UPDATES
• Aberystwyth & District League
We are pleased to welcome on board two new members who have taken up the challenge of tackling the Aber League. They are Vernon Jones and Gwynant Phillips. Both work at the National Library of Wales and Vernon was the author of “The Turfs – a brief history of Tregaron FC”.
• Cardiganshire League
No response from the League itself but WFDA founder member Aled Jones has declared this one as his ball, being a Cardiganshire lad!
• Dyserth League
Some progress has been made to fill in some gaps but still some way to go.
• Ammanford League
Ian Garland has discovered a new League on a visit to Collindale Newspaper Library. Reference was to a 1949-50 edition in the 1950 South Wales Football Annual - but nothing in the next issue of the Annual. Possibility that the league existed 1946-49.
• South Wales Senior League
We now have a full set of tables available.
• Merthyr Football League
League Secretary Alan Jones has been encouraged by our aims and has decided to research his League for us. Progress will be slow, he informs us, but he will send updates as an when he covers a suitable period.
Otherwise there have been no significant updates to the tables of individual leagues since the last bulletin. No replies have been received to letters sent or e-mailed to the following Leagues:
• Mid-Wales (South) League
• Rhymney Taff Ely Football Alliance
• Rhondda Football League
• Aberdare Valley Football League
• South Wales Amateur League
• Swansea Senior League
• Gwent County League
• Gwent Central Football League
• North Gwent Football League
• East Gwent Football League
• Port Talbot League
• Cardiff & District League
• Bridgend & District League
• Vale of Glamorgan League
Due to pressure of work I have not yet contacted the Area FAs asking them to promote our project by encouraging their affiliate Leagues to offer co-operation. This will be done soon.
• Adverts have been placed in relevant Welsh Premier League club programmes. We have had one response thus far from Bernard Steer of Newtown.
• SOCCER HISTORY the current top publication for football historians and statisticians has featured our project in its latest quarterly issue. Hopefully we will get some response from this bit of publicity as there are a large number of statisticians and historians out there, hopefully with some info we need!
Website
As mentioned in the last bulletin, we have received a quote of £500 to create a website and manage it for the first year.
Two approaches for sponsorship met with negative response, but North Wales Newspapers have agreed to give us maximum publicity with the project and of course the website launch.
The third proved to be the pot of gold. Mike Harris of Total Network Solutions has very kindly offered £250 and underwritten the other half so that we can have more time to find matched funding. I have already had talks with another potential sponsor and hope to finalise matters once he returns to this country next week.
However, Mr Harris’ kind offer will now enable us to move forward to the construction of the website and I will, with Ian’s help, be consulting with Andrew Lincoln over the next week so that we can progress with the web design.
I hope to issue bulletins more often once site construction is underway to keep colleagues updated on development.
A successful launch to the site will hopefully generate interest in the project and this remains our priority at the moment.
Please forward me your comments so that we can keep the project moving.
Those directly involved with the project so far are:
- Mel Thomas
- Ian Garland
- Aled Jones
- Alun Evans
- Peter Arrowsmith
- Gavin Grosvenor
- Dave Rapson
- Alan Ahearne
- Gareth Hughes
- Clive Wyatt
- Dave Collins
- Tony Griffiths
- Gwyn Jenkins
- Vernon Jones
- Gwynant Phillips
- Bernard Steer MA
More new members will hopefully be added soon as people become aware of the project.
Best wishes
Mel - 24/05/05
