National League 3 Midlands

National League 3 Midlands
Current season or competition:
2015–16 National League 3 Midlands
Sport Rugby union
Instituted 1987
Number of teams 14
Country  England
Holders South Leicester (2014–15
promoted to National League 2 North)
Website clubs.rfu.com

National League 3 Midlands (known before September 2009 as Midlands 1) is a level five league in the English rugby union system. It is one of four leagues at this level, with its counterparts, National League 3 London & SE, National League 3 North and National League 3 South West. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following reorganisation by the Rugby Football Union.

National League 3 Midlands is the highest, regional rugby union league in the English Midlands and the champion club is automatically promoted to National Division 2 North. The runner-up meets the second placed team of National League 3 North with the winner also gaining promotion. Relegated teams drop down to either Midlands 1 East or Midlands 1 West depending on location, and other factors such as the location of relegated and promoted teams in other divisions.

Participating teams and locations

2015-16 West Midlands National League 3 Midlands clubs
Team Ground Capacity City/Area Previous season
Birmingham & Solihull Portway Portway, Birmingham, West Midlands Relegated from 2014–15 National League 2 North (14th)
Bromsgrove Finstall Park Bromsgrove, Worcestershire 6yj
Hinckley Leicester Road Hinckley, Leicestershire 2nd (lost playoff)
Lichfield Cooke Fields Lichfield, Staffordshire 9th
Longton Trentham Fields Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire 10th
Newport (Salop) The Old Showground Newport, Shropshire Promoted from Midlands 1 West (champions)
Nuneaton Liberty Way 4,314 (514 seats) Nuneaton, Warwickshire 4th
Old Halesonians Wassell Grove Hagley, Stourbridge, Worcestershire 5th
Old Northamptonians Sir Humphrey Cripps Pavilion Northampton, Northamptonshire Promoted from Midlands 1 East (playoffs)
Peterborough Lions Bretton Woods Peterborough, Cambridgeshire 3rd
Sandbach Bradwell Road Sandbach, Cheshire 8th
Scunthorpe Heslam Park Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire 7th
Sutton Coldfield Roger Smoldon Ground Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands 11th
Syston Barkby Road Queniborough, Leicestershire Promoted from Midlands 1 East (champions)

Teams 2014-15


Teams 2013-14

Teams 2012–13

Teams 2011–12

Teams 2010–11

Teams 2009-10

First season as National 3 Midlands

Teams 2007–08

National League 3 Midlands Honours

List of National League 3 Midlands Honours
Season No of teams Champions Runners–up Relegated Teams League Name
1998-99[1] 17 Bedford Athletic Scunthorpe Leighton Buzzard, Mansfield, Wolverhampton Midlands Division 1
1999-00[2] 17 Dudley Kingswinford Scunthorpe Belgrave, Lichfield, Hinckley, Syston Midlands Division 1
2000-01[3] 12 Scunthorpe Leicester Lions Stoke-on-Trent, Burton, Newbold-on-Avon Midlands Division 1
2001-02[4] 12 Broadstreet Walsall Banbury, Camp Hill, Hereford Midlands Division 1
2002-03[5] 12 Longton Luctonians Barkers Butts, Kenilworth, Hinckley Midlands Division 1
2003-04[6] 12 Bedford Athletic Kettering Luton, Old Laurentians, Spalding Midlands Division 1
2004-05[7] 12 Leicester Lions Kettering Mansfield, Broadstreet, Derby Midlands Division 1
2005-06[8] 12 Rugby Lions Bedford Athletic Bromsgrove, Burton, Kettering Midlands Division 1
2006-07[9] 12 Luton Dudley Kingswinford Market Bosworth, Walsall Midlands Division 1
2007-08[10] 12 Loughborough Students Luctonians Dudley Kingswinford, Scunthorpe, Dunstablians Midlands Division 1
2008-09[11] 12 Broadstreet Chester No relegation due to league restructure[n 1] Midlands Division 1
2009-10 14 No champion [n 2] Luctonians, Hinckley Bedford Athletic, Malvern National League 3 Midlands
2010-11 14 Bromsgrove Sheffield Tigers Burton, Kenilworth, Peterborough Lions National League 3 Midlands
2011-12 14 Rugby Lions[n 3] Dudley Kingswinford Manchester, Old Northamptonians, Hereford National League 3 Midlands
2012-13 14 Ampthill Sutton Coldfield Derby, Mansfield National League 3 Midlands
2013-14 14 Broadstreet Sutton Coldfield Bedford Athletic, Syston, Newport National League 3 Midlands
2014-15 14 South Leicester Hinckley Dudley Kingswinford, Burton, Bournville National League 3 Midlands
2015-16 14 National League 3 Midlands
Green background are promotion places.
  1. ↑ The division would be renamed National League 3 Midlands for the next season and along with the whole national restructure of the league system by the RFU lead to mass changes at all levels.
  2. ↑ A breach of game regulations by Ampthill during the Luctonians game on 01/05/2010 led to Ampthill being denied promotion and transferred to National League 3 London & SE. By the time of the ruling Luctonians had already won their playoff against the runner up of National 3 North so Hinckley were promoted along with them despite finishing third.[12][13]
  3. ↑ Despite winning the league Rugby Lions would not be promoted to National 2 South as the club would go into liquidation during the summer due to unpaid debts. The club was thrown out of the league and would only rejoin in 2013-14 as part of Midlands 5 West (South).[14]

See Also

References

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