Caernarfon Town Football Club () is a professional Welsh football club based in Caernarfon, Gwynedd. They play in the and have qualified for the 2026–27 UEFA Europa Conference League after winning the 2025–26 Welsh Cup.

They are nicknamed "the Canaries" because of the club's yellow and green strip, a nickname that dates from 1895. Caernarfon Town plays at The Oval.

History

The early years

The first known football club in the town of Caernarfon was Carnarvon Athletic, formed in 1876 and playing at various locations in the town before settling at the club's present ground, The Oval, in 1888.

Athletic went out of existence in 1893 but a new club, Caernarvon Ironopolis, was formed two years later reaching the semi finals of the Welsh Cup in 1900 and 1902 before disbanding following a dispute with the North Wales Coast League in 1903. Former players of the 'Nops' formed two new clubs, Caernarvon Colts and Caernarvon Royal Welch Fusiliers which came together in 1906 to form Caernarvon United.

After the Great War, United players came together to reform Caernarvon Athletic and the club enjoyed great success in the North Wales League as well as 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, it soon disappeared again.

Caernarfon Town

In 1937 a group of football fans formed Caernarfon Town and, following many successful seasons in the Welsh League North, the club was granted permission by the Football Association of Wales to apply for membership of the Lancashire Combination in 1980. The Canaries won the Championship in 1981 before the 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 when, 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.

For the 2025–26 season, Caernarfon temporarily played their home games at Maesdu Park, the home ground of JD Cymru North team Llandudno F.C., whilst their stadium The Oval was given a major renovation.

In the same season, Caernarfon won the Welsh Cup for the first time in their history, 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.

Rivalries

Caernarfon Town's main rivalries are with Porthmadog, Bangor City and Rhyl.

Logo change

As of April 2026, Caernarfon Town Football Club has 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. While the previous crest held significant sentimental value for many supporters, Chairman Paul Evans explained the reasoning behind the redesign:

“We felt we needed a modern new crest that accurately represents us as a club today. We believe we’re the most Welsh club in World football and this new design, incorporating the Owain Glyndŵr dragon and sword, reflects our history, heritage and identity. We have worked closely with the supporters to create the crest and are excited to finally be able to reveal it. We hope everyone likes it.”

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.

Honours

League

  • Cymru Alliance
  • Champions (3): 2000–01, 2015–16, 2017–18
  • Runners-up (2): 2014–15, 2016–17
  • Welsh League North
  • Champions (4): 1946–47, 1965–66, 1977–78, 1978–79
  • Runners–up (3): 1956–57, 1957–58, 1972–73
  • Lancashire Combination
  • Champions (1): 1981–82
  • North West Counties Football League
  • Division One – Runners-up (1): 1984–85
  • Division Two – Runners-up (1): 1982–83
  • Welsh Alliance League
  • Champions (1): 2012–13
  • Runners-up (1): 1990–91 (reserves)

Cups

  • Welsh Cup
  • Winners (1): 2025–26
  • FAW Intermediate Cup/ FAW Trophy
  • Winners (2): 1977–78, 2012–13
  • Cymru Alliance League Cup
  • Winners (4): 2000–01, 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17
  • Lancashire Combination Cup
  • Winners (1): 1980–81

European record

{| class="wikitable"

! Season

! Competition

! Round

! Club

! Home

! Away

! Aggregate

|-

| rowspan="2"|2024–25

| rowspan="2"| UEFA Conference League

| 1Q

| Crusaders

| style="text-align:center;"| 2–0

| style="text-align:center;"| 1–3

| style="background:#dfd; text-align:center;"|3–3 (8–7 p)

|-

| 2Q

| Legia Warsaw

| style="text-align:center;"| 0−5

| style="text-align:center;"| 0–6

| style="background:#fdd; text-align:center;"|0–11

|}

;Notes

  • 1Q: First qualifying round
  • 2Q: Second qualifying round

Current squad

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References

  • Official website