2016–17 Welsh Premier League Explained

Competition:Welsh Premier League
Season:2016–17
Dates:12 August 2016 – 22 April 2017
Winners:The New Saints
(11th title)
Relegated:Rhyl
Airbus UK Broughton
Continentalcup1:Champions League
Continentalcup1 Qualifiers:The New Saints
Continentalcup2:Europa League
Continentalcup2 Qualifiers:Connah's Quay Nomads
Bala Town
Bangor City
Biggest Home Win:The New Saints 10–0 Rhyl
(28 August 2016)
Biggest Away Win:
(14 April 2017)
Highest Scoring:The New Saints 10–0 Rhyl
(28 August 2016)
Bala Town 4–6 The New Saints
(22 April 2017)
Matches:192
Total Goals:587
Prevseason:2015–16
Nextseason:2017–18

The 2016–17 Welsh Premier League (known as the Dafabet Welsh Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 25th season of the Welsh Premier League, the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992. The New Saints are the defending champions. The fixtures were announced on 22 June 2016.[1] The season began on 12 August 2016 and ended on 22 April 2017; the Europa League play-offs will follow afterwards.

Teams played each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league split into two groups at the end of January 2017 – the top six and the bottom six.

On 30 December 2016, The New Saints broke Ajax's 44-year-old world record for the longest winning streak in top-flight football with their 27th consecutive win in all competitions.[2] Their record run of 27 wins came to an end with a 3–3 draw on 14 January 2017.[3]

On 4 March 2017, The New Saints defeated Bangor 4–0 to clinch their sixth straight Welsh Premier League title and eleventh Welsh league title overall.[4]

This was the final season the league was sponsored by Dafabet.

Teams

Haverfordwest County and Port Talbot Town were relegated out of the Welsh Premier League the previous season, while Cefn Druids were promoted as winners of the Cymru Alliance and Cardiff Metropolitan University were promoted as winners of Welsh Football League Division One. It will be Cardiff Metropolitan University's debut campaign in the league under that name, although they were formerly members when known as Inter Cardiff.

Stadia and locations

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Aberystwyth TownAberystwythPark Avenue5,000
Airbus UK BroughtonBroughtonThe Airfield1,600
Bala TownBalaMaes Tegid3,000
Bangor CityBangorNantporth3,000
Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityCardiffCyncoed Campus1,620
Carmarthen TownCarmarthenRichmond Park3,000
Cefn DruidsWrexhamThe Rock3,000
Connah's Quay NomadsConnah's QuayDeeside Stadium1,500
LlandudnoLlandudnoPark MBi Maesdu1,013
NewtownNewtownLatham Park5,000
RhylRhylThe Corbett Sports Stadium3,000
The New SaintsOswestryPark Hall2,000

League table

Results

Teams play each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league split into two groups – the top six and the bottom six.

Matches 23–32

Bottom six

UEFA Europa League play-offs

Teams who finished in positions fourth to seventh at the end of the regular season participated in play-offs to determine the third participant for the 2017–18 UEFA Europa League, who qualified for the first qualifying round.

Semi-finals

----

Final

Season statistics

Top goalscorers

RankPlayerTeamGoals
1 Jason OswellNewtown22
2 Greg DraperThe New Saints15
Alex DarlingtonThe New Saints
4 Mike HaynesBala Town14
align=Center5 Daniel NardielloBangor City13
6 Adrian CieslewiczThe New Saints12
7 Nick RushtonConnah's Quay Nomads/Newtown11
Liam ThomasCarmarthen Town
9 Tony GrayAirbus UK Broughton10
Ashley Ruane Cefn Druids
Henry JonesBangor City

References

The league's rules are contained as a section of the Handbook of the Football Association of Wales.[5]

Notes and References

  1. News: 2016/17 Dafabet WPL Fixtures Unveiled. www.welshpremier.co.uk. 22 June 2016. 22 June 2016. 19 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180119001228/http://www.welshpremier.co.uk/news/201617-Dafabet-WPL-Fixtures-Unveiled/104112/. dead.
  2. News: Welsh Premier League: Champions New Saints break Ajax world record - BBC Sport. 30 December 2016. BBC Online. 31 December 2016.
  3. News: New Saints' world-record run of victories is ended by 3-3 draw with Newtown - BBC Sport. 14 January 2017. BBC Online. 14 January 2017.
  4. News: Welsh Premier League: The New Saints seal an 11th Welsh title - BBC Sport. 4 March 2017. BBC Online. 4 March 2017.
  5. Web site: Rules. Welsh Premier League. 8 August 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160922185139/http://www.welshpremier.co.uk/uploads/documents/originals/Dafabet%20WPL%20Rules%20(201516).pdf. 22 September 2016. dead.