Blaenavon Blues A.F.C. are a Welsh football club from the town of Blaenavon, Torfaen in south eastern Wales. Formed in 1946, they have played in the Welsh Football League. They currently play in the .
History There has been many clubs in Blaenavon dating back to the 1900s. Most of these clubs had been church sides, and not one of the sides made an impact on a senior level. Clubs that represented the town included Blaenavon Thursdays, Clapham United from Forgeside, The Corinthians, and Garn-yr-erw. There is also evidence of a Blaenavon side competing in the Usk & District league in 1936 to 1939.https://www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk/league_usk_index.php
Following the end of the Second World War, Blaenavon man Ernest Pugh founded Blaenavon Blues AFC in the summer of 1946. During the early years the club played in the local leagues. The 1960s saw an upturn in the club's achievements and in 1960 the club won a treble of cups, The Langdon, Benevolent and Peake Cups. Back to back Championship wins in 1960–61 and 1961–62 along with two more Langdon Cup wins and two Benevolent Cup wins saw the club dominate the Pontypool league. The club again won the league in 1966–67.
The club applied for admittance into the Gwent Senior and Welsh Football Leagues and were accepted, with the 1968–69 season seeing the Blues playing senior football for the first time in their history.
In 1972 former Busby babe Ken Morgans managed the team for a season. The following year saw the club finish third, and in 1974–75 the club finished as champions of the tier 3 Welsh Football League Division Two. The club spent the next three years in the second tier before being relegated. The club continued to play in the Welsh league until the end of the 1990–91 season when a decision was made to leave the league given the pending Welsh pyramid re-organisation. After resignation from the league, the club dropped into the Gwent County League.
The 2021–22 season saw the club go unbeaten in the Gwent County Premier Division across 30 games but finish as runners-up on goal difference to Lliswerry, having scored 99 goals and conceded 22 goals. The runner-up spot entitled the club to promotion to the tier 3 Ardal Leagues pending the outcome of their tier three Certification application to the Football Association of Wales, which was awarded in May 2022.
In the 2025–26 season the club reached the second round of the Welsh Cup for the first time in their history.https://www.abergavennychronicle.com/sport/football/blues-make-history-in-faw-welsh-cup-834422
Honours
Welsh Football League Division Two (Tier 3 of the Welsh Football League) Champions (1): 1974–75 Gwent Central League Division One – Champions (5): 1960–61, 1961–62, 1966–67, 1992–93, 1996–97 Division One – Runners-Up (2): 1965–66, 2007–08 Division Two – Champions: (1): 1989–90 Division Two – Runners-Up (2): 2003–04https://web.archive.org/web/20040608152238/http://www.gwentfa.co.uk/division_221.htm Gwent County League Premier Division – Runners-Up (2): 2019–20, 2021–22 Division One – Runners-Up (1): 2005–06 Division Two – Runners-Up (1): 2003–04 Division Three - Runners-Up (1): 2002–03 Gwent Senior League Division Two - Champions (1): 1977–78 Gwent County FA Senior Cup Winners – 2021–22 The Langdon Cup Winners (4): 1959–60, 1960–61; 1961–62, 2004–05 Runners-Up (1): 1953–54 Benevolent Cup Winners (6): 1959–60, 1960–61; 1962–63, 1995–96; 2002–03; 2003–04 Runners-Up (2): 1964–65; 1966–67 E.I.Peake Cup Winners (1): 1959–60 Open Cup Winners (2): 1992–93; 2005–06 Runners-Up (1): 2007–08 Super Cup Winners (1): 2005–06
Welsh Football League history Information in this section is sourced from the Football Club History Database and the Welsh Soccer Archive.
Season Pyramid Tier League Final position1968–69From the 1964–65 season Division 1 was renamed 'Premier Division', Division 2 East and West were replaced by 'Division 1' and 'Division 2' (effectively Division 2 and Division 3).3Welsh Football League Division Two12th1969–703Welsh Football League Division Two11th1970–713Welsh Football League Division Two13th1971–723Welsh Football League Division Two7th1972–733Welsh Football League Division Two8th1973–743Welsh Football League Division Two3rd1974–753Welsh Football League Division Two1st - Champions(promoted)1975–762Welsh Football League Division One6th1976–772Welsh Football League Division One9th1977–782Welsh Football League Division One7th1978–792Welsh Football League Division One9th1979–893Welsh Football League Division Two17th(relegated)1980–813Welsh Football League Division Two19th1981–823Welsh Football League Division Two8th1982–833Welsh Football League Division Two6th1983–84In this season The Premier Division (Division 1) was renamed 'National Division'. The 2nd tier division was renamed 'Premier Division' with the 3rd tier division named 'Division 1'.3Welsh Football League Division One3rd1984–852Welsh Football League Premier Division8th1985–862Welsh Football League Premier Division7th1986–872Welsh Football League Premier Division16th(relegated)1987–883Welsh Football League Division One8th1988–893Welsh Football League Division One13th1989–903Welsh Football League Division One4th1990–913Welsh Football League Division Two10th
Notes
References
External links Club website