| Founded | 1907 |
|---|---|
| Country |  Wales |
| Number of teams | 14 |
| Level on pyramid | 7 |
| Promotion to | South Wales Alliance League |
| Current champions | Treorchy BGC (2023–24) |
| Website | Rhondda & District League |
The Rhondda & District League (currently the Carol Hosking Rhondda & District League for sponsorship reasons) is a football league covering the Rhondda and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the seventh and eighth levels of the Welsh football league system.
The Rhondda & District Football League was formed on 7 June 1907. [1] The league was originally called The Rhondda Junior League.
The original clubs elected to the league were: [2]
In 1927 the league was called The Rhondda Valley (Amateur) Football League. At the time some clubs in the league were made up entirely of unemployed men. This resulted in the North Rhondda League being created because clubs were unable to afford travelling expenses. In 1929 the North Rhondda League was affiliated and in 1933 it was renamed The Upper Rhondda League. The leagues remained separated until the 1962–63 season when they reformed back into one league.
In 1931 a third League was formed called the Rhondda Fach League, but this dissolved after the 1937–38 season.
Throughout the Second World War The Rhondda League was one of the very few leagues to continue playing football; because of the thousands of miners working in the collieries in the Rhondda.
The league was reduced to a single division for the 2024/25 season.
Promotion from the Premier Division is possible to the South Wales Alliance League, with the champion of the league playing the other tier seven champions from the South Wales regional leagues via play-off games to determine promotion.
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Information for champions of the top division from 1954–55 to 2006–07 is sourced from a booklet to commemorate 100 Years of Football in the Rhondda League. [3]
The Welsh Football League Division Two, was a football league and forms the fourth level of the Welsh football league system in South Wales.
Maerdy is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, and within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying at the head of the Rhondda Fach Valley.
Llwynypia is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. Before 1850 a lightly populated rural farming area, Llwynypia experienced a population boom between 1860 and 1920 with the sinking of several coal mines after the discovery of large coal deposits throughout the Rhondda Valleys.
Ynyshir is a village and community located in the Rhondda Valley, within Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The name of the village means "long island" in Welsh and takes its name from a farm in the area, falling within the historic parishes of Ystradyfodwg and Llanwynno (Llanwonno). The community of Ynyshir lies between the small adjoining village of Wattstown and the larger town of neighbouring Porth.
Rhondda, or the Rhondda Valley, is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley – so that the singular "Rhondda Valley" and the plural are both commonly used. The area forms part of the South Wales Valleys. From 1897 until 1996 there was a local government district of Rhondda. The former district at its abolition comprised 16 communities. Since 1996 these 16 communities of the Rhondda have been part of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough. The area of the former district is still used as the Rhondda Senedd constituency and Westminster constituency, having an estimated population in 2020 of 69,506. It is most noted for its historical coalmining industry, which peaked between 1840 and 1925. The valleys produced a strong Nonconformist movement manifest in the Baptist chapels that moulded Rhondda values in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is also known for its male voice choirs and in sport and politics.
The River Rhondda is a river in South Wales with two major tributaries, Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach.
Tylorstown is a village and community located in the Rhondda valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is neighboured by the villages of Blaenllechau, Ferndale, Penrhys, Pontygwaith and Stanleytown.
Tonyrefail is a village and community in the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated at the head of the River Ely; 4 miles (6.4 km) northwest of Llantrisant, about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Trebanog and about 2 miles (3.2 km) from Williamstown. During the second half of the 19th century, when coal and steel became synonymous with the South Wales Valleys, Tonyrefail evolved from being a rural hamlet to an industrial village. The population at the 2001 census was 11,035.
The A4119 links Tonypandy with Cardiff in South Wales.
The River Ely is in South Wales flowing generally southeast, from Tonyrefail to Cardiff.
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.
Llwynypia RFC was a rugby union club located in the Welsh village of Llwynypia in the Rhondda. The team provided several international players during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most notably Willie Llewellyn, who was not only selected to represent Wales while playing at the club, but later played for the British Isles on their 1904 tour of Australia and New Zealand.
Tynewydd is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. With Treherbert, Blaencwm, Blaenrhondda and Pen-yr-englyn it is part of a community of Treherbert. The village lies in the former industrial coal mining area at the head of Rhondda Fawr, the larger of the Rhondda Valleys.
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.
Rhondda Tramways Company operated a tramway service in Rhondda, Wales, between 1904 and 1934.
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.
