Promotions for Cascade Ladies and Risca United

Cascade Ladies YC’s promotion to the top tier of women’s football in Wales has been confirmed.

The Penpedairheol-based club, who have alternated between playing at Blackwood Comprehensive School, Duffryn Playing Field and Penybryn this season, have brought top-flight football to Caerphilly County Borough for the first time since 2012.

The club secured a top tier licence in April, and were top of the second tier before the coronavirus pandemic broke out.

The club’s promotion was confirmed by the Football Association of Wales on Tuesday (June 16).

In the men’s game, Risca United’s promotion to the Cymru South – the second tier of Welsh football – was also confirmed by the FAW.

The club finished second in the Welsh Football League (WFL) Division One to secure promotion, having won ten of their 16 games before the season was suspended.

It was also confirmed by the FAW that Risca won the fair play award for their league.

A statement from the FAW said: “Following careful consideration of all options that were available to them, the FAW Board of Directors decided that promotion and relegation should be implemented in line with the existing pyramid regulations.

“Based on the final standings in each league/division having applied the unweighted points per game method and subject to club licensing/ground criteria requirements for the national Leagues.”

Meanwhile, WFL Division Two side Trethomas Bluebirds recorded their highest ever finish in the Welsh football pyramid, finishing third in their division, narrowly missing out on promotion.

Manager Mark Dunford said: “We felt with the run in we had, which on paper was more favourable than our rivals’, we would have had a very good chance of winning it.

“But it is what it is and we are happy to achieve our best ever finish in the Welsh pyramid.”

Further down in the leagues, Caerphilly Athletic and Aber Valley FC are yet to discover their fate.

Caerphilly Athletic finished bottom of the South Wales Alliance Premier Division, while Aber Valley were confirmed as winners of the South Wales Alliance Division One.

Aber Valley FC told Caerphilly Observer that the clubs will have to wait until July to learn if promotion and relegation will go ahead ready for the 2020/21 season.