Club History
Football in Rhayader was being played in 1883 with the March 27th edition of the Montgomeryshire Express recording that Rhayader Football Club had lost 3-2 at Llanidloes. The Hereford Cup continued to be the club’s main competition during this time with a crowd of 800 reported for their cup tie against Knighton in November 1895. However, the club folded soon after but reformed in 1898 with high ambitions to succeed.
Rhayader Town first entered the Mid-Wales League in 1921, winning its first title in 1925, before dropping out of the league in 1927. Rhayader were back the following season but once again disappeared in 1930 and remained absent until 1936 before returning to become founder members of the newly organised Central Wales League. Following the end of World War Two the club returned to action in the Mid-Wales League, athough they struggled and withdrew in 1951.
The club returned to the Mid-Wales League in 1965 and would enjoy an unbroken membership for the next 20 years. In 1992 the club joined the Cymru Alliance League, and in 1996-97 the club won the league winning 21, drawing 12 and losing just 1 game to win promotion to the League of Wales, to become Radnorshire’s first ever representative at the pinnacle of Welsh football.
So began the club’s whirlwind era among the giants of Welsh Football, including the high profile signing of Brazilian midfielder Junior in 1998. In 2000-01 the club reached the quarter final of the Welsh Cup, beating Buckley Town (3-1) and Carmarthen Town (2-1) before losing to Total Network Solutions (2-1). They would spend 5 seasons at the top before relegation in 2001-02 to the Mid-Wales League.
After folding in 2005-06, it was not the end and the following year Rhayader Town returned and swept to Mid-Wales League South title in 2008 to return to the Mid-Wales League. Runners up spot in 2010 saw the club secure promotion to the Cymru Alliance, however their stay in the Alliance proved short and were relegated the following season. 2011-12 though the Red Kites were once again crowned Mid- Wales League champions to return to the Alliance at the first time of asking.
Rhayader remained in the Alliance until 2015-16 when the club were once again relegated. In similar circumstances to their last relegation, the club reacted by winning the Mid-Wales League the following season, but with the club took the decision to withdraw and once again regroup in the Mid-Wales League South.
Richie Jones, Steve Williams and Matt Lewis have all come through the ranks to represent Wales at junior level, while Carl Robinson also emerged at Y Weirglodd, to go onto play 52 times for Wales, as well as make over 300 league appearances for mainly Wolves, Sunderland and Norwich.
In recent years Rhayader Town have had a complete rebrand and a committee has formed to take the club forward based on the new philosophy which is to provide football of the highest standard for the current and next generation on players. They finished 2019-20 in 7th position on the points per game average and after achieving Tier 3 status they take their place in the Ardal Southern league South East Division for 2021-22, under the management of Dai Davies.
