Newport YMCA A.F.C.
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| Full name | Newport YMCA Association Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The YM or YMCA |
| Founded | 1973 |
| Ground | The YMCA Ground Mendalgief Road, Newport |
| Capacity | n/a |
| Chairman | Viv Edwards |
| Manager | Steve Campbell |
| League | Welsh Football League Division Three |
| 2013–14 | Welsh Football League Division Two, 15th (of 16) Relegated |
| Website | Club home page |
Newport YMCA Association Football Club are a football team based in the city of Newport, South Wales. They currently play in the Welsh Football League Second Division.
They were founded in 1973 with the merging of the Newport Central YMCA and Newport Pill YMCA sides and were elected to the Welsh Football League in 1978. Newport YMCA had good Welsh Cup results in the 2000s as they reached the Fifth Round of the competition on various occasions. This resulted in them facing off against three Welsh Premier League sides: Carmarthen Town, Welshpool Town & Bangor City.
Newport YMCA Football Club was formed in 1973 when the Newport Central YMCA and Newport Pill YMCA sides merged to form one club.
The merger took place as a result of a decision made by the Board of Management who were responsible for running the affairs of the YMCA in Newport at that time. They believed that it would be in the best interests of both clubs for them to merge and share facilities. After many months of negotiation the two sides, usually fierce rivals on the park, merged to form the one Club, Newport YMCA.
Prior to the merger both sides were successful teams in their own right. Pill YMCA playing in the higher standard Gwent Premier League and Central YMCA in the Newport & District League Premier X Division.
Pill YMCA who had moved onto an eight-acre ground at Mendalgief Road in 1955, boasted two football pitches and a rugby pitch, but suffered from poor changing facilities, whilst Central YMCA situated in the town centre, had better changing facilities, but no ground of their own. At the time of the merger Central YMCA ran five senior sides and Pill YMCA ran two senior sides and a range of junior sides.
The merger proved an instant success with the club running five senior teams plus junior teams from under-12s to under-18s. Cups and trophies came the clubs way on an annual basis.
In 1978 after winning the Gwent Premier League four times in succession they gained election to the Welsh Football League.
Under the management of Michael Carvell the club worked its way up to the Premier Division, which at that time was the highest level of football in South Wales. In 1980–81 the club made it to the final of the Welsh Intermediate Cup (formerly known as the Welsh Amateur Cup) only to lose the game 1–0 to Connah's Quay Nomads.
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