National Conference League
Country | England |
---|---|
Confederation | RFL |
Founded | 1986 |
Divisions |
Premier Division Division One Division Two Division Three |
Number of teams | 40 |
Level on pyramid | 4 |
Promotion to | League 1 |
Relegation to |
Cumbria League North West League North East League Yorkshire League Scottish National League |
Domestic cup(s) |
Challenge Cup League 1 Cup Conference Challenge Trophy |
Current champions |
(2015) |
Website | nationalconferenceleague.co.uk |
2015 |
The Kingstone Press National Conference League is the top British amateur rugby league competition in the Rugby Football League pyramid, and as such is the leading amateur rugby league competition in England. Since 2012, the National Conference operates over a summer season in line with the professional game.
History
The league was founded as the BARLA National League for the 1986–87 season with 10 teams: Dudley Hill, Egremont Rangers, Heworth, Leigh Miners Welfare (now Leigh Miners Rangers), Milford Marlins, Millom, Pilkington Recs, West Hull, Wigan St Patrick's and Woolston Rovers. The original NCL concept was one team per town.
The league added a second division in 1989, and expanded to three divisions (now named premier, first and second as opposed to first and second) along with a rebrand to the current name of National Conference League in 1993.
Somewhat confusingly, in the late 1990s and 2000s another major amateur competition was also titled conference: the Rugby League Conference (RLC), which operated a summer season as opposed to the traditional winter season retained by the NCL. The move to a summer season by the NCL in 2012 and a reorganisation by the RFL resulted in a merger of the leagues and the creation of a new NCL 3rd division out of the old RLC National Division, which was replaced by the Conference League South in 2013.
Structure
The National Conference League consists of four divisions. Teams can be promoted and relegated through all four divisions, and teams can also be relegated from Division Three into the regional leagues.
Although it is considered the tier below League 1, teams are not promoted and relegated between the amateur NCL and the professional game, although NCL teams do play in the League 1 Cup and Challenge Cup.
Level |
League(s)/Division(s) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Premier Division | |||||
2 |
Division One | |||||
3 |
Division Two | |||||
4 |
Division Three |
Clubs
Division One clubs | ||||||
Club | City | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elland | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
Hunslet Warriors | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
Ince Rose Bridge | Manchester, Greater Manchester | |||||
Kells | Whitehaven, Cumbria | |||||
Milford Marlins | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
Myton Warriors | Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire | |||||
Salford City Roosters | Eccles, Greater Manchester | |||||
Saddleworth Rangers | Oldham, Greater Manchester | |||||
Shaw Cross Sharks | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire | |||||
Skirlaugh | Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire | |||||
Normanton Knights | Normanton, West Yorkshire | |||||
Pilkington Recs | St Helens, Merseyside | |||||
Wigan St Judes | Wigan, Greater Manchester | |||||
York Acorn | York, North Yorkshire |
Division Two clubs | ||||||
Club | City | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Askam | Askam, Cumbria, Cumbria | |||||
Bradford Dudley Hill | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
Blackbrook | Blackbrook, Chesire | |||||
Castleford Panthers | Castleford, West Yorkshire | |||||
Dewsbury Celtic | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire | |||||
Featherstone Lions | Featherstone, West Yorkshire | |||||
Leigh East | Leigh, Greater Manchester | |||||
Millom | Millom, Cumbria | |||||
Oldham St Annes | Oldham, Greater Manchester | |||||
Stanley Rangers | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
Underbank Rangers | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire |
Division Three clubs | ||||||
Club | City | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crosfields | Warrington, Cheshire | |||||
Dewsbury Moor Maroons | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire | |||||
Drighlington | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
Eastmoor Dragons | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
Gateshead Storm | Gateshead, Tyneside | |||||
Hunslet Club Parkside | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
Stanningley | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
Thornhill Trojans | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire | |||||
Waterhead Warriors | Oldham, Greater Manchester | |||||
Wibsey Warriors | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
Woolston Warriors | Warrington, Cheshire |
*capacity for Rugby League games may differ from official stadium capacity.
Past winners
Premier Division
Winners | ||||||
Season | Champions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986–87 | Hewford | |||||
1987–88 | Milford Marlins | |||||
1988–89 | West Hull | |||||
1989–90 | Bradford Dudley Hill | |||||
1990–91 | Leigh East | |||||
1991–92 | Wigan St Patricks | |||||
1992–93 | Saddleworth Rangers | |||||
1993–94 | Woolston Rovers | |||||
1994–95 | Woolston Rovers | |||||
1995–96 | Woolston Rovers | |||||
1996–97 | West Hull | |||||
1997–98 | Egremont Rangers | |||||
1998–99 | West Hull | |||||
1999–2000 | West Hull | |||||
2000–01 | West Hull | |||||
2002 | West Hull | |||||
2003 | Siddal | |||||
2004 | Siddal | |||||
2005 | Leigh Miners Rangers | |||||
2006 | Oulton Raiders | |||||
2007 | Skirlaugh | |||||
2008 | East Hull | |||||
2009 | Siddal | |||||
2010 | Leigh East | |||||
2011 | Thatto Heath Crusaders | |||||
2012 | Wath Brow Hornets | |||||
2013 | West Hull | |||||
2014 | West Hull | |||||
2015 | Leigh Miners Rangers |
Division One
Winners | ||||||
Season | Champions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1993–94 | Hewford | |||||
1994–95 | Millom | |||||
1995–96 | Beverley | |||||
1996–97 | Askam | |||||
1997–98 | Skirlaugh | |||||
1998–99 | Redhill | |||||
1999–2000 | Oulton Raiders | |||||
2000–01 | Leigh East | |||||
2001–02 | West Bowling | |||||
2002–03 | Thatto Heath Crusaders | |||||
2003–04 | Wath Brow Hornets | |||||
2004–05 | Shaw Cross Sharks | |||||
2005–06 | West Hull | |||||
2006–07 | Rochdale Mayfeild | |||||
2007–08 | Wigan St Judes | |||||
2008–09 | Wath Brow Hornets | |||||
2009–10 | Thatto Heath Crusaders | |||||
2010–11 | Oulton Raiders | |||||
2012 | Egremont Rangers | |||||
2013 | East Leeds | |||||
2014 | Oulton Raiders | |||||
2015 | Kells |
Division Two
Winners | ||||||
Season | Champions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1989–90 | Saddleworth Rangers | |||||
1990–91 | Barrow | |||||
1991–92 | West Hull | |||||
1992–93 | Mayfield | |||||
1993–94 | Oldham St Annes | |||||
1994–95 | Eastmoor Dragons | |||||
1995–96 | Wigan St Judes | |||||
1996–97 | Redhill | |||||
1997–98 | Featherstone Lions | |||||
1998–99 | Ideal Isberg | |||||
1999–2000 | Eastmoor Dragons | |||||
2000–01 | Thatto Heath Crusaders | |||||
2001–02 | Crosfields | |||||
2002–03 | Wath Brow Hornets | |||||
2003–04 | East Hull | |||||
2004–05 | Ince Rose Bridge | |||||
2005–06 | Castleford Panthers | |||||
2006–07 | Waterhead | |||||
2007–08 | Millom | |||||
2008–09 | Myton Warriors | |||||
2009–10 | Eccles | |||||
2010–11 | Hunslet Warriors | |||||
2012 | East Leeds | |||||
2013 | Normanton Knights | |||||
2014 | Kells | |||||
2015 | Millom |
National Conference League Third Division Champions
Winners | ||||||
Season | Champions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 | Kells | |||||
2014 | Featherstone Lions | |||||
2015 | Hunslet Club Parkside |
National Conference League Challenge Cup
1987–88 | Leigh Miners Rangers | 15–0 | Milford |
1988–89 | Egremont Rangers | 2–0 | Wigan St Patricks |
1989–90 | Wigan St Patricks | 11–6 | Askam |
1990–91 | Millom | 14–13 | Dudley Hill |
1991–92 | Wigan St Patricks | 14–12 | Saddleworth Rangers |
1992–93 | Saddleworth Rangers | 25–10 | Askam |
1993–94 | Heworth | 22–4 | Blackbrook |
See also
- British Amateur Rugby League Association
- British rugby league system
- CMS Yorkshire league
- Pennine League
- North West Counties
- Cumberland League
- Hull & District League
- Barrow & District League
- Championship and Championship 1 (formerly the National Leagues)
- Rugby League Conference
External links
- Official site
- BARLA Official Website
- NCL Founder Member Millom RLFC
- NCL Member Brighouse Rangers RLFC
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