Club History
The club was formed in 1989 playing in Cwmnantygroes, in Six Bells Abertillery, originally from the growth of the coal industry, with Arael Griffin Colliery opening in 1898. The club initially started off in the North Gwent League, under the management of Freddie Roan and the first success came in 1992-93 as the club became Division One Champions. 1994-95 saw the club go close to the double, runners-up in the Premier Division but making up for that disappointment by winning the Tom Perkins Cup.
1996-97 saw a managerial change with Martin Price, taking the reigns and the Bluebirds finished as runners up for two consecutive seasons, before the Tom Perkins Cup was won again in 1998-99. The club finally won the North Gwent Premier Division title in 1999-00 as well as compete the double with their third Tom Perkins cup success. The club had won promotion to the Gwent County League.
With Martin Price stepping down as manager to move upstairs to become club Secretary, Adrian Howells and Steve Edwards took over the management and the club and in its first season in Gwent County Division 3, the club won 16 and drew 4 of its 26 league games to win promotion as runners up behind Pentwynmawr Athletic. The club would spend the next five seasons in Division 2, finishing in mainly mid table positions, before 2006-07, when the club won the championship with 20 wins and 6 draws out of 28 league games, scoring a club record 96 goals.
The first season in Gwent County Division 1, resulted in a third-place finish, however 2008-09 would see the Bluebirds win the championship on goal difference with 26 wins and a draw out of 30 league games, equalling the club record of 96 goals and just 22 goals conceded to reach the Welsh League. From 2005-09, the club also won the Amateur Cup three times.
Success was instant with the Bluebirds winning promotion as runners up in Division 3 behind Aberbargoed Buds, just 1 point between the two clubs at the finish. However, the club suffered relegation after only one season, relegated on the last day of the season with Treharris Athletic Western staying up by a solitary point.
The following two seasons brought mid-table finishes back in Division 3, however 2013-14 saw the club struggle with relegation again on the last day of the season, just time on goal difference to Treharris Athletic Western who finished with an identical record to the Bluebirds, of 9 wins, 10 draws and 17 defeats but a better goal difference of 6 goals.
It was back to the Gwent County, where the club rebuilt for 3 seasons before narrowly missing out on promotion back to the Welsh League to Albion Rovers. However the following season, 2018-19, the Bluebirds won the Gwent County Division 1 with 21 wins, 1 draw and just 1 defeat, winning promotion with an Owen Goodenough goal against Cwmbran Town, under the management Allan Stokes.
With the Bluebirds now back in the Welsh League, Lee Thomas would take over and the Bluebirds finished 2019-20 in 6th place on a points per game average due to pandemic. Abertillery Bluebirds will now take their place in the inaugural Ardal Southen South East Division.
