Football Clubs and Leagues in the UK Quiz

Answer: Welsh league

The New Saints FC is based in Oswestry in Shropshire, England, but it plays in the Welsh league system. The club was formed in Wales in 1959 as Llansantffraid FC and, by 1993, had gained promotion to the top level of Welsh football. After they won the Welsh Cup in 1996 they attracted sponsorship from a local computer company and changed the club's name to that of the sponsors as Total Network Solutions FC. In 2003 the club merged with Oswestry Town and moved to the latter's ground across the border in England; the Football Association of Wales and UEFA eventually permitted the club to carry on playing in the Welsh league. In 2006 the Total Network Solutions company was taken over by BT, which resulted in the renaming of the club as The New Saints FC (also known as TNS).

Since gaining promotion to the top league in Wales the club has finished as champions many times, including a run of eight successive championships from 2011-12 to 2018-19. They have also won the Welsh Cup on many occasions and the Welsh League Cup on many occasions. In December 2016 the club set a new record for the number of consecutive wins by a European top-flight club, by winning 27 matches in a row.

I remember the TV sports presenter Jeff Stelling commenting one Saturday after the club had won one of their championships, saying "There'll be dancing on the streets of Total Network Solutions tonight!". I thought it was quite whimsical, and it gave me the idea for this Quiz!

Answer: English league

Founded in 1904 and elected to the English Football League in 1928, Carlisle United are based in the old Roman city of Carlisle in the far north-west of England, only a few miles from the Scottish border - in fact its nearest club is Dumfries in the Scottish League.

The club has always been in the lower divisions of the English league system apart from one glorious season, 1974-75, in Division One. A steady decline in fortunes followed, culminating in the dreadful 1991-92 season when the club finished in bottom place in the Football League (aka bottom of Division Four); they were saved from relegation by the bankruptcy and collapse of Aldersot (and thus there was no relagation out of the Football League that season). A similar situation developed in the 1998-99 season, when only a last-minute goal scored by the Carlisle goalkeeper in the final match of the season saved the club from again finishing in bottom place in the Football League. Sadly this event did finally occur in the 2003-04 season, but the club bounced straight back into the League at the end of the 2004-05 season.

The club are known as "The Foxes" because of its connection to the local farmer and huntsman John Peel (NOT the DJ!) and the song "D'ye ken John Peel". For some years a stuffed fox was placed on the centre spot of the pitch before kick-off in home matches.

Answer: Northern Irish league

Founded in 1886, Linfield FC plays its football in south Belfast in Northern Ireland. The club was a founder member of what was then the All-Ireland Irish League in 1890, winning the first League Championship. When Ireland was partitioned in 1921 Linfield chose to go into the Northern Irish League.

Linfield has dominated that League ever since, with multiple league championship titles (dozens and dozens). In 1921-22 the club won every one of the the seven available trophies. They repeated this feat 40 years later in season 1961-62. They're the only recorded instances of a clean sweep of a seven-trophy season being achieved in world football. The club has also won the Irish Cup dozens of times.

The club plays its home matches at Windsor Park, the national stadium. Up until 1949 its fiercest rivalry was with Belfast Celtic, but this came to an end when in a match between the two clubs in 1948 Linfield supporters invaded the pitch and attacked the Celtic players, seriously injuring a number of them. Belfast Celtic then withdrew from the League. Since then the main rivalry has been with the East Belfast club Glentoran. For some time I lived just a few minutes' walk from Windsor Park, so's many the times I've stood on the terraces there watching League and International matches!

Answer: English league

Queens Park Rangers FC, or QPR as they're perhaps better known, is based in the Shepherd's Bush area of west London and play in the English league system. Founded in 1882, the club played in the lower divisions of the League for many years, but went through a golden era in the 1970s and early 1980s, when they finished as runners-up in Division One in 1976 and were the losing finalists in the FA Cup in 1982.

At that time they had a number of eye-catching forwards such as Stan Bowles and Rodney Marsh, and perhaps could have achieved more. Since then the club has oscillated between the top two tiers of English football without making a permanent home in either.The club is notable for its unusual blue-and-white hooped shirts.

The supporter base is generally small but very passionate, and they have a great fanzine, "A Kick up the R's", which has been published since 1967.

Answer: English league

Swansea City FC is based in Swansea in Wales, but plays in the English league system. The club was founded in 1912 and admitted to the Football League in 1920, as a foundation member of Division Three (South). It spent many years in the lower divisions but won promotion to Division in 1981. After a two-season stay they were relegated three times back to Division Four in 1986; narrowly avoiding relegation to non-league fooball in 2003. However by 2011 the club had regained its tier 1 status and in 2013 it won the League Cup. Sadly they were relegated again in 2018.

Swansea City's main rivals are Cardiff City, another club that is based in Wales but plays its football in the English leagues. Recent matches between the two clubs has given rise to some considerable violence.

Answer: Northern Irish league

Newry City FC was founded as Newry Town FC in 1918 and joined the Northern Irish League in 1923, but the club was dissolved in 2012. The replacement club, Newry City AFC, was set up in 2013. Newry is in Northern Ireland, a few miles from the border with the Republic, and there were discussions with the Irish FA about the club joining the League of Ireland (RoI) but this was rejected. Newry City AFC thus joined the Northern Irish leagues in 2013 at a junior level (tier 5).

The club reached the top tier in 2018.

Answer: Scottish league

Queen of the South FC was formed in the lovely town of Dumfries in south-west Scotland in 1928, and plays in the Scottish League. The club is known for its friendly, family atmosphere, which must go some way to making up for the team's lack of accomplishment - it hasn't featured in the top division since the early 1960s.

It's often said that the club is mentioned in the Bible, and indeed in Luke 11:31 it is written that "the Queen of the South shall rise up"... !

Answer: Welsh league

Aberystwyth Town FC are based in a small seaside town in mid-West Wales and play in the Welsh league system. Formed in 1884, they became founder members of the League of Wales in 1992. The club has been ever-present in the top division since, although with a conspicuous lack of silverware to grace its trophy cabinet.

It has particular problems when playing The New Saints FC, losing 1-10 in 2019 and 0-11 to the same opponents in 2021.

Answer: Northern Irish league

Founded in 1889, Larne FC are based in a ferry port on the Country Antrim coast in Northern Ireland, and play in the Northern Irish League. The club played at junior level for many years, but when Derry City FC dropped out of the Northern Irish League in 1972 Larne took its place. A number of promotions and relegations followed, but the club developed an unfortunate habit of losing Irish Cup and Irish League Cup Finals.

In 2018 he club was taken over by a businessman, Kenny Bruce (co-founder of the estate agents firm Purplebricks). He invested significant sums in the club, with the immediate result that it won the second-tier division title in 2019. This was followed by a first-ever Championship win in 2023. So if you ever catch a ferry from Cairnryan to Larne you'll pass the Inver Park ground on your left as you drive towards Belfast - and a tidy little ground it is too!

Answer: Scottish league

This is another club that's based in one country but plays in another country's league. Berwick Rangers FC is based in Berwick-on-Tweed in Northumberland, England (far north east corner), but the club play in the Scottish league system. The club was formed in 1884 and affiliated to the Scottish FA in 1905.

It played in various Scottish junior leagues until 1951 when it was admitted to the Scottish Football League C Division. Since then the club has won very few honours, its most notable success was a 1-0 win over Rangers in the 1967 Scottish Cup. Sadly in 2019 the club was relegated out of the SPFL, to become a non-league club in the regional Scottish Lowland League.

Answer: Welsh league

Haverfordwest County AFC is based in Haverfordwest, the county town of Pembrokeshire in the far south-west of Wales. The club was founded in 1899. They were promoted to the Welsh League Premier Division in 1956 and bar one or two lapses have stayed there ever since.

There's a distinct lack of silverware in their trophy cupboard. For some reason the club has a particularly hostile rivalry with Carmarthen Town FC, some 30 miles away.

Answer: Scottish league

Livingston FC is based in the town of Livingston in West Lothian, about ten miles from Edinburgh, and the club plays in the Scottish leagues. The club was founded in 1943 as a works team, Ferranti Thistle, but when it was admitted to the Scottish Football League in 1974 it moved its home ground to the Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh and changed its name to Meadowbank Thistle. In 1994 it moved back to the Almondvale Stadium in Livingstone and changed its name again to Livingston.

The club won the Third, Second and First Division titles (4th tier, 3rd tier and 2nd tier repsectively) in the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s; and the Scottish League Cup in 2004.