Association Football Has Long Been the Dominant Sport in the Lower Reaches of the Sirhowy Valley

THE HISTORY OF ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL IN YNYSDDU AND CWMFELINFACH (REVISED JULY 2012) Association football has long been the dominant sport in the lower reaches of the Sirhowy Valley. Geographically, the main catchment area is from Pontllanfraith, south-east to Wattsville in the county borough of Caerphilly. This comprises of the two larger villages of Cwmfelinfach and Ynysddu, together with the three smaller villages of Gelligroes, Wyllie and Brynawel. To fully understand the present structure of the club, it is important to go back to the turn of the 20th century, when football first started in this area, at the same time as the opening of the many collieries, and locally, the most significant of which was Nine Mile Point (initially called Coronation Colliery). Situated between Brynawel and Cwmfelinfach, owners Burnyeat & Brown sunk the first shaft in 1902. The first football club, initially called Ynysddu Albion, was founded by Mary Jane Gilchrist, the local midwife, in July 1905, later ratified by a general meeting in the Black Prince public house at Ynysddu, in October of that year. An article in the South Wales Argus, stated that five sons of Mrs Gilchrist took part in their first game. Unfortunately, fixtures and results for this initial period cannot be accounted for. A number of other local teams were also formed although the ‘Albion’ were regarded as the main club, becoming one of the founder members of the Monmouthshire Senior League in 1907 (four years before the foundation of the Monmouthshire County Football Association). The ‘senior’ team would play its fixtures in the ‘Mon Senior’ and Sirhowy leagues, whilst other teams of various names would play in the Newport & District and ‘West Mon’ leagues. As finances were sometimes tight, certain team names would change from time to time, Ynysddu Albion at one time changing the name to Ynysddu Blues. The first recorded use of the ‘Crusaders’ name is 1915, when the senior team was initially referred to as Glyn Crusaders. This was immeditely superseded by Ynysddu Crusaders, who were a highly regarded and successful club in the county, also running Under 21 sides. Regular participation in the prestigious Newport Hospitals and Ince cups were also a feature, in addition to county cup and league fixtures. Ynysddu Crusaders won the Monmouthshire County FA Cup in 1935/1936. At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Ynysddu Crusaders disbanded, together with two other local sides of the time, namely Cwmfelinfach Songsters and Cwmfelinfach Colts, the latter teams having played in the Newport & District League. Sometime during the war years, two further clubs emerged, Cwmfelinfach Rangers and Ynysddu Celtic. This carried on the footballing tradition through to the end of the war, at which time these two clubs amalgamated to form Ynysddu Welfare AFC. The strength of this amalgamation was in evidence during the 1947/1948 season when Ynysddu Welfare won the Monmouthshire County FA Cup, having joined the South Wales Amateur Football League that season. The ‘Welfare’ was to remain as the only senior football club in the villages of Cwmfelinfach & Ynysddu until a ‘reserve’ team, Cwmfelinfach Colts AFC, founded by the late John Suter, was formed in 1978. After one season, Cwmfelinfach Colts, playing in the North Gwent Football League, officially severed ties with Ynysddu Welfare, with the latter club continuing to play in the South Wales Amateur Football League. Cwmfelinfach Colts continued to play in the North Gwent FL until the end of the 2002/2003 season, reaching five league cup finals, but were losing finalists on each occasion. Ironically, what prompted talks of amalgamating the senior and junior clubs (see article below re Crusaders AFC juniors) in the district, bizarrely came about following the ‘acquisition’ of a club five miles away, by Cwmfelinfach Colts AFC in the summer of 2001. Aware that Fleur-de-Lys AFC would almost certainly disband following years of struggle in the Gwent County Third Division, the Colts agreed to take over the fixtures and running of ‘the Flower’, as at that time they already had two teams competing in the North Gwent Football League. As the ‘Hockey Field’ in Cwmfelinfach was never going to be up to the standard required by the Gwent County Football Association League, it was an opportunity for the Colts first team to play at a higher standard, whilst maintaining a second team in the North Gwent FL. Fleur-de-Lys AFC remained as a Gwent County Third Division club until the end of season 2002/2003, playing their home fixtures at Trelyn Park, Fleur-de-Lys, and occasionally at St David’s, Pengam. However, with no players living in that locality, discussions ensued as to a possible name change/amalgamation and using a ground ‘nearer to home’. In the summer of 2003, and with season 2003/2004 almost about to begin, a meeting took place between Crusaders AFC and Cwmfelinfach Colts/Fleur-de-Lys, to effect an amalgamation, subject to approval by the Gwent County Football Association. This was confirmed between all relevant parties, and unanimously it was agreed that the Crusaders name be used, this, historically, being the name most synonymous with football in the locality. For purposes of practicality, the club maintained separate senior and junior committees. During this period, Crusaders AFC were also to establish, for the very first time, an Under 18 team, gaining admission to play in the Gwent County Football Association Youth League. The Gwent County League team then used facilities at Fields Park, Newbridge, albeit 5 miles away, for a further two seasons, before an opportunity presented itself in 2005/2006, following the demise of Fields Park Pontllanfraith AFC, to use Islwyn Park, Pontllanfraith, in co-operation with Pontllanfraith RFC. This was an excellent facility and much closer to home than the previous venues used. In the summer of 2005, talks between the longest-established local senior club, Ynysddu Welfare AFC (founded in 1947) and Crusaders AFC, resulted in a long-overdue ‘co-operation’. It was decided that, whilst two separate club names were necessary to enable the clubs to continue in their respective leagues, finances would be pooled and players would train together to their mutual benefit. The ‘Dees’ would continue to share the Nine Mile Point Welfare Ground with Ynysddu RFC, but would now be known as Ynysddu Welfare Crusaders AFC. For Season 2007/2008, the Crusaders AFC Gwent County FA League team would play their ‘home’ games back at Fields Park, Newbridge. This however, was to be the seventh and final season of competing in the GCFAL. The joint committee had decided that after seven years of relative struggle, effectively as a reserve team playing against other clubs first teams, and with the implications of the FAW’s ‘One Player-One Club’ ruling, it would be far more appropriate to officially amalgamate the two clubs under one name. Also, as the GCFAL do not allow reserve teams, it was decided to withdraw from this league at the conclusion of the 2007/2008 season. This decision would also enable all the teams to now be based at the Nine Mile Point Welfare Grounds complex. On Thursday 22 May 2008 at the ‘joint’ AGM, it was unanimously approved to amalgamate Ynysddu Welfare Crusaders AFC and Crusaders (Seniors) AFC into YNYSDDU CRUSADERS FOOTBALL CLUB, subject to Gwent County FA approval. Approval for the merger was approved by the GCFA on 7 June, well in time for Season 2008/2009 to commence under the old 1915 club name. The juniors would retain the Crusaders AFC name, and have been instrumental in, at long last, helping to bring the senior clubs formally together. The First XI enjoyed eight consecutive campaigns in the South Wales Amateur Football League’s top flight. During this period, the most successful in the club’s history, three league cup finals were reached, with a best-ever 5th-placed finish in the league being achieved twice, before returning to the Second Division following relegation during the 2009/2010 campaign. The Second and Third teams both played in the North Gwent Football League Reserve Division (maintaining a continuous thirty-year membership with the league), sharing the Hockey Field in Cwmfelinfach. From Season 2010/2011, the club only had sufficient players to run one reserve team. Season 2011/2012 became another significant season. After a couple of months of struggling to find enough players to maintain two teams, reluctantly the club had to withdraw its reserve team from the North Gwent Football League. The Amateur League team was also struggling in terms of numbers and finishing in the relegation places was becoming a distinct possibility. However, with an influx of some ex-players returning and the introduction of some promising local teenagers, the corner was turned, and the club finished just one point above the two relegation places. During the season, the South Wales Amateur Football League and the South Wales Senior Football League had voted to merge (becoming the South Wales Alliance Football League in 2015). This decision, albeit the correct one to simplify the FAW Pyramid system in the South Wales FA area, was one which would eventually see Ynysddu’s historical links with the SWAFL come to an end. It was decided that because of problematic SWFA affiliation issues, the travelling problems and the spare capacity in the more local equivalent league (Gwent County), the club would seek to transfer to the Gwent County FA League for Season 2012-2013. With the co- operation of the SWFA, SWAFL and the GCFA, the club were accepted into the Gwent County FA League (Third Division), so a new chapter begins. The right decision for the future of football in the locality.

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