- Northern Football League
-
For other uses, see Northern Football League (disambiguation).
Northern League 
Countries England Founded 1889 Divisions Division One
Division TwoNumber of teams 44 Levels on pyramid Levels 9 and 10 Feeder to Northern Premier League
Division One NorthDomestic cup(s) Northern League Cup
Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup
J.R. Cleator CupCurrent champions Spennymoor Town (Division One)
Newton Aycliffe (Division Two)
(2010–11)The Northern League is a football league in North East England for semi-professional and amateur teams. Having been founded in 1889, it is the oldest surviving football league in the world after the Football League.
It contains two divisions; Division One and Division Two. Division One sits on the ninth tier of the English football league system, five divisions below the Football League. These leagues cover County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, northern Cumbria and the northern half of North Yorkshire.
The champions and the runners-up of Division One are eligible for promotion to Division One North of the Northern Premier League, subject to certain criteria.
Contents
History
The Northern League ran as one of two major amateur competitions (with the Isthmian League) in tandem with the professional Football League, Southern League and, since 1968, the Northern Premier League.
The area covered by the Northern League is coloured in red.
In 1974, amateur status was abandoned by the Football Association and amateur leagues like the Northern had to find a place in the overall structure of non-League football. Unlike its southern equivalent the Isthmian League who became a feeder in 1982, the Northern League rejected repeated invitations to become a feeder league to the Alliance Premier League, later the Conference, when that league was created in 1979.
Ultimately, the Northern League remained out of the football pyramid until 1991, a decision that proved very costly to its status. The league declined throughout the 1980s as its leading clubs defected to other leagues within the football pyramid, such as the Northern Counties East Football League.
When the Northern League was finally forced into the pyramid, the opportunity to become a feeder league to the Conference had long passed and the Northern League was forced to become a feeder league to the lower division of the Northern Premier League, two tiers below the Conference.
The League suffered a further blow to its prestige in 1995 when the Football Association limited the entry to the FA Trophy to the first three steps of the pyramid thereby disqualifying the Northern League's clubs and those in equivalent competitions from competing for the FA Trophy. Northern League clubs now compete for the FA Vase.
The League had an unusual sponsorship deal put in place by Brooks Mileson, owner of the Albany Group, who were its sponsors in 2003. In that year, Mileson announced that he had created a trust which would continue to sponsor the league throughout his lifetime and that of his sons. In 2008, however, the league announced that this sponsorship had come to an end, and it held a raffle to determine its next sponsor. Interested parties were invited to buy a stake in the raffle for £250. The winning stake was held by a local training company and the league has been known as the skilltrainingltd Northern League since the 2008–09 season.[1]
Current clubs
Division One
Map showing the location of teams in the 2011–12 Northern LeagueClub Finishing position 2009–10 Finishing position 2010–11 Ashington 6th 8th Bedlington Terriers 7th 9th Billingham Synthonia 12th 12th Billingham Town 19th 15th Bishop Auckland 13th 14th Consett 10th 2nd Dunston UTS 4th 7th Esh Winning 18th 21st RELEGATED to Division Two Jarrow Roofing 3rd PROMOTED from Division Two 19th Newcastle Benfield 5th 4th Norton & Stockton Ancients 8th 10th Penrith 14th 17th Ryton 17th 22nd RELEGATED to Division Two Shildon 2nd 5th South Shields 11th 11th Spennymoor Town 1st CHAMPIONS 1st CHAMPIONS Stokesley 1st PROMOTED from Division Two 16th Sunderland RCA 2nd PROMOTED from Division Two 13th Tow Law Town 9th 18th West Allotment Celtic 15th 20th RELEGATED to Division Two West Auckland Town 16th 6th Whitley Bay 3rd 3rd Division Two
Club Finishing position 2009–10 Finishing position 2010–11 Birtley Town 20th 13th Brandon United 15th 19th Chester-le-Street Town 20th RELEGATED from Division One 8th Crook Town 13th 12th Darlington Railway Athletic 19th 15th Gillford Park 11th 11th Guisborough Town 5th 2nd PROMOTED to Division One Hebburn Town 16th 10th Horden Colliery Welfare 22nd RELEGATED from Division One 18th Marske United 4th 3rd PROMOTED to Division One Morpeth Town 21st RELEGATED from Division One 20th Newton Aycliffe 9th 1st PROMOTED to Division One North Shields 6th 4th Northallerton Town 8th 9th Seaham Red Star 12th 17th Team Northumbria 14th 5th Thornaby 17th 14th Washington 18th 16th Whickham 10th 6th Whitehaven 7th 7th Champions
Middlesbrough Ironopolis were champions three times in a row in the 1890s.Originally the league comprised a single division. The champions were as follows:[2]
Season Champions 1889–90 Darlington St. Augustine's 1890–91 Middlesbrough Ironopolis 1891–92 Middlesbrough Ironopolis 1892–93 Middlesbrough Ironopolis 1893–94 Middlesbrough 1894–95 Middlesbrough 1895–96 Darlington 1896–97 Middlesbrough 1897–98 Stockton 1898–99 Bishop Auckland 1899–1900 Darlington 1900–01 Bishop Auckland 1901–02 Bishop Auckland 1902–03 Newcastle United A 1903–04 Newcastle United A 1904–05 Newcastle United A In 1905 the league split into two sections, one for professionals and one for amateurs. This lasted for a single season.[2]
Season Professional Amateur 1905–06 Sunderland A Bishop Auckland In 1906 the league reverted to a single division, a format retained until 1982.[2]
Season Champions 1906–07 Stockton 1907–08 South Bank 1908–09 Bishop Auckland 1909–10 Bishop Auckland 1910–11 Eston United 1911–12 Bishop Auckland 1912–13 Esh Winning 1913–14 Willington 1914–15 Crook Town 1915–19 Not contested due to World War I 1919–20 South Bank 1920–21 Bishop Auckland 1921–22 South Bank 1922–23 Eston United 1923–24 Tow Law 1924–25 Tow Law 1925–26 Willington 1926–27 Crook Town 1927–28 Chilton Colliery 1928–29 Stockton 1929–30 Willington 1930–31 Bishop Auckland 1931–32 Stockton 1932–33 Stockton 1933–34 Shildon 1934–35 Shildon 1935–36 Shildon 1936–37 Shildon 1937–38 Ferryhill Athletic 1938–39 Bishop Auckland 1939–40 Shildon 1940–45 Not contested due to World War II 1945–46 Stanley United 1946–47 Bishop Auckland 1947–48 Ferryhill Athletic 1948–49 Evenwood Town 1949–50 Bishop Auckland 1950–51 Bishop Auckland 1951–52 Bishop Auckland 1952–53 Crook Town 1953–54 Bishop Auckland 1954–55 Bishop Auckland 1955–56 Bishop Auckland 1956–57 Billingham Synthonia 1957–58 Ferryhill Athletic 1958–59 Crook Town 1959–60 West Auckland 1960–61 West Auckland 1961–62 Stanley United 1962–63 Crook Town 1963–64 Stanley United 1964–65 Whitley Bay 1965–66 Whitley Bay 1966–67 Bishop Auckland 1967–68 Spennymoor United 1968–69 North Shields 1969–70 Evenwood Town 1970–71 Evenwood Town 1971–72 Spennymoor 1972–73 Blyth Spartans 1973–74 Spennymoor United 1974–75 Blyth Spartans 1975–76 Blyth Spartans 1976–77 Spennymoor United 1977–78 Spennymoor United 1978–79 Spennymoor United 1979–80 Blyth Spartans 1980–81 Blyth Spartans 1981–82 Blyth Spartans In 1982 the league added a second division.[2]
References
- ^ Anthony Vickers (2008-08-08). "League’s new name". Evening Gazette. http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/north-east-sport/football/non-league-football/2008/08/08/league-s-new-name-84229-21491860/. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
- ^ a b c d "England – Northern League". RSSSF. 2007-02-07. http://www.rsssf.com/tablese/engnorthernleaghist.html. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
External links
Northern League Division One Ashington · Bedlington Terriers · Billingham Synthonia · Billingham Town · Bishop Auckland · Consett · Dunston UTS · Guisborough Town · Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association · Marske United · Newcastle Benfield · Norton & Stockton Ancients · Penrith · Shildon · South Shields · Spennymoor Town · Stokesley Sports Club · Sunderland Rhyhope Community Association · Tow Law Town · Newton Aycliffe · West Auckland Town · Whitley BayDivision Two Alnwick Town · Birtley Town · Brandon United · Chester-le-Street Town · Crook Town · Darlington Railway Athletic · Easington Colliery · Esh Winning · Gillford Park · Hebburn Town · Horden Colliery Welfare · Morpeth Town · North Shields · Northallerton Town · Ryton & Crawcrook Albion · Seaham Red Star · Team Northumbria · Thornaby · Washington · West Allotment Celtic · Whickham · WhitehavenFootball in England The FA · PFA · LMA National teams National Football Centre St George's Park (Burton)League system Domestic cups FA Cup · Football League Cup · FA Community Shield · Football League Trophy · FA Trophy · Conference League Cup · FA Vase · FA Inter-League CupOthers Masters FootballLists Venues · Competitions · Trophies and Awards · History · Records Categories:- Northern Football League
- 1889 establishments in England
- Football leagues in England
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
