Founded - 1930

Nickname - The Welly

FOOTBALL in the village of Llay was first played in 1899 with Llay St Martins Football Club members of the Denbighshire League.

Llay Hall competed in the North Wales Alliance in 1920 while Llay United were founding members of the Wrexham Amateur League in 1925 before folding in 1927.

Llay Main Football Club entered the league in 1929 and folded in 1930.

Llay Welfare Football Club was founded in 1930 and entered the Wrexham Amateur League in 1932 alongside village rivals Llay St Martins with the latter disbanding after two seasons.

Meanwhile Llay Welfare won the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1936 before football was suspended during World War One.

Llay United won the first title following the resumption of football in 1946 with Llay Methodists also competing that season before Llay Welfare reformed the following year.

Both clubs enjoyed national success with United losing two successive Welsh Amateur Cup finals before lifting the cup in 1949 while the following season it was Welfare’s turn with the club losing the final.

Llay United folded in 1957 to leave Welfare as the village’s only club.

The club won the Wrexham League title in 1963 but silverware would be in short supply for the next two decades and in 1983 a new club, Llay RBL, was formed in the village.

By 1986 the club’s were enjoying contrasting fortunes with Welfare relegated to the first division while RBL joined the premier league.

By 1988 both clubs were competing in the top tier only for Welfare to be relegated in 1989.

Welfare won the first division title and a return to the top flight in 1991, joining RBL until the latter folded in 1994 to once again leave the village represented by the Welfare club.

Despite relegation in 2000 the club bounced back the following season where the club enjoyed a 20 year unbroken association prior to their elevation to the new national third division.