Northern Football League

Northern League
	200px
Country	England
Founded	1889
Divisions	Division One; Division Two
Number of teams	44
Level on pyramid	Levels 9 and 10
Feeder to	Northern Premier League; Division One North
Domestic cup(s)	Northern League Challenge Cup; Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup; J.R. Cleator Cup
Current champions	Marske United (Division One); Seaham Red Star (Division Two); (2014–15)
Website	Ebac Northern League
	2015–16

The Northern League is a men's 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.

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.

File:Levels 9–10 Football League areas in England.svg

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 was known as the skilltrainingltd Northern League from the 2008–09 season until the 2011–12 season.^[1] The league is currently sponsored by dehumidifier manufacturer Ebac.^[2]

Level 11 clubs from the Northern Football Alliance, Teesside Football League and Wearside Football League may apply for promotion into the 2nd Division.

Current clubs (2015/16)

Division One

Division Two

Location of the Northern League member clubs for the 2014-15 season

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:^[3]

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

In 1897, the league briefly split into two divisions.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Season	Division One	Division Two
1897–98	Stockton	Howden-le-Wear
1898–99	Bishop Auckland	Stockton St. John's
1899–1900	Darlington	Whitby

In 1900, the league reverted to a single division.^[3]

Season	Champions
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.^[3]

Season	Professional	Amateur
1905–06	Sunderland A	Bishop Auckland

In 1906 the league reverted to a single division, a format retained until 1982.^[3]

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 Rangers^[7]
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 Town
1924–25	Tow Law Town
1925–26	Willington
1926–27	Crook Town
1927–28	Chilton Colliery Recreation Athletic
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 Town
1960–61	West Auckland Town
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 United
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.^[3]

Season	Division One	Division Two
1982–83	Blyth Spartans	Peterlee Newtown
1983–84	Blyth Spartans	Chester-le-Street Town
1984–85	Bishop Auckland	Brandon United
1985–86	Bishop Auckland	Newcastle Blue Star
1986–87	Blyth Spartans	Billingham Synthonia
1987–88	Blyth Spartans	Stockton
1988–89	Billingham Synthonia	Consett
1989–90	Billingham Synthonia	Murton
1990–91	Gretna	West Auckland Town
1991–92	Gretna	Stockton
1992–93	Whitby Town	Dunston Federation Brewery
1993–94	Durham City	Bedlington Terriers
1994–95	Tow Law Town	Whickham
1995–96	Billingham Synthonia	Morpeth Town
1996–97	Whitby Town	Northallerton
1997–98	Bedlington Terriers	Chester-le-Street Town
1998–99	Bedlington Terriers	Durham City
1999–2000	Bedlington Terriers	Brandon United
2000–01	Bedlington Terriers	Ashington
2001–02	Bedlington Terriers	Shildon
2002–03	Brandon United	Penrith
2003–04	Dunston Federation Brewery	Ashington
2004–05	Dunston Federation Brewery	West Allotment Celtic
2005–06	Newcastle Blue Star	Consett
2006–07	Whitley Bay	Spennymoor Town
2007–08	Durham City	Penrith Town
2008–09	Newcastle Benfield	Horden Colliery Welfare
2009–10	Spennymoor Town	Stokesley
2010–11	Spennymoor Town	Newton Aycliffe
2011–12	Spennymoor Town	Team Northumbria
2012–13	Darlington 1883	Crook Town
2013–14	Spennymoor Town	North Shields
2014–15	Marske United	Seaham Red Star

Cup Competitions

Northern League teams play in a number of Cup competitions:

At national level:

At regional level:

At league level

Northern League Challenge Cup
Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup (for Division 2 teams only)
JR Cleator Cup (curtain raiser between League and Cup winners)

References

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External links

Official website

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[1]

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v t e Northern League
Division One	Ashington Bedlington Terriers Bishop Auckland Consett Dunston UTS Durham City Guisborough Town Jarrow Roofing Boldon Community Association Marske United Morpeth Town Newcastle Benfield Newton Aycliffe North Shields Norton & Stockton Ancients Penrith Seaham Red Star Shildon Sunderland Ryhope Community Association Washington West Allotment Celtic West Auckland Town Whitley Bay
Division Two	Alnwick Town Billingham Synthonia Billingham Town Birtley Town Brandon United Chester-le-Street Town Crook Town Darlington Railway Athletic Easington Colliery Esh Winning Heaton Stannington Hebburn Town Northallerton Town Ryhope Colliery Welfare Ryton & Crawcrook Albion South Shields Stokesley Sports Club Team Northumbria Thornaby Tow Law Town Whickham Willington
Seasons	1889–90 1890–91 1891–92 1892–93 1893–94 1894–95 1895–96 1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015-16

Northern Football League

Contents

History

Current clubs (2015/16)

Division One

Division Two

Champions

Cup Competitions

References

External links

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