Originally Posted by
Eric the Half a Bee
The slump in Welsh club football was alarming.
We were (controversially) allowed into Division 2 as we were thought of as the top Welsh club. We won promotion at the first time of asking and had our best decade in our history. We were relegated in 1929 and again in 1931. Crowds went from nearly 33k in our first season ever in Division 1 to 7k in the third tier in a decade. By 1938 we were averaging 20k again in Division 3 (S). The Great Depression hit South Wales harder than some places and certainly had a bad effect on football.
Aberdare had 6 seasons in Division 3 before controversially losing their place in the league. Their crowds dropped from 9.5k to 2.5k. Merthyr lasted 3 more seasons. Newport did drop out of the league for a season and, after re-election, were fortunate to stay in the league. Swansea did manage promotion and were the top Welsh club in the 1930s, though their crowds were hit as well.
Here are the average crowds for 1922, 1927, 1933 and 1938
Cardiff: 32,760 - 15,454 - 7,008 - 20,009
Swansea: 11,685 - 14,286 - 9,566 - 12,015
Newport: 7,345 - 5,193 - 4,401 - 9,249
Merthyr: 8,985 - 3,170 - n/a - n/a
Aberdare: 9,525 - 2,500 - n/a - n/a