The Football Association of Wales has refuted allegations of favouritism and maltreatment following the folding of Abergavenny Women from the Welsh top-flight, a league in which Wrexham Women are set to enter following their promotion from the Adran North earlier this season.
Abergavenny Women were relegated from the Adran Premier, the women’s top-flight in Wales, after a turbulent season that saw the club fined over £2000 and subject to heavy points deductions due to alleged contraventions of FAW guidelines, leaving the club marooned at the table’s bottom with just two points on the final day.
And the club released a statement on Tuesday morning confirming the club, rather than returning to the Adran South, is set to fold, with the prospect of competition next season “an impossible task to continue” as “the cards are stacked against us”. The club added: “We believe we are not all playing under the same rules”.
The decision marks the second time in successive seasons that a women’s club relegated from the Welsh top-flight opts to fold, with Port Talbot closing its doors after finishing bottom of the table in the Adran Premier’s inaugural campaign last season.
And in a statement to the Mirror, the FAW have denied allegations that Abergavenny’s woes were due to any mishandling on the governing body’s part, maintaining that the club have been held to “the same FAW and Adran Premier Rules & Regulations as other clubs playing within the same competitions.”
The statement in full reads: "The Football Association of Wales is aware of the statement posted to social media by the official Abergavenny Women Football Club accounts.
"The FAW is awaiting official correspondence from Abergavenny Women FC on their intention to withdraw from official competitions for the 2023/24 season.
"The FAW strongly refutes the allegations made in the Club’s statement towards the association. The Club have been required to adhere to the same FAW and Adran Premier Rules & Regulations as other clubs playing within the same competitions."
Abergavenny’s folding culminates an arresting three years in the club’s history. The women’s senior team were the victims of a controversial relegation from the top-flight following the FAW’s restructure of the women’s game heading into the 2021-22 season, with a failure to achieve certain parameters laid out for competition in the Adran Premier cited for the decision despite the club finishing fourth in the league.
A sensational promotion back into the Adran Premier followed, but the return was ultimately cursory and punctuated by misfortune.
That Abergavenny represent a successive casualty of the women’s game in Wales has drawn mounting concerns over the league’s sustainability following its restructure.
However, the FAW have insisted over the course of the last three years that growing pains are natural in a nascent league bidding to raise standards ubiquitously, with women’s football in Wales relishing an unprecedented appetite to which the body is constantly having to adjust.
Nevertheless, the fold marks the latest instalment in a worrisome trend within football of women’s clubs struggling to cope with the financial pressures posed by relegation. This week, Reading's relegation from the WSL has seen the club devolve to a part-time operation after eight years competing at elite level.
Kelly Chambers' side were relegated to the Barclays Championship on the final day of the season.
The women's game continues to have peaks and troughs, but Wrexham Women have proved they are on their way to reaching real highs in the Welsh game.
They won promotion into the Adran Premier this season with their 1-0 play-off final victory over Adran South champions Briton Ferry. The triumph marked a sensational return into the top-flight for Wrexham after their folding eight years earlier due to financial constraints.
Wrexham’s promotion is poised to mark a huge opportunity for the Adran Premier and women’s football in Wales, with more eyes focussed on the league than ever before. Wrexham Women are currently sponsored by Betty Buzz, a company owned by Hollywood star and Ryan Reynolds’ partner Blake Lively.
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