REGIONS CUP NEWS.

I am sure managers will ask, "What impact will this have upon them as clubs and their players?" My answer to this is simply very little.

This is a competition run initially by the Welsh FA with the winning region for the whole of the country progressing to represent Wales in a UEFA European Championship. The first stage is a group competition and this is split between the North and South. The North group comprises of NEWFA, North Wales Coast and Centre of Wales. We play each area home and away once. This is over a two year period with two games this year and two next. Noting the possibility of a final game (if we were to win our group) versus a South Wales region towards the end of the 2018 season.

Matches are played in midweek under lights with one game scheduled in March and one in April for this year. Matches WILL NOT clash with club fixtures.

The rules of player eligibility are that players must be aged between 19 and 40 by September 1st 2016 and must be registered with a club in Tier 4 (WNL Div 1) or Tier 5 (NEWFA League). Players cannot have played at Welsh Premier level ever before this date. Once players have competed in the competition they are not eligible to play in it again.

This is a fantastic opportunity for players of this level to compete and hopefully represent their country in a European competition. In the last campaign, NEWFA lost to a South Wales region in the National final and therefore just missed out on the trip to San Marino to compete in the group stages against San Marino, Azerbaijan and Greece. This was scheduled just before the European Championships and from previous experience left players with a great feeling of what they were potentially achieving at a time very close to the National side's successes.

As an association we have decided to contact clubs and request that they nominate players to attend a trial to be held on Sunday January 8th at Airbus FC on the 3G surface. I request that clubs email me the players that they intend to send to the trial and the player's preferred position by December 28th. Clubs may nominate a maximum of 5 players. This will allow me the opportunity to organise various activities during the trial. Furthermore I request that players arrive at the ground for 10:15am with the trial lasting till 1pm.

For information I am the manager, with a management team of Dave Roberts (Manager of New Brighton FC in WNL Div 1) and Stu Tarren (who was part of the NEWFA management team last year and has been involved in the NEWFA league over the past few seasons with Aston Park Rangers FC).

If players are successfully selected; As an Association we ensure that reference is made to the clubs that players compete for in the respective leagues. In the Welsh final last year I established that player's all received a programme as a memento that included a detailed pen picture about them and their achievements. The purpose and aim of this was to provide kudos, promotion and awareness of our teams, acknowledging the strength we have in our area. For the new campaign I would maintain this.

I recognise that I have provided quite a bit of information, but if anyone has any questions with regards to the Regions Cup, please do not hesitate to contact me. Ultimately communication is crucial in this process and thus enhances teamwork. It is a fantastic opportunity for all concerned and I maintain the Welsh ethos of "Together, Stronger" as a method for our area to gain the success that we hope for.

Kind regards

Nathan Brearley

NEWFA Competition Secretary