Northern Football League

Northern Football League
Northern League
Countries England
Founded 1889
Divisions Division One
Division Two
Number of teams 44
Levels on pyramid Levels 9 and 10
Feeder to Northern Premier League
Division One North
Domestic cup(s) Northern League Cup
Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup
J.R. Cleator Cup
Current champions Spennymoor Town (Division One)
Newton Aycliffe (Division Two)
(201011)

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 200809 season.[1]

Current clubs

Division One

Northern Football League is located in Northern England
Map showing the location of teams in the 201112 Northern League
Club
Finishing position 200910 Finishing position 201011
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 200910 Finishing position 201011
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
188990 Darlington St. Augustine's
189091 Middlesbrough Ironopolis
189192 Middlesbrough Ironopolis
189293 Middlesbrough Ironopolis
189394 Middlesbrough
189495 Middlesbrough
189596 Darlington
189697 Middlesbrough
189798 Stockton
189899 Bishop Auckland
18991900 Darlington
190001 Bishop Auckland
190102 Bishop Auckland
190203 Newcastle United A
190304 Newcastle United A
190405 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
190506 Sunderland A Bishop Auckland

In 1906 the league reverted to a single division, a format retained until 1982.[2]

Season Champions
190607 Stockton
190708 South Bank
190809 Bishop Auckland
190910 Bishop Auckland
191011 Eston United
191112 Bishop Auckland
191213 Esh Winning
191314 Willington
191415 Crook Town
191519 Not contested due to World War I
191920 South Bank
192021 Bishop Auckland
192122 South Bank
192223 Eston United
192324 Tow Law
192425 Tow Law
192526 Willington
192627 Crook Town
192728 Chilton Colliery
192829 Stockton
192930 Willington
193031 Bishop Auckland
193132 Stockton
193233 Stockton
193334 Shildon
193435 Shildon
193536 Shildon
193637 Shildon
193738 Ferryhill Athletic
193839 Bishop Auckland
193940 Shildon
194045 Not contested due to World War II
194546 Stanley United
194647 Bishop Auckland
194748 Ferryhill Athletic
194849 Evenwood Town
194950 Bishop Auckland
195051 Bishop Auckland
195152 Bishop Auckland
195253 Crook Town
195354 Bishop Auckland
195455 Bishop Auckland
195556 Bishop Auckland
195657 Billingham Synthonia
195758 Ferryhill Athletic
195859 Crook Town
195960 West Auckland
196061 West Auckland
196162 Stanley United
196263 Crook Town
196364 Stanley United
196465 Whitley Bay
196566 Whitley Bay
196667 Bishop Auckland
196768 Spennymoor United
196869 North Shields
196970 Evenwood Town
197071 Evenwood Town
197172 Spennymoor
197273 Blyth Spartans
197374 Spennymoor United
197475 Blyth Spartans
197576 Blyth Spartans
197677 Spennymoor United
197778 Spennymoor United
197879 Spennymoor United
197980 Blyth Spartans
198081 Blyth Spartans
198182 Blyth Spartans

In 1982 the league added a second division.[2]

Season Division One Division Two
198283 Blyth Spartans Peterlee Newtown
198384 Blyth Spartans Chester-le-Street Town
198485 Bishop Auckland Brandon United
198586 Bishop Auckland Newcastle Blue Star
198687 Blyth Spartans Billingham Synthonia
198788 Blyth Spartans Stockton
198889 Billingham Synthonia Consett
198990 Billingham Synthonia Murton
199091 Gretna West Auckland Town
199192 Gretna Stockton
199293 Whitby Town Dunston Federation Brewery
199394 Durham City Bedlington Terriers
199495 Tow Law Town Whickham
199596 Billingham Synthonia Morpeth Town
199697 Whitby Town Northallerton
199798 Bedlington Terriers Chester-le-Street Town
199899 Bedlington Terriers Durham City
19992000 Bedlington Terriers Brandon United
200001 Bedlington Terriers Ashington
200102 Bedlington Terriers Shildon
200203 Brandon United Penrith
200304 Dunston Federation Brewery Ashington
200405 Dunston Federation Brewery West Allotment Celtic
200506 Newcastle Blue Star Consett
200607 Whitley Bay Spennymoor Town
200708 Durham City Penrith Town
200809 Newcastle Benfield Horden Colliery Welfare
200910 Spennymoor Town Stokesley
201011 Spennymoor Town Newton Aycliffe

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Northern Football League (Australia) — Northern Football League Current season or competition: 2011 Northern Football League Season Formerly Diamond Valley Football League …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Football League (Scotland) — Northern League Sport Football Founded 1891 No. of teams Various Country(ies) Scotland Ceased 1920 Last champion(s) Montrose …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Football League (disambiguation) — Northern Football League may refer to: Northern Football League (England) – association football league in England Northern Football League (Scotland) – defunct association football league in Scotland Northern Football League (Australia) – an… …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Premier League — Die Northern Premier League (NPL) ist eine regionale Fußballmeisterschaft in England. Die Meisterschaft bildet zusammen mit der Southern Football League und der Isthmian League die siebte und achte Stufe des englischen Ligasystems. Aufgrund des… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Northern Premier League — This article is about the English association football league. For the Tasmanian association football league, see Northern Premier League (Tasmania). Northern Premier League Countries …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Lakes League — The Northern Lakes League (NLL), is an OHSAA high school athletic conference that was formed in 1956 and comprises eight high schools in Northwest Ohio. Contents 1 Current members 2 Former members 3 League History …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Premier League — La Northern Premier League est une des ligues régionales, aux niveaux D7 et D8, du football en Angleterre. Elle a été fondée en 1968, et elle est devenue la ligue principale sous la Football League dans le nord d Angleterre, avant la fondation de …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Northern Premier League (Tasmania) — Sport Football (soccer) Founded 1912 No. of teams 9 Country(ies)  Australia …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Premier League Challenge Cup — Founded 1969 Region  England Number of teams 66 Current champions Ashton United (1st time) …   Wikipedia

  • Northern Counties East Football League — Countries  England Founded 1982 Divisions Premier Division (1982–present) Division One …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/11832205 Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”