7 Welsh Premier Clubs obtain UEFA Licenses

Andrew Howard Licensing officer at the Football Association of Wales has released te following Press release.

Seven Welsh Premier Clubs Awarded UEFA Licenses Seven Principality Welsh Premier League clubs were granted an FAW UEFA Club Licence at the annual First Instance Body Meeting, which was held in Cardiff today. The successful applicants were Aberystwyth Town, Bangor City, Carmarthen Town, Llanelli AFC, Port Talbot Town, Rhyl FC and The New Saints. The Licence is a pre-requisite for clubs who wish to play in the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League next Season. For the League’s Top Three of Rhyl FC, Llanelli AFC and The New Saints, it’s excellent news as they look to have already booked their place. It’s also a timely boost for Aberystwyth, Bangor and Carmarthen, who all play Welsh Cup Semi-Finals on the weekend, with the prize for the winners being a Europa League spot. The result shows an excellent improvement from last year, when all eighteen Licence Applications were rejected at this stage, although six were granted the Licence on Appeal.  FAW Club Licensing Officer Andrew Howard explained; "Last Season was a transitional period from the first to the second version of UEFA's stringent model, which really placed a huge burden on our clubs to meet the increased standards. "The experience of last year has been a tremendous learning curve for them, but it's evident that they have taken the feedback provided by our Committee of Independent Experts on board and reacted this Season in the best possible way. " The criteria that the clubs must meet is a minimum requirement for all clubs in Europe who are hoping to gain a Champions League or Europa League spot for next season. Therefore, these seven clubs have gone through the same process as the likes of Barcelona, Man. Utd and Bayern Munich and it's a credit to Wales, that they have met the same requirements that are demanded of those European Giants. "I'm delighted for the seven clubs concerned and in particular the individuals at those clubs, who have dedicated so much time and effort towards achieving this. Without going through the process yourself, it's impossible to comprehend how much commitment and diligence is required,"  Howard added. "I'd also like to praise Haverfordwest County for the quality of their application, despite not gaining a Licence today. They knew that there was one criteria that they were unable to meet until at least the close season, but they did everything else that was required of them and I'm confident that they'll be successful next year." The four other clubs who were rejected a UEFA Licence today were GAP Connah's Quay, Neath FC, Prestatyn Town and Technogroup Welshpool. Six League clubs; Airbus UK, Caernarfon Town, Caersws, NEWI Cefn Druids, Newtown AFC and Porthmadog chose not to apply at the start of the process in August 2008. The clubs who were rejected a Licence have the Right to Appeal to a separate Independent Body, who will meet in May if required. ENDS. For further details please contact Andrew Howard (029 20 435847)