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 formally known as North Division One. 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, Rotherham Titans (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 One
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]
1989–901110OtleyHarrogateBirkenhead Park in last place (no relegation)[9]
1990–911110AspatriaBradford & BingleyHalifax[10]
1991–921110RotherhamTynedaleBirkenhead Park[11]
1992–931312Bradford & BingleyTynedaleLymm[12]

National Five North

The top six teams from North Division One and the top six from Midland Division One were combined to create National 5 North. North Division One was now the name of a tier six league and was one of two feeder leagues for National 5 North, the other being Midland Division One.

National Five North
Season No of teams No of matches Champions Runners–up Relegated teams Reference
1993–941312RotherhamPreston GrasshoppersDurham City, Bradford & Bingley[13]
1994–951312WalsallKendalBarkers Butts, Hereford[14]
1995–961312WharfedaleWorcesterBroughton Park[15]

North Division One

National 5 North was split and renamed Midland Division One and North Division One, and the top four divisions increased in size. Wharfedale was promoted to National Division Three and all of the other teams, bar Broughton Park, were transferred to the tier four, National 4 North.[15]

North Division One
Season No of teams No of matches Champions Runners–up Relegated teams Reference
1996–971222Sedgley ParkTynedaleBradford & Bingley[16]
1997–981222New BrightonDoncasterWest Park Bramhope[17]
1998–991222DoncasterNorthernBridlington, Broughton Park[18]
1999–001222Tynedale Hull IoniansWidnes, Winnington Park[19]
2000–011222Darlington Mowden Park BlaydonNorthern, Stockton[20]
2001–021222HalifaxHull IoniansWigton, Middlesbrough, Bradford & Bingley[21]
2002–031222Darlington MacclesfieldSandal, West Hartlepool[22]
2003–041222Bradford & BingleyCleckheatonHuddersfield, Aspatria, Driffield[23]
2004–051222Preston GrasshoppersHull IoniansSheffield, Liverpool St Helens, Vale of Lune[24]
2005–061222MorleyWest Park St HelensWhitchurch, Middlesbrough, Longton[25]
2006–071222CaldyBeverleyNew Brighton, Chester, Stockport[26]
2007–081222KendalHuddersfieldPenrith, Altrincham Kersal[27]
2008–091222WestoeHullNo relegation[28]

National League 3 North

The division was renamed 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[29]
2010–111426StockportChesterRochdale, Billingham, Middlesbrough[30]
2011–121426Darlington Mowden ParkRossendaleMorley, Altrincham Kersal, Beverley[31]
2012–131426ChesterHarrogateWest Hartlepool, Kendal, Birkenhead Park[32]
2013–141426HuddersfieldStockportPenrith, Percy Park, Bradford & Bingley[33]
2014–151426Sale FCSandalBeverley, Westoe, Morley[34]
2015–161426Sheffield TigersWirralHuddersfield YMCA, Birkenhead Park, Burnage[35]
2016–171426HuddersfieldRossendaleStockport, Firwood Waterloo, Cleckheaton[36]
Green background are the promotion places.

North Premier

The division was renamed North Premier 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[37]
2018-191426HullBlaydonWilmslow, Vale of Lune, Kendal[38]
2019–201421[lower-alpha 1]BlaydonHarrogateIlkley, Morpeth, Carlisle[41]
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[42]
2001–02Hull Ionians (N)35–22Walsall (M)Brantingham Park, Brantingham, East Riding of Yorkshire[43][44]
2002–03Luctonians (M)3–17Macclesfield (N)Mortimer Park, Kingsland, Herefordshire1,000[45][46]
2003–04Cleckheaton (N)23–10Kettering (M)Cleckheaton Sports Club, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire900[47][48]
2004–05Hull Ionians (N)19–18Kettering (M)Brantingham Park, Brantingham, East Riding of Yorkshire[49][50]
2005–06Bedford Athletic (M)17–24West Park St Helens (N)Putnoe Woods, Bedford, Bedfordshire[51][52][53]
2006–07Beverley (N)7–3Dudley Kingswinford (M)Beaver Park, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire[54][55]
2007–08Huddersfield (N)22–7Luctonians (M)Lockwood Park, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire[56][57]
2008–09Hull (N)40–15Chester (M)Ferens Ground, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire[58][59]
2009–10Stockport (N)10–18Luctonians (M)The Memorial Ground, Stockport, Greater Manchester350[60][61]
2010–11Sheffield Tigers (M)16–14Chester (N)Dore Moor, Sheffield, South Yorkshire[62][63]
2011–12Dudley Kingswinford (M)36–27Rossendale (N)Heath Brook, Kingswinford, West Midlands1,000[64][65]
2012–13Sutton Coldfield (M)13–28Harrogate (N)Roger Smoldon Ground, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands650[66][67][68]
2013–14Stockport (N)52–22Sutton Coldfield (M)The Memorial Ground, Stockport, Greater Manchester[69][70]
2014–15Sandal (N)20–10Hinckley (M)Milnthorpe Green, Sandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire200[71][72]
2015–16Hinckley (M)33–20Wirral (N)Leicester Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire650[73][74]
2016–17Rossendale (N)31–32Sheffield (M)Marl Pits, Rawtenstall, Lancashire413[75]
2017–18Hull (N)22-31Peterborough Lions (M)Ferens Ground, Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire[76]
2018–19Luctonians (M)31–17Blaydon (N)Mortimer Park, Kingsland, Herefordshire1,757[77]
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

Notes
  1. 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.[39][40]
  2. One of Rotherham's two league titles was won during the period when tier 5 was divided into 2 regional divisions - National 5 North and National 5 South (1993-96).
  3. Currently known as South Shields Westoe.
  4. Wharfedale's league title was won during the period when tier 5 was divided into 2 regional divisions - National 5 North and National 5 South (1993-96).

See also

References
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