Yorkshire Men's League
| Country |
 England |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | National Conference League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Fryston Warriors |
| Website |
The Yorkshire Men's League is a rugby league competition for clubs in Yorkshire. It is a successor league for the Rugby League Conference also comprising clubs from the CMS Yorkshire league, Pennine League and Hull & District League.
History
The Yorkshire Men's League comes from the merger of elements from two strands of rugby league: the British Amateur Rugby League Association and Rugby League Conference.
The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) was created in 1973 by a group of enthusiasts concerned about the dramatic disappearance of many amateur leagues and clubs. BARLA merged the vast majority of the district leagues into larger regional leagues and created an elite National Conference League, this saw a revitalisation of the game in heartland areas of Yorkshire.
In contrast, the Rugby League Conference (RLC) was born in 1997 as the Southern Conference, a 10-team pilot league for teams in the South of England and English Midlands taking place in the summer time rather than the traditional winter season. It led to the creation of many new teams in non-traditional areas; Rotherham Giants became the first Yorkshire-based team to join in 2000. Other Yorkshire teams, mostly non-traditional parts of Yorkshire such as North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire followed playing in the North East and North Midlands divisions until a Yorkshire division was created in 2004.
By 2008, there were enough sides for a higher level Yorkshire Premier division to be created and in 2010, a Yorkshire & Humber Merit League was created out of existing merit leagues. The Conference in Yorkshire thus had a three tier structure with the Yorkshire Premier division at the top and the Yorkshire regional division and the Yorkshire & Humber merit league below.
With the RLC growing rapidly, some BARLA sides chose to leave traditional winter leagues and join the summer-based RLC. However, in 2011, the National Conference League, voted to switch to a summer season and most of the reserve teams followed. There was a short season from September to November in 2011 with teams from British Amateur Rugby League Association leagues CMS Yorkshire league, Pennine League and Hull & District League playing in four regional groups under the name Yorkshire Men's League.
The Rugby League Conference was replaced in 2012 by a series of locally administered leagues. This saw the Yorkshire Men's League merge with the RLC Yorkshire Premier and regional divisions as well as the Yorkshire & Humber merit league to create a three-tier structure.
Yorkshire Men's League Pyramid
- National Conference League
- Yorkshire Men's League Premier division
- Yorkshire Men's League groups
- Yorkshire Men's League merit league
Clubs
| Premier Division clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holderness Vikings | Hull, East Yorkshire | |||||
| Illingtonworth | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Kippax Knights | Kippax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Ovenden | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Scarborough Pirates | Scarborough, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Sharlston Rovers | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Skirlaugh Bulls | Hull, East Yorkshire | |||||
| West Hull Lions | Hull, East Yorkshire | |||||
| Division 1 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bentley | Doncaster, South Yorkshire | |||||
| Beverley | Hull, East Yorkshire | |||||
| Birstall Victoria | Batley, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Hull Wyke | Hull, East Yorkshire | |||||
| Mirfield Stags | Mirfield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Milford Marlins | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Oulton Raiders A | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | |||||
| Siddal | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| York Acorn | York, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Division 2 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Dudley Hill A | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
| East Leeds A | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Elland | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Featherstone Lions A | Featherstone, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Heworth | York, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Hunslet Warriors A | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Normanton Knights | Normanton, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Shaw Cross Sharks A | Dewsbury, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Division 3 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Victoria Rangers | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Knottingley Worms | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Keighley Cougars | Keighley, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Leeds Akkies | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Ossett Trinity | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Slaithwaite Saracens | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Stanningley A | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| York Locomotive | York, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Division 4 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleford Lock Lane | Castleford, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Garforth Tigers | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Guiseley Rangers | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Mirfield Stags A | Mirfield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Scarborough Pirates A | Scarborough, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Siddal B | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Stanley Rangers A | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
Past winners
Premier Division
- 2012 Fryston Warriors
Groups play-off
- 2011
- 2012 Normanton Knights A
Merit League
- 2012 Myton Warriors A
Teams entering a winter league in 2012/13
Many teams (re-)entered a winter league for various reasons after this season.
- Pennine League: Shaw Cross Sharks A, Siddal A, Eastmoor Dragons A, Greetland Allrounders, Knottingley Rockware Stolze, Westgate Wolves
- Hull & District League: Hull Dockers A, Skirlaugh A, West Hull A, Myton Warriors A, Scarborough Pirates, Haworth Park Rangers
See also
External links
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
