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Super 12
THE Welsh Premier league is comprised of 12 teams, who play each other twice in the first phase of the season.
At the end of this period the league splits into two divisions, the Championship and the Conference.
The top six teams after the first phase go into the Championship, with the remaining six teams going into the Conference. The six clubs in each group then play each other twice more to make a 32-fixture league season.
No club in the bottom-six Conference can finish higher than seventh, no matter how many points are gained during the second part of the season.
Clubs finishing in third to seventh then take part in a play-off to determine who gains the third Europa League spot, along with the Championship runners-up and the Welsh Cup winners, who go straight into the second qualifying round.
Should the Welsh Cup winners be amongst the clubs qualifying for the play-offs, the eighth-placed club would be invited to take their place.
The reigning champions are Bangor City, who won their first title in 16 years after finishing ahead of The New Saints in the inaugural year of the Super 12 to qualify for the 2011-12 Champions League.
As runners-up TNS qualify for the Europa League, with the second spot going to Neath, who won the first-ever end-of-season play-offs.
TNS won the League Cup for the third consecutive season but Bangor failed in their bid for a fourth consecutive Welsh Cup, losing 4-1 to Llanelli in the final.
Champions: Bangor City qualify for Champions League.
Runners-up: TNS qualify for Europa League.
Play-off winners: Neath qualify for Europa League.
Welsh Cup winners: Llanelli qualify for Europa League.
League Cup winners: TNS.
Afan Lido were promoted from the Welsh League Division One, replacing Haverforwest County, but Cymru Alliance champions Connah's Quay failed to secure a return to the top flight after being denied the necessary FAW domestic licence.
At the end of the 2010-11 campaign the five lowest-placed clubs in the 18-team top flight - Cefn Druids, Caersws, Welshpool, Porthmadog and Connah's Quay - were relegated to the Cymru Alliance along with the 2009 champions Rhyl, who finished sixth, but failed in their licence application and appeal.
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