National Conference League

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
Scotland Scottish National League
Domestic cup(s) Challenge Cup
League 1 Cup
Conference Challenge Trophy
Current champions
Leigh Miners Rangers (Premier Division)
Kells (Division One)
Millom (Division Two)
Hunslet Club Parkside (Division Three)
(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
12 clubs – 3 relegations

2

Division One
14 clubs – 3 promotions, 3 relegations

3

Division Two
11 clubs – 3 promotions, 2 relegations

4

Division Three
11 clubs – 3 promotions, 2 relegations

Clubs

Premier Division clubs
Club City
Castleford Lock Lane Castleford, West Yorkshire
East Leeds Leeds, West Yorkshire
Egremont Rangers Egremont, Cumbria
Hull Dockers Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Leigh Miners Rangers Leigh, Greater Manchester
Oulton Raiders Leeds, West Yorkshire
Rochdale Mayfield Rochdale, Greater Manchester
Siddal Halifax, West Yorkshire
Thatto Heath Crusaders St Helens, Merseyside
Wath Brow Hornets Cleator Moor, Cumbria
West Hull Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Wigan St Patricks Wigan, Greater Manchester
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

External links

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