THERE are certain landmark years that stand out in history but in terms of Mid Wales football few will be as important as 2010.

This was the year that brought that saw Newtown take its place alongside TNS and Aberystywth Town in the elite of Welsh football.

2010 saw Caersws and Welshpool relegated but respond by re-building using local players while Rhayader Town's continued rise from the ashes should give all fans a lift.

The Spar Mid Wales League finally stood up on its own two feet after over a century of dependency on the region's top clubs and 2010 will see 28 ambitious clubs spread over two leagues.

The region's clubs recognised the danger of having no youth league and have reacted by throwing its support behind a new division which promises to be vastly superior in terms of standard, profile and organisation to its predecessor which folded with a wimper two years ago.

For the first time in the history of the game Mid Wales finds itself with a pyramid structure encompassing the entire Central Wales Football Associaion. Even the forgotten lands of Cardiganshire have been reclaimed in the name of football progress.

I know I may get knocked for saying that the newly expanded Mid Wales League represents progress but it is hard to deny.

12 of the 13 inaugral members have come from non league football - be it in the Aberystwyth League, Cardiganshire League or more likely the Mid Wales (South) ansd Montgomeryshire.

I appreciate that these leagues have been weakened by the loss of 12 clubs but the question you have to ask os this:

Is the league there to serve the clubs or do the clubs serve the league?

Yes the Montgomeryshire League has lost Llanidloes Town, Montgomery Town, Meifod, Kerry, Four Crosses, Llanfair United and Abermule while the 'South' has lost traditional super powers in Builth Wells, Llandrindod Wells, Rhosgoch, Talgarth.

However these clubs obviously felt that there facilities and ambitions had long outgrown non-league football and leapt at the chance to play in a more competitive structure against similarly ambitous clubs.

Thus, in one swift action, we have an extra 13 clubs all competing at a better standard which in itself has already seen the clubs rise to the challenge in different ways.

In Montgomeryshire we have seen Montgomery Town and Llanidloes Town snap up players from Welsh Premier clubs while the loss of the reserve sides at Newtown and Aberystwyth has seen players filter to nearby Mid Wales League clubs.

Even title dark horses Bont have signed Welsh Premier pedigree players this summer.

Further developments have seen Talgarth Town develop an onsite clubhouse while Llanfair United are in the process of an ambitious scheme to enhance Mount Field.

A total of £90,000 will be injected into Mid Wales League clubs this season. A massive amount at level three and four of the pyramid.

So, while I sympathise with non league administrators I cannot agree with their sentiments that the Mid Wales League has destroyed football in Central Wales.

If anything the new second division has provided a platform for ambitious clubs to finally break loose of their shackles and compete in a standard more suited to their ambitions and rest assured none of the aforementioned developments would have been possible had that status quo remained.

These clubs owe there former leagues gratitide for providing competition over the years but do not owe them anything else.

Returning to my previous statement, a club should not be expected to serve a league. A league is there to serve clubs.