming uneconomic. The Marquess of Bute failed to halt its decline when he took it over in 1885, and in 1900 it was closed on safety grounds. The company continued to operate a tramway until 1944. Most of the route was buried by the construction of the A4059 road in 1923, although a short section at the head of the canal remains in water and is now a nature reserve. The company was wound up in 1955.
Mountain Ash Comprehensive School, known as MACS, is a comprehensive school near the town of Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is a mixed-sex school with approximately 950 pupils, including about 90 in the sixth form. The school was formerly known as Mountain Ash Grammar School and is located near the former Dyffryn Colliery.
The South Wales Amateur League was a former football league in South Wales. The league consisted of two divisions, named Divisions One and Two. Division One was a feeder to the Welsh Football League Division Three, and sat at level 5 of the Welsh football pyramid.
Aberdare Town Football Club is a Welsh football club that play in the South Wales Premier League Championship Division. Their ground is situated on Cardiff Road, Aberdare, between the suburb of Aberaman and the village of Abercwmboi. They are a former member of the Welsh Football League.
The 2009–10 FAW Welsh Cup was the 123rd edition of the annual knockout tournament for competitive football teams in Wales, excluding those who play in the English League System. The 2009–10 tournament commenced on 14 August 2009 and concluded at Parc y Scarlets on 1 May 2010. Bangor City won the cup with a 3–2 win against Port Talbot Town.
The South Wales Senior League is a former football league in South Wales. The league consisted of two divisions, named Divisions One and Two. Division One was a feeder to the Welsh Football League Division Three, and therefore sat at levels 5 of the Welsh football pyramid.
The South Wales Premier League is a football league structure in South Wales, currently known for sponsorship reasons as The Highadmit Projects South Wales Premier League. The top tier of the league, the Premier Division is at the fourth tier of the Welsh Football Pyramid and offers promotion opportunities to the tier 3 Football Association of Wales administered Ardal Leagues. The league is run by the South Wales Football Association.
The South Wales Intermediate Cup is the regional knock-out competition for clubs beneath the umbrella of the South Wales Football Association, at the level of Tier 4 and below of the Welsh Football Pyramid in South Wales.
The South Wales FA Senior Cup is the regional knock-out competition for clubs beneath the umbrella of the South Wales Football Association, in the Welsh Football Pyramid in South Wales.
