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The early days! |
In 1993 Cardiff Ladies linked up with the League of Wales club Inter Cardiff and that same season was the start of an enjoyable association with Cardiff Athletic Stadium which still to this day is the clubs home ground.
In 92/93 the FA of Wales took an interest in women’s football for the first time, by inaugurating the Welsh Women’s Cup. Inter were successful in getting to the final to be held at the prestigious National Stadium as a curtain raiser to the men’s Welsh Cup Final, being the first women’s game ever to be staged there. Inter lost 1-0 to Rhyl in an exciting game supported at the end by thousands of noisy Cardiff City supporters.
The following season Cardiff and Rhyl made it back to the final again at the National Stadium, and again Cardiff came away runners up, this time after a penalty shoot out, after being 2-0 down at half time. The following season fortune was to come Cardiff’s way when in the final, this time against Bangor, Cardiff’s experience of a shoot out the previous season proved too much for Bangor. Cardiff eventually won the cup that had so much eluded them.
Over the years the club has provided many Welsh International players, and were honoured to have six players selected for the Welsh squad in 1985 and again in 1995, now they are also the pivotal club at under 19 level.
The club has had many successful tours to Malta, Majorca and are fellowship members of Cardiff twinning cities Nantes and Stuttgart, exchanging visits in 1991 and 1993. Our junior teams continue with the Cardiff County Councils exchange scheme with Nantes every year.
At the beginning of the season 97/98, the club severed all connections with Inter Cardiff and changed their name to Cardiff County, forming links with Cardiff County Council. The season had mixed fortunes for the club as they lost in the play offs for promotion to the National League.
Cardiff didn’t have to wait too long to secure a place in the National League for the first time in its history, as the following season they became champions of the South West Combination League with four matches to spare.
As a new era dawned in the National League so the club changed its name to Cardiff City, but remained an independent outfit until 2001 when they joined forces with their male counterparts, but on the pitch unfortunately relegation followed back to the combination league.
Success in the combination league came in the league cup in 2001 before they were promoted in the 2003/4 season this time with a 100% winning record – the first in the leagues’ history regaining their status in the National League.
At the beginning of the 2003 season the club severed its connection with Ninian Park when its members voted against the men’s outfit’s proposals for the running of Cardiff City Ladies FC and became a totally independent outfit once more.
More recently City have been unbeaten in the Welsh cup for three seasons, bringing with it entry into the UEFA Club Championships, allowing Cardiff to have played International club football in Poland, Croatia and Portugal against the best club teams from all over Europe
The club owes a lot of their success to the organisation and management of their committee. They have for the past ten years run a thriving junior section playing in the South Wales Girls League, recently split up into under 15’s, and two teams at under 13 level. This is a sound investment as players stream quite confidentially into the senior squad. The club also runs a reserve section and has had some success winning the South West League Northern Division in 1999 and last season becoming champions of both the league and the cup, this season the reserves will step up to play in the National Division Reserve Section.
As the oldest and biggest club in Wales, Cardiff City are very proud of its history and this season celebrates its 30th Anniversary, which began in June with a presentation evening, attended by over 300 people.
New projects are being worked on all the time with a Dragon Sport project for girls aged 7-11 at leisure centres through out Cardiff. Combined with the council run fortnightly mini festivals the club offers girls from the ages of seven right through to senior level the opportunity to play football with Cardiff City LFC, regardless of their ability. This combined with closer school links is proving another successful development for the future growth of Cardiff City Ladies and Welsh women’s football.
HONOURS LIST
| 1976/77 | Western League Division Two Runners-up |
| 1978/79 | Welsh Youth Club Five-a-side Champions |
| 1979/80 | Welsh Youth Club Five-a-side Champions British Youth Club Five-a-side Runners-up |
| 1980/81 | Western League Runners-up League Cup Champions The Arthur Harris Cup Champions Motherwell Cup Champions Manulife Cup Champions Malta Cup Runners-up |
| 1982/83 | Western League Champions Pat Sowden Cup Champions Manulife Cup Champions Hounslow Five-a-side Champions Crwys Memorial Cup Champions Balaeric Cup Champions All England Five-a-side Champions |
| 1983/84 | Western League Runners-up League Cup Runners-up Leos Stores Cup Champions Manulife Cup Champions Welsh Youth Club Five-a-side Champions Hounslow Sports Club Five-a-side Champions |
| 1984/85 | Pat Sowden Cup Champions Manulife Cup Champions Crwys Memorial Cup Champions Bilston Cup Champions |
| 1985/86 | Western League Runners-up Sam News Cup Champions League Cup Runners-up Manulife Cup Champions Western League Welsh XI v English XI Champions |
| 1986/87 | Bilston Cup Runners-up Manulife Cup Runners-up |
| 1987/88 | Pat Sowden cup Runners-up Manulife Cup Runners-up |
| 1988/89 | League Cup Runners-up Pat Snowden Cup Champions Stroud Five-a-side Champions Manulife Cup Champions Crewkerne Five-a-side Champions |
| 1989/90 | League Cup Champions Manulife Cup Champions Crwys Memorial Cup Runners-up Pat Sowden Cup Runners-up |
| 1990/91 | League Cup Runners-up Manulife Five-a-side Runners-up Salisbury Five-a-side Champions Taunton Five-a-side Champions |
| 1992/93 | FA Wales Women’s Cup Runners-Up League Cup Runners-up Tour to Stuttgart, Germany Visit by touring side from Nantes, France Bristol Rovers Five-a-side Champions |
| 1993/94 | FA Wales Women’s Cup Runners Up |
| 1994/95 | South Western League Runners-up FA Wales Women’s Cup Champions |
| 1997/98 | South West League Champions Pat Sowden Cup Runners-up |
| 1998/99 | South West Combination League Champions |
| 1999/00 | Reserves South West League Div. (North) Champions Juniors Welsh Cup Runners Up |
| 2000/01 | Salisbury 5 a side Champions Juniors South Wales Girls League Cup Champions South Wales Girls League Runners Up |
| 2001/02 | Ambassador Cup Champions Juniors South Wales Girls League Cup Runners Up |
| 2002/03 | FA Wales Womens Cup Champions u’ 16’s - South Wales Girls League Runners Up u’ 16’s - South Wales Girls League Cup Champions u’ 16’s - South Wales and West Girls League Cup Champions Ian Rush Trophy - Champions South Powys Girls Tournament – Champions South Wales League 5 a side Tournament – Champions Reading Royals 6 a side tournament - Champions u13’s - South Wales League – Champions u13’s - South Wales League 5 a side Tournament – Champions u 13’s - South Powys Girls Tournament – Champions |
| 2003/2004 | South West Combination League Champions FA Wales Womens Cup Champions Under 16’s - Cardiff/Nantes Exchange Champions Under 13’s – South Wales Girls League – Champions Under 13’s – South Powys Girls Tournament - Champions |