National Conference League

National Conference League
National Conference League competition logo
Sport	Rugby league football
Instituted	1986
Chair	Trevor Hunt
Number of teams	40
Country	England
Champions	Siddal (2008-9)
Website	nationalconferenceleague.co.uk

The National Conference League is the top league in the pyramid of amateur rugby leagues run by the British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA). Unlike the professional game, the majority of amateur rugby league in Great Britain is played in the winter months, and the National Conference is a 'winter' league.

Relationship between NCL and other leagues

The five regional leagues beneath the NCL are the Pennine League, the Yorkshire League, the North West Counties League, the Cumberland League and the Hull & District League. There is also a Barrow & District League, however this is nearly all reserve sides with the odd team that can not afford the travelling costs involved in competing in the North West Counties League. Teams from these regional leagues can apply for election to the National Conference League if they meet stringent minimum criteria.

Somewhat confusingly, the main amateur competition for clubs that wish to play a summer season is also titled conference: the Rugby League Conference (RLC). The NCL is seen as being the top division for 'traditional' clubs from the 'heartland' areas of rugby league, whilst the RLC consists mostly of clubs from other areas of the country, although there are a number of traditional teams now playing in the RLC.

There is no formal link from the NCL to any semi-professional league, as all professional rugby league in the UK is now played in the summer. Some NCL clubs have however chosen to "move across" to the summer structure in order to progress towards the professional ranks, one example of this being Warrington Wizards (who formerly competed in the NCL as Woolston Rovers) and Featherstone Lions (accepted by National League three). Bradford Dudley Hill have applied to switch from National League Three back to the NCL, with their application accepted in summer 2006.

Many of the players from the amateur BARLA teams go on to play for teams in Super League, the Championship or Championship 1, though this is not as common as in the past as professional sides now run their own academy sides rather than relying on recruitment from local BARLA clubs.

History

Main article: History of the National Conference League

The league was founded as the BARLA National League for the 1986/1987 season with 10 teams: Dudley Hill, Egremont Rangers, Heworth, Leigh Miners Welfare (now Leigh Miners Rangers), Milford Marlins, Millom, Pilkington Recs, West Hull, Wigan St Patrick's and Woolston Rovers. The original NCL concept was one team per town.

The league added a second division in 1989, and expanded to three divisions (now named premier, first and second as opposed to first and second) along with a rebrand to the current name of National Conference League in 1993.

The National Conference League launched a series of Summer Divisions in 2009 but failed to repeat its summer experiment in 2010 leading three clubs: East Leeds, Milford Marlins and Shaw Cross Sharks to join the Rugby League Conference.

Structure

The National Conference League consists of three divisions of up to fourteen teams each, titled the Premier Division, Division One and Division Two. There is promotion and relegation between each division of three up and three down. The bottom two teams from Division Two face re-election, but usually they are both re-elected as enough teams resign from the league to allow new teams entry.

Premier Division East Hull Hull Dockers Leigh East Leigh Miners Rangers Oulton Raiders Rochdale Mayfield Siddal RLFC Skirlaugh RLFC Thatto Heath Crusaders Thornhill Trojans West Hull Wigan St Judes Wigan St Patricks York Acorn

Division One Bradford Dudley Hill Castleford Panthers Eastmoor Dragons Ince Rose Bridge Milford Marlins Millom Normanton Knights Saddleworth Rangers Shaw Cross Sharks Stanningley Wath Brow Hornets West Bowling Widnes St Maries

Division Two Askam ARLFC (*) Castleford Lock Lane Crosfields RLFC East Leeds Eccles & Salford Juniors Egremont Rangers Heworth Hull Isberg Myton Warriors Oldham St Anne's Ovenden Stanley Rangers Waterhead

(*) Askam withdrew before the start of the season

Summer Divisions 2009

Summer Division West Yorks Eastmoor Dragons Milford Marlins Oulton Raiders Thornhill Trojans

Summer Division Pennine Bradford Dudley Hill Ovenden Rochdale Mayfield Saddleworth Rangers

Summer Division North West Eccles & Salford Juniors Leigh East Thatto Heath Crusaders Widnes St Maries

A proposed Eastern division featuring Normanton Knights, Castleford Lock Lane, West Hull and East Hull failed to materialise after Castleford Lock Lane and then East Hull pulled out and the other two teams declined the chance to join another division. Shaw Cross Sharks were initially scheduled to take part in the West Yorkshire Division but they withdrew to be replaced by Thornhill Trojans.

Past winners

National League First Division Champions

• 1986-87 Heworth
• 1987-88 Milford
• 1988-89 West Hull
• 1989-90 Dudley Hill
• 1990-91 Leigh East
• 1991-92 Wigan St Patricks
• 1992-93 Saddleworth Rangers

National Conference League Premier Division Champions

• 1993-94 Woolston Rovers
• 1994-95 Woolston Rovers
• 1995-96 Woolston Rovers
• 1996-97 West Hull
• 1997-98 Egremont Rangers
• 1998-99 West Hull
• 1999-00 West Hull
• 2000-01 West Hull

National Conference League Grand Final Champions

• 2001-02 West Hull
• 2002-03 Siddal
• 2003-04 Siddal
• 2004-05 Leigh Miners Rangers
• 2005-06 Oulton Raiders
• 2006-07 Skirlaugh
• 2007-08 East Hull
• 2008-09 Siddal
• 2009-10 Leigh East
• 2010-11 Thatto Heath Crusaders

National Conference League First Division Champions

• 1993-94 Heworth
• 1994-95 Millom
• 1995-96 Beverley
• 1996-97 Askam
• 1997-98 Skirlaugh
• 1998-99 Redhill
• 1999-00 Oulton Raiders
• 2000-01 Leigh East
• 2001-02 West Bowling
• 2002-03 Thatto Heath Crusaders
• 2003-04 Wath Brow Hornets
• 2004-05 Shaw Cross Sharks
• 2005-06 West Hull
• 2006-07 Rochdale Mayfield
• 2007-08 Wigan St. Judes
• 2008-09 Wath Brow Hornets
• 2009-10 Thatto Heath Crusaders

National Conference League Second Division Champions

• 1989-90 Saddleworth Rangers
• 1990-91 Barrow Island
• 1991-92 West Hull
• 1992-93 Mayfield
• 1993-94 Oldham St Annes
• 1994-95 Eastmoor Dragons
• 1995-96 Wigan St Judes
• 1996-97 Redhill
• 1997-98 Featherstone Lions
• 1998-99 Ideal Isberg
• 1999-00 Eastmoor Dragons
• 2000-01 Thatto Heath Crusaders
• 2001-02 Crosfields
• 2002-03 Wath Brow Hornets
• 2003-04 East Hull
• 2004-05 Ince Rose Bridge
• 2005-06 Castleford Panthers
• 2006-07 Waterhead
• 2007-08 Millom
• 2008-09 Myton Warriors

National Conference League Challenge Cup

1987-88	Leigh Miners Rangers	15-0	Milford
1988-89	Egremont Rangers	2-0	Wigan St Patricks
1989-90	Wigan St Patricks	11-6	Askam
1990-91	Millom	14-13	Dudley Hill
1991-92	Wigan St Patricks	14-12	Saddleworth Rangers
1992-93	Saddleworth Rangers	25-10	Askam
1993-94	Heworth	22-4	Blackbrook

See also

• British Amateur Rugby League Association
• British rugby league system‎
• CMS Yorkshire league
• Pennine League
• North West Counties
• Cumberland League
• Hull & District League
• Barrow & District League
• Championship and Championship 1 (formerly the National Leagues)
• Rugby League Conference

External links

• Official site
• BARLA Official Website
• NCL Founder Member Millom RLFC
• NCL Member Brighouse Rangers RLFC