Coed Duon: Meet Adran Leagues newcomer that refused to fold

As the new Adran Leagues season rapidly approaches, a number of clubs will be gearing up for their first season in the new and revamped tier two.

In the Adran North, CPDM Bangor and NFA have entered the fray, while in the Adran South, Cwmbran Celtic and Llanelli Town will be looking forward to getting their seasons started.

Another club who have been promoted to the Adran South are Coed Duon.

This isn’t the club’s first dabble in tier two, having been there before the restructure. But demotion took a real toll on the team, as captain Katie Williams explained.

“We had gone from being a team in the valleys competing in tier two, to being demoted. It meant it was so hard to bring in extra coaches and new players. As a result, morale goes down because you’re not winning games.

“It did come to a point where last summer was a choice of, either growing quite a lot or we’d have to fold because it would have been impossible to carry on.”

And grow they most certainly did. After a turbulent season the year before, Coed Duon came back stronger than ever and recorded a second-place finish.

The club also lifted their first piece of silverware last season, as they defeated Newport City in the final of the SWWGL League Trophy.

For chairman Rhys Evans, the bouncebackability of a team that finished near the bottom of the table the year before to gaining promotion and winning trophies shows the mental fortitude of his team.

“To get to the point now where, we were dropped out of tier two through no fault of our own, to now being back there on merit, a lot of teams would have folded in that situation.

“But we came back stronger, we built stronger, we won our first ever cup for the club, and the development won silverware too. It’s just been a massive rise for the club.”

Trials and Tribulations

While Coed Duon have thrived on the pitch, promotion is still a lottery for many clubs.

The Dragons have been burnt by the licensing process before, but they have finally been rewarded for their tireless work behind the scenes, yet there are still obstacles to overcome.

“We had been through the process before two years ago, and it’s pretty much the same process as it was back then,” Williams discussed.

“Around November, you have to pay your licence fee in order to go through the process around December. We started the season quite well and won all of our matches in August, but we always had these ambitions to go up.

“The hardest thing for us, and it might continue to be a hard thing is the facilities. We have one for training and one for a matchday.

“We have to meet a certain standard, and there aren’t many facilities. We’ve found that quite hard, but we’ve managed to get a partnership with a local men’s team. Then with training, most of the 3G pitches are owned by the council.

“They actually decide who can train there on what days in July and August, but you have to put an application in for that around April time.

“That’s really difficult, and I think the FAW need to look at it and realise that they need to either get the council to agree to give that time to tier one and two teams earlier in the year, or to just give us a bit of leeway.”

Despite the hardships of the licencing fee, Coed Duon feel they are finally back where they belong.

Kate Mainwaring joined the club at a young age and cannot believe where the club are now compared to where she left it to go to university.

“I joined Coed Duon when I was about nine and was part of one of the first teams for, at the time, Coed Duon Boys and Girls. To even see the club still exist today is such a big thing for me.

“I went off to university in 2016, and I remember then the club were trying so hard to recruit players in, and they’d get six to seven people in training on a good day.

“So, when I came out of university, we had a tough season two years ago, we finished near the bottom of the table, but the season just gone has been so big for the club.”

But what makes Coed Duon so special is that they are the only sole female club in the top two tiers of Welsh football.

The fact they are where they are without any affiliation to a men’s side show just what’s possible, and for youngster Cerys Barham, she says the atmosphere round the club is unique.

“I’ve been part of clubs where we’ve had a men’s side, and I found there was never much of a connection between the men and the women.

“But we’ve shown that we don’t need them, and we can do well and thrive without a men’s side. We’re the only team in the top two tiers who are just a women’s side and that’s amazing to see.”

“I feel like beforehand, if a town wanted a team, they would have to have a men’s team before starting a women’s one,” Mainwaring added.

“But it just goes to show that, you don’t need a men’s team first in order to have a successful women’s team. The number of girls now playing football in schools is only increasing, so I think it will lead to teams following in our footsteps.”

Building for the Future

Along with their senior side, Coed Duon have a thriving development and U19s side.

For Barham, who captains the U19s, she’s excited about the wealth of talent coming through the club’s doors.

“I knew the talent of the girls in our group, you could see how good players were straight away, and we all broke through into the team around the same time.

“We keep attracting more players and I think we fit in so well with the senior side. We all train together and that’s helped in terms of team cohesion and in terms of getting better, because we train with more experienced players.”

Now back in the second tier, attention turns to what the club can achieve on the pitch.

Evans knows the challenge facing them is tough but says he cannot wait to see the club build on last season’s success.

She added: “We know it’s going to be tough. We know it’s going to be a different level and I know it’s a big step between the two leagues and the players know that.

“We don’t want to come back down now we’re here. We’re not going up with the aim to survive, we’re going with the aim to push on.

“Obviously, you look at Briton Ferry, and they could be a runaway team, they’ve strengthened well and ran away with it last season.

“But we want to come up and challenge and show what we’re about and try and put the club on the map once again. I don’t think we’ll come down, we’re adding to the squad, and we want to show our best.”

Whatever happens to the club, they have conquered a mountain that once looked unachievable, and Williams is looking forward to moving ahead with such a talented team.

“The last couple of years, with the demotion and being on the pitch, doing your best but feeling the rewards weren’t coming were incredibly difficult.

“To know we’re going into this season with a quality side, ready to compete is unbelievable.”

Featured Image: Perry Dobbins