Along with the 12 JD Cymru Premier clubs, the Football Association of Wales (FAW) National Leagues Board have today announced a series of rule changes for the upcoming top-flight campaign.

The changes, which will impact a variety of on and off-field areas in the 2023-24 season, are as follows:

Medals

• The number of medals awarded to a club will increase from 25 to 30. This is to reflect the fact that JD Cymru Premier clubs must have 25 players on their List A.

Substitutes

• When clubs wish to make more than three substitutions, there will no longer be an obligation to use designated Youth Substitutes. Previously, if clubs wished to make four substitutions, one of those had to be a Youth Substitute, while if they wished to make five, two of those had to be Youth Substitutes. This will no longer be the case. However, the rule which states that should clubs wish to nominate seven substitutes (rather than five), two of the seven must be designated Youth Substitutes.

Kits

• Clubs must submit three goalkeeper kits. This rule has been brought in to help avoid kit clashes.

Play-Off Format

• Extra time has been removed from Play-Off matches in the JD Cymru Premier. This rule has been brought in to align with other competitions, where, should the score be tied after normal time, the match will go straight to a penalty shoot-out.

Match Official Payment

• Clubs will now have the ability to determine if they wish to pay a Match Official in cash or by BACS. This rule has been brought in to reflect the changing nature of the method of payments across the clubs. Should a Match Official request a specific method of payment within 48 hours of the match, then clubs must oblige.

Match Programmes

• It will no longer be mandatory for clubs to produce a Match Programme. Instead, it will be at the discretion of clubs, and whether or not it aligns with their business model. Should a club decide that they do not wish to produce a Match Programme, they must ensure that at least one piece of pre-match content is published either on their website or social media platform(s).