Forgotten Clubs of North Wales (1872 1914)

FORGOTTEN CLUBS OF NORTH WALES (1872-1914)More than 120 football clubs. Five counties. One forgotten footballing world.Today, North Wales is home to some of the most historic and recognisable football clubs in the country. But the story of football in the region did not begin with the clubs that have survived into the modern era.During the Victorian and Edwardian periods, hundreds of football matches were played across North Wales, with clubs appearing in towns, villages, industrial communities, schools and workplaces. Some became established institutions. Others survived for only a few seasons before disappearing completely.Their names have largely vanished from modern football history.This book brings them back.Forgotten Clubs of North Wales (1872-1914) documents the football clubs that emerged across Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Caernarfonshire, Merionethshire, Anglesey and the surrounding communities during the formative years of the game.More than 120 clubs are examined, revealing a remarkably vibrant footballing culture that existed long before the modern professional game took shape.Drawing extensively on contemporary newspapers, football annuals, association records and other primary sources, Adam Squire reconstructs the histories of clubs that might otherwise have been reduced to little more than a name in an old newspaper.The book explores their formation, grounds, colours, players, matches, competitions, rivalries and eventual fate, while placing each club within the wider development of football in North Wales.From the industrial communities of Flintshire and Denbighshire, through the towns and villages of Conwy and Gwynedd, to Anglesey and the north-western coast, this is a journey through a footballing landscape that has almost completely disappeared.For supporters of North Wales football, local historians and anyone interested in the origins of the Welsh game, Forgotten Clubs of North Wales offers an opportunity to discover the clubs that came before the familiar names of today.These were the clubs that laid the foundations of North Wales football.Many have been forgotten.Their stories deserve to be remembered.