Newtown
AFC is a football team, playing in the League of Wales.
The club was founded in 1875 as Newtown White Stars, and as such is one of
the oldest teams in Wales. White Stars, which appeared in the first ever
Welsh Cup match on 13 October 1877, is believed to have merged with Newtown
Excelsior to form the current Newtown AFC in time to be Welsh Cup finalists
in 1885 and 1888. The club plays at Latham Park, Newtown, Powys, which
accommodates 5000 spectators (650 seated).
The teams' first choice strip is red shirts, shorts, and socks.
The second choice strip is yellow shirts, blue shorts, and yellow socks.
History
Newtown White Stars won the Welsh Cup in 1879 and were losing finalists in
1881. Newtown AFC won the cup again in 1895, but this was the last national
trophy won for sixty years, until the Welsh Amateur Cup was won in 1955. The
first match was played at what is now Latham Park in 1951, and the ground
has been brought up to a standard which makes it eligible to stage UEFA
Youth Internationals and recently UEFA Cup matches.
For most of the years since the 1920s the club operated in the Mid-Wales
League, or the Central Wales League as it was sometimes known, winning the
championship in 1975-76, 1978-79, 1981-82, 1986-87 and 1987-88 -- on the
strength of this record, the club gained entry to the English league system
in the HFS Loans (Northern Premier) League. In 1992 the club became rather
reluctant founder members of the League of Wales, since when it has finished
as runners-up in the league in 1995-96 and 1997-98, and played European ties
against teams from Latvia and Poland.
Biggest victories and losses
Biggest League of Wales win: 11-1 v Cemaes Bay AFC in 1998.
Biggest League of Wales defeat: 1-6 at Aberystwyth Town and 1-6 at Briton
Ferry Athletic, both in 1992. |
