Official Aberdare Town FC Website

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“Where toil the Cymry deep in sunless pits and emptying all their hills to warm the world”

W.H.Davies

ABERDARE TOWN Football Club

1892

Proud to serve ABERCWMBOI, ABERAMAN & ABERDARE

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About ATFC Formed in 1892 we have had a storied history in Welsh football. There are far too many people who have influenced our Club over that period and we offer our sincerest thanks to all those contributions both on and off the pitch since formation. #bePARTofIT

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The histories of Aberdare Town and Aberaman Athletic, clubs separately formed back in 1892, have been intertwined ever since. There have been ups and downs, drama and triumph but the vision of the Club has always been the same of striving to be the best Club we can be on and off the pitch. In the early years, Aberdare were the most successful, dominating the then Glamorgan leagues and in the new domestic format, winning the Welsh League in its inaugural season of 1905 with further success in 1909, 1912 and 1921. We were also finalists in the Welsh Cup on three occasions during that period. Aberaman Athletic also reached a Welsh Cup final in 1903 and won three South Wales and Monmouthshire Cup finals before the outbreak of the First World War. In 1920 Aberdare Town re-formed as Aberdare Athletic and the fledgling club entered both the Southern league and Welsh League finishing runners up and champions respectively. It is interesting to note that the local Welsh League derby with Aberaman in that season attracted a crowd of 8,000.

The summer of 1921 produced an extraordinary chapter in our history when we were elected to the Football League – one of only six Welsh clubs to do so – the others being Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham, Newport County and Merthyr Town. With a population of 75,000 and a ground capacity of 23,000 at the Ynys Stadium allied with a strong “marketing” campaign, we topped the poll for election to the Third division being joined by Charlton Athletic. We spent the years, 1921-1927 in Division 3 (South), for younger readers the equivalent to League 1, with a best finishing position of 8th and a highest home gate recorded at 16,000 against the then mighty Preston North End for a third round FA Cup tie in 1923. On 7 November 1923 fire destroyed the main stand and offices along with all the players' kit. An appeal for help led to the donation of boots from all over the district and for their next home game against Brighton, the team wore amber and black striped tops, possibly given to them by Newport County. Alas, with the beginning of the Great Depression bringing severe unemployment to the area and the knock on effect of lower crowds and thereby income to sustain a Football League club, our days were numbered and we were replaced at the end of 1927 by Torquay United.

A controversial merger followed with who had become the junior club, Aberaman Athletic. The sale of the Ynys Stadium in the town centre and a move to Aberaman Park, saw the name changed to Aberaman Athletic who happily more than held their own in the Welsh League. As an acknowledgement of the brand of football exhibited, we were invited to be members of the Football League Western Division during the war years of 1939-45. A record crowd at the Park of 2,500 attended a Cup match against Bristol City whilst participating in the league. The club produced two stars of that era in Welsh international, Bryn Jones who was sold to Wolves and then moved to Arsenal for what was at the time a transfer record between English clubs of £14,000. From the neighbouring village of Abercwmboi came Alf Sherwood who was regarded at his peak as the finest left back in the British Isles and who represented Cardiff City and Wales with great distinction. One of Alf’s caps is now proudly on display in the Club house thanks to his son Robert. Another former player Jack Smith (who had played for both Aberaman and Aberdare went on to become the first ever manager of West Bromwich Albion in 1948.

In the late 1940’s Aberdare and Aberaman again merged for a short while before the Aberaman Athletic name was restored. Highlights of that period included being runners up in the Welsh League to Barry Town before the advent of the Welsh Premier, reaching the final of the FAW Trophy, and winning the Welsh League in 2009 under the sponsorship of ENTO and managed by David Morgan. However, from those dizzy heights things began to go wrong as ENTO pulled out when promotion to the top tier was rejected and from that moment the slide began. In 2012 we decided for commercial reasons to rename the club Aberdare Town and we can all look back with pride on the 125 years of football and to a future based on our well founded ambitions to reach the Welsh Premier League.

Season 2017/18 was a difficult one for the Club on and off the pitch and over the summer it was decided that a new direction would be taken and trying to get the Club back into the community. As much as the change was needed and the future was looking promising off the pitch the team were relegated and with the COVID-19 pandemic hitting in early 2020 the season was eventually ended by the Welsh FA on a points per game basis (although the team still had 11 of their 15 home matches left to play!) leaving Aberdare one from bottom in the division and were relegated out of the top tiers of the Welsh game for the first time. The following season was also written off due to COVID and when football resumed Aberdare started in the South Wales Alliance League and we found ourselves relegated again after a poor season. Sadly, we also lost Mr Brian Fear BME who had been a longstanding secretary of the Club and for a while also President of the Welsh Football Association. His death received numerous tributes throughout Welsh Football and will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Season 2022/23 saw a league re-organisation and the team finished fifth, playing some of the best football seen for a long time. However, it was the youth team who took all the plaudits - winning the South Wales Youth League (undefeated) and the South Wales Youth League Cup. An unreal group of young men who, in the most, had been with the Club since the age of 5 and seven of the squad would became regulars in the senior squad. After Manager upheaval in October of the 2024/25 season, with several players also departing, relegation followed to just one league above local football and the start of a new era was beginning under the manager of former Swansea City defender Kevin Davies for the 2025/26 campaign.