How TNS and others are disrupting the Adran Premier status quo

If you haven’t been in or around the TNS circle, chances are you already have an opinion before you’ve read a paragraph of this piece.

The jibes and point scoring about the formation and creation of the Saints will carry on regardless of what the club does on and off the pitch. But this isn’t a piece about that, far from it. Because Sunday felt like a real turning point in the history of women’s domestic football in Wales.

Let’s rewind back to the summer of 2021 and the newly revamped Adran Premier. TNS were awarded a place in the league and became the only North Wales club represented in the division. That in itself was enough to celebrate, but quite frankly, the task then manager Andy Williams had on his hands was nothing short of monumental.

The odds certainly didn’t look good for TNS, especially with a few bad results in phase one. Losing 7-2 away to Barry Town, being defeated 4-1 by Pontypridd United, being hammered 6-2 by Cardiff Met. Things weren’t looking good. However, four wins in their final four games in the Premier Plate saw them survive by one point on the final day of the season. A remarkable turnaround, but it makes you think just how different this story could have been.

Over the next two seasons, the Saints took some huge steps in their development. A place in the top four followed in the following season, where they defeated Met twice and Swansea City once, and then despite not finishing in the top four in the 2023/24 season, they did win the Premier Plate for the first time in their history.

Season after season, TNS have take natural step after natural step, and now having cemented themselves as Adran Premier regulars, the next step in their journey was to become semi-professional; a model they moved into at the start of this season.

As a result of this big change, big decisions were also made. Some of the club’s leaders in the early years, like former captain Beth Lewis, departed for pastures new, and in their place, TNS went and sought out some high-quality talent. Lexi Jones, Tiggy Webb, Kayleigh Baker and Wales international Maria Francis-Jones all joined the new project which was headed by new manager Shauna Duffy.

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Of course, things take time, but unlike that first season in the Adran Premier, this crop of Saints players knew what they wanted to do and did it quickly. Playing a brand of exciting football, which involves plenty of pace and a creative structure, TNS have been blowing teams out of the water, and that was clear to see on Sunday as they beat Swansea City to lift their first ever major trophy.

Yet, while the TNS story is one that certainly deserves plenty of credit, Sunday’s win is about more than just their journey. In many ways, it’s a result that shows a changing landscape in Welsh football.

This was the first time since 2018 that a team not called Cardiff City, Cardiff Met or Swansea City had won a major trophy, but this is something that’s been close to happening for many seasons now. Yes, TNS are the ones to shatter the glass ceiling in that sense, both other clubs are also getting things right.

While still in the second tier, Briton Ferry reached the final of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup where they were defeated by Cardiff City. But even in that loss at Penydarren Park, you could see there was something special about Ferry. Yes, they had players of quality, but there was a real sense of community and team spirit in their ranks.

That’s been transferred over to their first season in the Adran Premier. You ask anyone about playing at Old Road, and although they might not admit it, there is a fear factor. Teams simply don’t like going to play Ferry in their backyard. If you had said this about any newly promoted team in the past, you would be laughed out of town, but this is a different time we’re living in compared to even two years ago.

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Then there’s Wrexham. The Hollywood story is one that has been regaled across the world, but it’s worth remembering just how they took the league by storm last season. The Rock was a fortress, and their footballing identity was different to any we had seen in the brief history of the Adran Premier. Players like Rosie Hughes boasted a confidence and a swagger that newly promoted teams didn’t have. Again, this was a different time.

And while Wrexham haven’t reached the heights of last campaign in this current one, they still have a chance of finishing in the top four at the expense of Swansea City. With Cardiff Met already guaranteed a place in the bottom four, to think another heavyweight like Swansea could join them there is simply unfathomable. Since the Welsh league unified in 2012-13, never has there been a time where two of Cardiff City, Cardiff Met or Swansea City have finished outside the top three, yet alone the top four.

We are reaching uncharted territory in the Adran Premier. Territory where the former behemoths and guardians of the league title are losing their touch, losing their dominance, and maybe even, losing their quality.

If you look at where the best players in the league this season reside, very few are with the traditional top three. Obviously, the likes of Ffion Price, Ceryn Chamberlain and Jess Williams are in the category of being the best in their position, but elsewhere, other clubs and other stars are shining.

Lexi Jones, Chantelle Teare, Courtney Young, Fleur Jenkins, Abbie Iddenden, Lili Jones, I could go on and on. The stars are no longer flocking to the big cities and to the big names. Instead, they are making their names at “lesser fancied” clubs, but in reality, those clubs are competing at the top of the table and are rudely awakening the long-established status quo.

Come April, it could well be Cardiff City celebrating a third straight championship, but it’s what’s behind them that will be the story of the season. We now live in a time where the word predictable has been thrown out the window. New names are competing, new players are shining, and it is beyond refreshing to see.

Believe you me, Sunday was the clearest indicator yet that the domestic league in Wales is becoming a more level playing field.

(Featured Image: Ashley Crowden/FAW)