Newport County Association Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Casnewydd) is a professional association football club in the city of Newport, South Wales. The team compete in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. The club's usual home colours are amber shirts and black shorts.
Formed in 1912, the club began life in the Southern League before being invited to become founder members of the Football League Third Division in 1920. They failed re-election in 1931, but were elected back into the Football League the next year. They struggled for the next few seasons, but went on to be crowned Third Division South champions in 1938–39. World War II meant they had to wait until the 1946–47 season to take their place in the Second Division, though they were relegated at the end of the campaign. They were relegated out of the Third Division in 1962. In the 1979–80 season, under manager Len Ashurst, they secured promotion out of the Fourth Division and won the Welsh Cup for the first time. They reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup the next year. In the 1980s they suffered financial difficulties with a double relegation costing them their Football League place in 1988 and the club went out of business in February 1989.
The club reformed but were initially unable to play at their home ground at Somerton Park, so picked up the nickname of the "Exiles". They immediately won the Hellenic League in 1989–90 and were promoted out of the Southern League Midland Division in 1994–95. While playing at Newport Stadium, they were relegated from the Premier Division in 1997, before winning promotion out of the Midland Division again in 1998–99. Placed in the Conference South in 2004, they went on to be crowned champions in 2009–10 and after moving to Rodney Parade in 2012, they returned to the Football League following a 25-year absence after winning the Conference National play-off final in 2013 under manager Justin Edinburgh.
Contents
History
1912–1988
Newport County, originally nicknamed The Ironsides due to Newport being home to Lysaght's Orb Works steel works, started out in the Southern League in 1912 at Somerton Park. The official name of the club was The Newport & Monmouthshire County Association Football Club, although the shorter Newport County was soon adopted. The club were reformed in 1919 and were first elected to the Football League in 1920. They were not re-elected after the 1930–31 season but rejoined for 1932–33. After almost 20 years in the Third Division South, the club finally clinched promotion to the Second Division as champions in 1939 under manager Billy McCandless.
Hopes were high that the championship-winning side could prosper in the Second Division, but only three games were played of the 1939–40 season due to the outbreak of World War II. Newport County managed a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and a 3–1 win over Southampton, finishing joint ninth out of 22 in the abandoned season. The War League operated for the remainder of the 1939–40 season and County finished 10th in the South-West Division.
After the war, the club reformed and competed in the temporary Football League South for the 1945–46 season. On the resumption of national league football for the 1946–47 season Newport resumed their place in the Second Division but the reshaped team suffered a host of defeats – including a joint Football League record 13–0 defeat at Newcastle United. Newcastle player Len Shackleton remarked "they were lucky to get nil". Despite victories over Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham, the club needed four wins out of the last four games to have any hope of safety. Despite a revenge victory over Newcastle United, defeats to Birmingham City, Luton Town and Manchester City sealed their fate. County finished bottom of the Second Division and were relegated.
Newport reached the fifth round of the 1948–49 FA Cup under manager Tom Bromilow, the furthest they have gone in the competition, later equalled in 2019. They only narrowly lost the game 3–2 away to Portsmouth, the eventual FA Cup semi-finalists and First Division champions that season.
After 11 further seasons in the Third Division South, the club narrowly avoided another effective relegation with the creation of the Fourth Division for the 1958–59 season. The bottom 12 teams from the Third Division North and South were placed in the new division, with the remainder forming the revived Third Division. County avoided this fate by a mere four points. However, in 1962, with only seven wins all season, the club were relegated to the Fourth Division – their home for the next 18 years.
1989 onwards
In June 1989 the club was reformed by 400 supporters, including David Hando as chairman and, later, club president. Former manager John Relish was re-appointed team manager and they were elected to the Hellenic League (then four divisions below the Football League). The club's main aim was to regain the Football League status lost in 1988. The club took on the name "Newport A.F.C." and adopted the nickname The Exiles, as a result of having to play home matches for the 1989–90 season at the London Road ground in the north Gloucestershire town of Moreton-in-Marsh, 80 miles (130 km) north-east of Newport. Newport Council considered the new company to be a continuation of the old, and refused it permission to use Somerton Park on the grounds of unpaid rent.
Newport won the Hellenic double, gaining promotion to the Southern League. After the 1990–91 and 1991–92 seasons back home in Newport at Somerton Park, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) consigned them to a further two seasons of exile in England, ground-sharing at Gloucester City's Meadow Park stadium for 1992–93 and 1993–94. The club was forced to resort to legal action to protect themselves from being forced out of the English football league system by FAW secretary Alun Evans, who was promoting the first national League of Wales formed for the 1992–93 season. That litigation proved successful, with a landmark High Court verdict enabling them to have a permanent home in Newport at the then newly built Newport Stadium.
The club's first season back in Newport, in 1994–95 under manager Graham Rogers, saw them promoted to the Southern League Premier Division, after winning the Midland Division Championship by a 14-point margin. On the way to that championship, the club set a then record for the Southern League by winning 14 successive league matches.
In 1999, the club reintroduced the name Newport County A.F.C.
In the 2001–02 season the team managed by Tim Harris reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time since the club was reformed, drawing Second Division side Blackpool. Holding them to a 2–2 draw away, County lost the home replay 4–1 after extra time. The following season, then managed by Peter Nicholas, Newport reached the final of the FAW Premier Cup beating Swansea City and Cardiff City along the way before losing 6–1 in the final against Wrexham.
Ownership
In 2015 following the sale of the club by majority shareholder Les Scadding, Newport County AFC Supporters Society Limited was established with guidance from the UK Government backed charity Supporters Direct. The Society is established as a trust with an elected board, yearly elections, regular AGMs, and fee-based supporter ownership.
As a Registered Society under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014) the group acquired a majority shareholding in the football club's trading body, Newport Association Football Club Limited.
The supporters trust members elected a board of between 6 and 12 Directors. The board established that it would aim to operate with 9 directors, with a mixed model of elected and co-opted (unelected) directors. Directors are elected to three-year terms. In 2017 Peter Madigan and Mark Crook were co-opted to serve as unelected directors.
In 2017 a leaked resignation letter by director Charlie Hopkins he made allegations against some serving directors which were disputed by the Trust Board.
In October 2023 Newport County Supporters Trust members voted in favour of selling a controlling interest 52% of shares in the club to former Swansea City chairman Huw Jenkins, subject to EFL approval. The supporters trust retained 27% of shares and other previous private investors retained 21%. The sale was confirmed as completed on 24 January 2024
Supporters
Newport County draws its main support from the city of Newport but also from the wider surrounding historic Monmouthshire area, as reflected in the original club name of Newport & Monmouth County A.F.C. The club's supporters refer to themselves as the Amber Army, in reference to the traditional club colour, and the sporting colours more widely associated with Newport. The club operates the 'ifollow' match day voice and video commentary service for supporters.
The supporters' unofficial anthem is Come on the County, written by Ken Buck and Eric Thomas. Originally released in 1973, it was re-recorded in 1999 and 2010. The 1999 release included the song Carl Zeiss Jena by Newport band Flyscreen, celebrating County's 1981 European campaign. The 2010 release included reworkings of Come on the County by The Tenants Supermen, who are ardent County fans. For the 2012 FA Trophy final, singer-songwriter Tracey Curtis wrote and released the song A Hundred Years of Football (And We're Off To Wembley).
In the 1970s and 1980s comedian Frank Carson was appointed as a director and vice president in order to raise the profile of the club. Newport-based rappers Goldie Lookin' Chain are supporters of the club and were the team's shirt sponsors for the 2004–05 season FAW Premier Cup matches
Rivalries
County fans consider their main rival to be South Wales rivals Cardiff City, however, the two sides have rarely met since the 1980s due to the league gap between them. Other rivals, to a lesser extent, include Welsh rivals Swansea City and Wrexham, as well as relatively local rivals Bristol Rovers, Cheltenham Town and Forest Green Rovers. A 2017 match against Swindon Town saw opposing fans clash before and after the game in Swindon town centre. Before a match at Rodney Parade in January 2020, Swindon fans were filmed throwing toilet paper and drinks containers outside a pub in Newport city centre.
During County's days in the non-league pyramid, Merthyr Tydfil and Bath City were considered rivals. County also used to maintain a rivalry with Hereford United. However, the club went out of business in 2014 and a new club, Hereford FC was formed.
Players
Current squad
As of 1 September 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Development squad players named in First Team squads
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Youth academy
Glyn Jones was appointed director of the Newport County Youth Academy in 1997. In 1998 Newport County established a partnership with Newport City Council and the club has a youth development programme with around 50 students based at Llanwern High School.
The team compete in the Under-18 EFL Youth Alliance. A number of the academy graduates have progressed to the senior squad including Andrew Hughes, Lee Evans, Regan Poole, Aaron Collins, Tom Owen-Evans, Kieran Parselle, Lewis Collins, Kiban Rai and Harrison Bright.
In the 2001–02 season County's youth team won the English Schools' Football Association under-19 trophy under the banner of Hartridge High School. In the 2004–05 season they won the FAW Youth Cup.
In May 2014 Glyn Jones was succeeded after 17 years as academy director by Michael Flynn. In 2015 the academy organisation was restructured to comply to FA requirements and in June 2015 Grant Kalahar was appointed to the senior role of academy manager. Kalahar left the academy at the end of the 2015–16 season with Byron Anthony appointed academy manager.
Newport County were champions of the EFL Youth Alliance in the 2016–17 season.
Byron Anthony resigned in November 2018. Stevenage coach Jorden Gibson was appointed Newport County Academy Manager in June 2019 but he resigned 11 September 2019 following an internal investigation after an altercation with a youth team player. In December 2019 Damien Broad was promoted internally to academy manager. In November 2022 Luke Hussey was promoted internally to academy manager. In December 2025 Jordan Hughes was appointed as Newport County Academy Manager.
Notable former players
For all Newport County players with a Wikipedia article see Category:Newport County A.F.C. players.
Coaching staff
See also: List of Newport County A.F.C. managers
As of 24 August 2026
Honours
League
Third Division South (level 3)
Champions: 1938–39
Fourth Division (level 4)
Promoted: 1979–80
Conference Premier (level 5)
Play-off winners: 2013
Conference South (level 6)
Champions: 2009–10
Southern League Midland Division
Champions: 1994–95
Hellenic League
Champions: 1989–90
Cup
FA Trophy
Runners-up: 2011–12
Welsh Cup
Winners: 1979–80
FAW Premier Cup
Winners: 2007–08
Runners-up: 2002–03, 2006–07