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RHYL FC
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Rhyl FC
(CPD (Clwb Pêl Droed) Y Rhyl) is a football team, playing in the League of
Wales.
The club was founded in 1883 (though a new limited liability company was
formed in 1991) and plays at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which accommodates 4000
spectators (225 seated).
The team's first choice strip is white shirts, black shorts and socks.
The second choice strip is red shirts, shorts, and socks.
History
Few clubs in the League of Wales have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's.
Football in the town dates from the late 1870s and at one time there were
several Rhyl clubs in existence. Rhyl FC became founder members of the Welsh
League, formed in 1890, but withdrew the following year. They reformed as
Rhyl Athletic in 1893 and became founder members of the North Wales Coast
League, winning the title in 1894-95. Rhyl, joined forces with Rhyl Town in
1898 and in an ambitious move switched to the Anglo-Welsh Combination.
Despite financial crises they remained in membership until the league
disbanded at the end of the 1910-11 season. Under the name of Rhyl United,
they rejoined the North Wales Coast League but, following the Great War,
they moved to the North Wales Alliance before becoming founder members of
the Welsh National League (North) in 1921. Rhyl won the title in 1925-26 and
became a limited company in 1928 as Rhyl Athletic. With North Wales football
in turmoil in the early 1930s, Rhyl sought to realise their ambitions in the
Birmingham and District League. Seeking relief from the onerous travelling
to the Birmingham area, Rhyl successfully applied to join the Cheshire
League in 1936 and began one of the most successful chapters in the club's
history.
In a post-War purple patch. Rhyl won the league title twice - in 1947-48 and
1950-51 - and the Welsh Cup twice in succession. In 1952 they beat Merthyr
Tydfil 4-3 and became the first non-league side in the modern era to retain
the trophy, by defeating Chester by 2-1 the following season. Rhyl had been
losing finalists to Cardiff City in 1930 and Crewe Alexandra in 1937 but did
not feature in the final again until 1993 when they lost 0-5 to Cardiff. In
the Cheshire League, success eluded them for several years before they won
the title in 1972. On the dissolution of the Cheshire League, Rhyl became
members of the North West Counties League, later winning promotion to the
Northern Premier League. In 1992 they returned reluctantly to Wales but
because their application to join the League of Wales was out of time they
were placed instead in the Cymru Alliance, the second level of the pyramid
system. In 1993-94. they won the title by six points and gained promotion to
the League of Wales.
The club have struggled in the top flight of Welsh football, but since being
taken over by a consortium under former player Peter Parry, they have seen
improved results. In season 2003/04 the club won the Welsh Premiership,
qualifying again for the Champions' League qualification rounds (though they
lost 7-1 on aggregate, to Skonto Riga of Latvia in the first qualifying
round), and were winners of the League Cup and Welsh Cup, although they lost
the final of the FAW Premier Cup by 4-1 to Wrexham.
Biggest victories and losses
Biggest League of Wales win: 5-2 v Ebbw Vale AFC in 1997.
Biggest League of Wales defeat: 1-8 at Caernarfon Town 1996. |
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