Caernarfon Town F.C.

History

The first known football club in the town of Caernarfon was Carnarvon Athletic, formed in 1876 and playing at various locations before settling at The Oval in 1888. Athletic went out of existence in 1893, but a new club, Caernarvon Ironopolis, formed two years later, reaching the Welsh Cup semi-finals in 1900 and 1902 before disbanding after a dispute with the North Wales Coast League in 1903. Former players formed Caernarvon Colts and Caernarvon Royal Welch Fusiliers, which came together in 1906 to form Caernarvon United.

After the Great War, United players reformed Caernarvon Athletic, which enjoyed a famous victory over Darlington in the first round of the FA Cup in 1929. In 1930 the club went into liquidation and, despite resurfacing a few years later, soon disappeared again. In 1937 a group of football fans formed Caernarfon Town. Following many successful seasons in the Welsh League North, the club gained FAW permission to join the Lancashire Combination in 1980, winning the Championship in 1981 before that league merged with the Cheshire County League to form the North West Counties Football League.

In 1985 Caernarfon Town were runners-up in the First Division of the North West Counties League and were elected to the Northern Premier League. The 1986–87 season saw the Canaries enjoy their best ever season: under manager John King, they defeated Stockport County and York City in the FA Cup before going out to Second Division Barnsley following a third-round replay. Caernarfon finished third in the Northern Premier League for consecutive seasons.

In 1995, the board voted to join the recently formed League of Wales. In 1999–2000 the Canaries were relegated but bounced straight back, winning the Cymru Alliance the following season. On 13 April 2013, Caernarfon Town won the FAW Trophy final 6–0 against Kilvey Fords FC at Latham Park, Newtown – their first FAW Trophy since 1978 and the biggest final winning-margin in the competition's 123-year history. They also gained promotion to the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance that season by finishing top of the Welsh Alliance, taking 66 points from 28 games.

On 24 September 2022, Caernarfon Town and The New Saints were invited to play in the Scottish SPFL Trust Cup; they were drawn away to Clyde FC but beaten 1–0 at New Douglas Park. On 18 May 2024, Caernarfon Town secured European football for the first time by defeating Penybont FC in the Cymru Premier Play-offs final to secure a spot in the 2024–25 UEFA Europa Conference League. They entered in the first qualifying round against Crusaders from Northern Ireland: after a 2–0 home win in the first leg, Caernarfon lost 1–3 after extra time in the return leg, leading to a 3–3 aggregate, but advanced by winning the penalty shootout 8–7.

In the second qualifying round, Caernarfon faced Legia Warsaw from Poland, losing 0–6 away and 0–5 at home, resulting in a 0–11 aggregate and elimination. For the 2025–26 season, Caernarfon temporarily played home games at Maesdu Park, the home ground of JD Cymru North team Llandudno F.C., while The Oval underwent major renovation. In the same season, Caernarfon won the Welsh Cup for the first time, beating Flint Town United 3–0 in the final at Newport's Rodney Parade and securing UEFA Conference League football for the second time in three seasons.

Logo change

As of April 2026, Caernarfon Town Football Club unveiled its new club crest following an extensive period of consultation with supporters. Three separate fan consultations were held between 2023 and 2025, culminating in a final decision made in front of supporters at the beginning of 2026. The new crest will appear on team shirts from the 2026/27 season, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the club, competing in the UEFA Conference League and returning to its home ground, The Oval.

Chairman Paul Evans explained the reasoning behind the redesign: 'The process behind the new identity was guided by a desire to create a crest suited to the modern era while remaining rooted in the club's traditions. Drawing inspiration from the previous design, the new crest was developed to be bold, enduring and uniquely representative of the club's Welsh identity, with supporters remaining central to every stage of the process.'