North Premier

North Premier (formerly known as National League 3 North) is a level five league in the English rugby union system.[1] It is one of four leagues at this level, with its counterparts; London & South East Premier, South West Premier and Midlands Premier. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following reorganisation by the Rugby Football Union when the league was originally known as North Division 1. A further name change from National League 3 to Premier was introduced for the 2017–18 season by the RFU in order to lessen confusion for what is a series of regional leagues.[1] The fourteen teams in the division are drawn from across northern England and is the highest regional rugby union league in the north of England.

For the football competition, see Northern Premier League.

North Premier
Current season or competition:
2019–20 North Premier
SportRugby Union
Instituted1987
Number of teams14
Country England
HoldersBlaydon (1st title) (2019–20
(promoted to National League 2 North)
Most titlesBradford & Bingley, Darlington Mowden Park, Huddersfield, Kendal, Morley, Preston Grasshoppers (2 titles)
Websiteclubs.rfu.com

The champion club is automatically promoted to National League 2 North and the runner-up meets the second placed team of Midlands Premier in a play-off, with the winner also gaining promotion.

Format

The fourteen teams in this league are drawn from across northern England with the league champions being promoted to National League 2 North and the runner-up going into a play-off with the second placed team from Midlands Premier with the winner also being promoted. The league's bottom three teams are relegated to either North 1 East or North 1 West depending on their geographic location.

The season runs from September to May and comprises twenty-six rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals home and away. The results of the matches contribute points to the league table as follows:

  • 4 points are awarded for a win
  • 2 points are awarded for a draw
  • 0 points are awarded for a loss, however
  • 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer
  • 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match

2019–20

Ten of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Macclesfield who were relegated from National League 2 North, and Blackburn, Carlisle and Morpeth who were promoted into the division.[2][3][4][5] Last season's champions Hull were promoted into National League 2 North, while the relegated teams were Vale of Lune and Wilmslow who all drop down into North 1 West and Kendal Rugby Union Football Club, Kendal who were relegated to North 1 East.

Participating teams and locations

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:

North Premier honours

In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was four, tier five leagues. The geographical area for teams in the north of England covered the ceremonial counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire Northumberland and Yorkshire There were eleven teams in the league and they played each other once, giving each team ten matches. The other tier five leagues were London Division One, Midlands Division One and South West Division One.[6] This system prevailed for five seasons, and in 1992–93 the number of teams increased from eleven to thirteen. The following season (1993–94) the league was reorganised and the four tier five leagues became two; National 5 North and National 5 South.[7] After three seasons, in 1996–97, a further reorganisation occurred, and there was a return to four, tier five leagues; with North Division One covering the area of northern England.[8] This system prevailed until 2009–10 when the number of teams was increased from twelve to fourteen and renamed National League Three North.

North Division 1 (1987–1993)

The original North Division 1 was a tier 5 league with promotion up to Area League 2 North and relegation down to North Division 2 (now split into two leagues known as North 1 East and North 1 West).

North Division One
Season No of teams No of matches Champions Runners–up Relegated teams Reference
1987–881110Winnington ParkKendalWidnes, Middlesbrough[9]
1988–891110KendalTynedaleWest Park[9]
1989–901110OtleyHarrogateNo relegation[9]
1990–911110AspatriaBradford & BingleyHalifax[10]
1991–921110RotherhamTynedaleBirkenhead Park[11]
1992–931312Bradford & BingleyTynedaleLymm[12]

North Division 1 (1993–1996)

At the end of the 1992–93 season the top six teams from North Division 1 and the top six from Midland Division 1 were combined to create National 5 North. This meant that North Division 1 dropped from a tier 5 league to a tier 6 league for the years that National 5 North was active.

North Division 1
Season No of teams Champions Runners–up Relegated teams
1993-94[13]13WharfedaleSandalHartlepool Rovers, Northern, Vale of Lune
1994-9513SandalStocktonDurham City
1995-9613ManchesterMacclesfieldNo relegation[lower-alpha 1]
Green backgrounds are promotion places.

North Division 1 (1996–2009)

For the end of the 1995–96 season National 5 North was discontinued and North Division One returned to being a tier 5 league. Promotion was up to National 4 North (now known as National League 2 North), while relegation continued to North Division 2 until 2000–01, and then into either North 2 East and North 2 West (currently North 1 East / North 1 West) in subsequent seasons.

North Division One
Season No of teams No of matches Champions Runners–up Relegated teams Reference
1996–971222Sedgley ParkTynedaleBradford & Bingley[14]
1997–981222New BrightonDoncasterWest Park Bramhope[15]
1998–991222DoncasterNorthernBridlington, Broughton Park[16]
1999–001222TynedaleHull IoniansWidnes, Winnington Park[17]
2000–011222Darlington Mowden ParkBlaydonNorthern, Stockton[18]
2001–021222HalifaxHull IoniansWigton, Middlesbrough, Bradford & Bingley[19]
2002–031222DarlingtonMacclesfieldSandal, West Hartlepool[20]
2003–041222Bradford & BingleyCleckheatonHuddersfield, Aspatria, Driffield[21]
2004–051222Preston GrasshoppersHull IoniansSheffield, Liverpool St Helens, Vale of Lune[22]
2005–061222MorleyWest Park St HelensWhitchurch, Middlesbrough, Longton[23]
2006–071222CaldyBeverleyNew Brighton, Chester, Stockport[24]
2007–081222KendalHuddersfieldPenrith, Altrincham Kersal[25]
2008–091222WestoeHullNo relegation[26]

National League 3 North (2009–2017)

For the 2009–10 season North Division One was renamed as National League 3 North following a restructuring of the national leagues which led to changes at all levels.

National League 3 North
Season No of teams No of matches Champions Runners–up Relegated teams Reference
2009–101426MorleyStockportWest Hartlepool, Cleckheaton, West Park St Helens[27]
2010–111426StockportChesterRochdale, Billingham, Middlesbrough[28]
2011–121426Darlington Mowden ParkRossendaleMorley, Altrincham Kersal, Beverley[29]
2012–131426ChesterHarrogateWest Hartlepool, Kendal, Birkenhead Park[30]
2013–141426HuddersfieldStockportPenrith, Percy Park, Bradford & Bingley[31]
2014–151426Sale FCSandalBeverley, Westoe, Morley[32]
2015–161426Sheffield TigersWirralHuddersfield YMCA, Birkenhead Park, Burnage[33]
2016–171426HuddersfieldRossendaleStockport, Firwood Waterloo, Cleckheaton[34]
Green background are the promotion places.

North Premier (2017–present)

The division was renamed North Premier for the 2017–18 season in order to make it more obvious that this was a regional division and the top one in the north.

North Premier
Season No of teams No of matches Champions Runners–up Relegated teams Reference
2017-181426Preston GrasshoppersHullPocklington, Morley, Birkenhead Park[35]
2018-191426HullBlaydonWilmslow, Vale of Lune, Kendal[36]
2019–201421[lower-alpha 2]BlaydonHarrogateIlkley, Morpeth, Carlisle[39]
2020–211426
Green background are the promotion places.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the league runners-up of North Premier and Midlands Premier for the third and final promotion place to National League 2 North. The team with the superior league record has home advantage. As of the end of the 2019–20 season the northern teams have been stronger with twelve wins to the Midlands seven, while the home team has won thirteen times compared to the away teams six.

North Premier v Midlands Premier promotion play-off results
Season Home team Score Away team Venue Attendance Reference
2000–01Blaydon (N)31–12Leicester Lions (M)Crow Trees, Swalwell, County Durham[40]
2001–02Hull Ionians (N)35–22Walsall (M)Brantingham Park, Brantingham, East Riding of Yorkshire[41][42]
2002–03Luctonians (M)3–17Macclesfield (N)Mortimer Park, Kingsland, Herefordshire1,000[43][44]
2003–04Cleckheaton (N)23–10Kettering (M)Cleckheaton Sports Club, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire900[45][46]
2004–05Hull Ionians (N)19–18Kettering (M)Brantingham Park, Brantingham, East Riding of Yorkshire[47][48]
2005–06Bedford Athletic (M)17–24West Park St Helens (N)Putnoe Woods, Bedford, Bedfordshire[49][50][51]
2006–07Beverley (N)7–3Dudley Kingswinford (M)Beaver Park, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire[52][53]
2007–08Huddersfield (N)22–7Luctonians (M)Lockwood Park, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire[54][55]
2008–09Hull (N)40–15Chester (M)Ferens Ground, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire[56][57]
2009–10Stockport (N)10–18Luctonians (M)The Memorial Ground, Stockport, Greater Manchester350[58][59]
2010–11Sheffield Tigers (M)16–14Chester (N)Dore Moor, Sheffield, South Yorkshire[60][61]
2011–12Dudley Kingswinford (M)36–27Rossendale (N)Heath Brook, Kingswinford, West Midlands1,000[62][63]
2012–13Sutton Coldfield (M)13–28Harrogate (N)Roger Smoldon Ground, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands650[64][65][66]
2013–14Stockport (N)52–22Sutton Coldfield (M)The Memorial Ground, Stockport, Greater Manchester[67][68]
2014–15Sandal (N)20–10Hinckley (M)Milnthorpe Green, Sandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire200[69][70]
2015–16Hinckley (M)33–20Wirral (N)Leicester Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire650[71][72]
2016–17Rossendale (N)31–32Sheffield (M)Marl Pits, Rawtenstall, Lancashire413[73]
2017–18Hull (N)22-31Peterborough Lions (M)Ferens Ground, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire[74]
2018–19Luctonians (M)31–17Blaydon (N)Mortimer Park, Kingsland, Herefordshire1,757[75]
2019–20Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Best ranked runner up - Harrogate (N) - promoted instead.
2020–21
Green background represent the promoted teams. (M) stands for the Midlands teams while (N) stands for the Northern teams.

Number of league titles

See also

Notes
  1. Due to RFU restructuring of the English league structure there would be no relegation this season.
  2. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom the RFU cancelled all rugby below the Premiership with most clubs in North Premier having played 21 games, and a best playing record formula was used to decide the final table.[37][38]
  3. Currently known as South Shields Westoe.

References
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  8. Mick Cleary, ed. (1997). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1997–98 (26th ed.). London: Headline Book Publishers. ISBN 0-7472-7732-X.
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  11. Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1992). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1992–93. London: Headline Book Publishing. pp. 170–185. ISBN 0-7472-7907-1.
  12. Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1993). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1993–94. London: Headline Book Publishing. pp. 151–167. ISBN 0-7472-7891-1.
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