The most famous football club in Cardiff is Cardiff City F.C. It started off as Riverside A.F.C. but was renamed Cardiff City F.C. in 1908. It competed in The Southern Football League from 1910. In 1920, the Welsh Club was selected to join the English Football League (EFL) as there was no Welsh football league in place at the time. The club was relegated to the Third Division South in 1931. It remained in that tier until football activities were altered by World War II in 1945. Although Wales formed a Premier League in 1992, Cardiff City F.C. still competes in the EFL. The club has a women’s division called Cardiff City F.C. Women.
Women’s Football in Cardiff City
The best-known women’s football clubs in Cardiff are Cardiff City F.C. (Women), Cardiff City Ladies F.C., and Cardiff Met. Ladies F.C. Cardiff City Ladies F.C is a women-only club. Cardiff City F.C. (Women) and Cardiff Met. Women A.F.C. are the women’s divisions of Cardiff City F.C. and Cardiff Metropolitan University respectively.
Of the three, Cardiff Met. WFC is the most successful. The club has won the Women’s Welsh Premier League a record five times. It also participated in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Women’s Champions League each season from 2012–2013 to 2019–2020. The club made Women’s Premier League history by becoming the highest-scoring team in a single match after it thrashed Caerphilly Castle Ladies 43–0.
Cardiff City F.C. Women and Cardiff City Ladies F.C.
Cardiff City F.C. Women plays in the Women’s Welsh Premier League and won the inaugural edition in the 2012–2013 season. They consequently competed in the 2013–14 UEFA Women’s Champions League. Cardiff City F.C finished third on the table in the 2021–22 Women’s Welsh Premier League behind winners, Swansea City Ladies and Cardiff Met. Ladies who finished second. Cardiff City F.C. has won the Welsh Women’s Cup twice. In contrast, Cardiff City Ladies F.C. plays in the FA Women’s National League which includes English teams. The club is currently in Division One. They have mirrored the success of the other two teams, winning the Welsh Women’s Cup 11 times. Additionally, Cardiff City Ladies F.C. played in UEFA competitions each season between 2003 and 2010.
