Rhiwbina Football Club

The original Rhiwbina FC (Llanishen Dons) c.1995.

Courtesy Mike Jones.

Back row left to right:
Antonio Scarico, Luca Floris, Nathan Rahman, Sam Good, Miles Martyn, Joe Lewis.

Front row left to right:
Tom Lowe, Mitchel Martyn, Jonathan Jones, Danilio Scarico


Rhiwbina Football Club History:

Rhiwbina Football Club was founded in 1995 by Mike Jones (current Chairman of the Rhiwbina Junior football club and also, first team and Youth Manager and Secretary of Caerau Ely FC, who currently play in the Welsh League, Div 2) The club started under the name of Llanishen Dons and so the story goes………………

During 1995 Mike began taking his son Jon to mini soccer skills at Llanishen Leisure Centre where he met with a group of like-minded parents. Mike put together a group of boys and, along with their parents, formed a mini team whom they began to enter in various 5-a-side competitions at the Leisure Centre.

This proved successful, so Mike began ringing around for friendly matches within the local area. Subsequently, various friendlies took place, including one against a team from Caerphilly and a team from Lliswerry in Newport (to whom they lost 7-1 and then beat 7-1 at a return fixture six months later).

The name originated due to the fact that the boys started in Llanishen Leisure Centre and the only kit they could buy enough of in the JJB sale was Wimbledon!

Once christened 'Llanishen Dons', Mike then went on to form a bond with Wimbledon Football Club, which resulted in taking the boys on an annual trip up to Wimbledon (who, at the time, were then in the Premier Division - or whatever it was called in those days) for a few years running.

The club which started with one mini team grew year by year (despite one or two take over bids)! and around 1999, Sally Martin took over the secretarial role from one of the original team Mums - Joanne Scarico.

The club now runs 4 teams at 4 different age groups (around 80 children) but intends to expand in the near future to around 8 teams including a “baby team” for training in preparation to join the U8 mini league next season.

The club are proud to have organised successful tours in the past for the boys (and adults)! and they fully intend to carry on with the tradition in the future.

Hopefully, that gives you an idea of the background and history of Rhiwbina Football Club.

It’s worth noting that four of the original 1995 team are now playing Welsh league football for Mike. How's that for making friends for life through sport.


Mike & Alan
Oct 2007