Northern League (football)
Encyclopedia : N : NO : NOR : Northern League (football)
The Northern League (currently sponsored by the Arngrove Insurance and known as the Arngrove Northern League) is a football league in North East England for semi-professional and amateur teams.
Having been founded in 1889, the Northern League is the oldest surviving league after The Football League and consists of two divisions. Northern League Division One sits on the ninth tier (or step 5) of the English football league system, five divisions below the Football League and the Northern League Division Two sits at step 6. The champions of the first division are eligible for promotion to the Northern Premier League's First Division, subject to certain criteria.
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.
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) 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 NPL, 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.
External link
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!colspan="3" style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"| Northern League Division One 2006/07
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|colspan="3" style="padding:0 5% 0 5%; text-align:center;"|
Ashington |
Billingham Synthonia |
Billingham Town |
Bishop Auckland |
Chester-le-Street Town |
Consett |
Darlington Railway Athletic |
Dunston Federation Brewery |
Durham City |
Horden Colliery Welfare |
Jarrow Roofing Boldon CA |
Morpeth Town |
Newcastle Blue Star |
Newcastle BBP |
Northallerton Town |
Shildon |
Sunderland Nissan |
Tow Law Town |
West Allotment Celtic |
West Auckland Town |
Whitley Bay
[http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit]
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!colspan="3" style="background:#ccf; text-align:center;"| Northern League Division Two 2006/07
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|colspan="3" style="padding:0 5% 0 5%; text-align:center;"|
Alnwick Town |
Brandon United |
Crook Town |
Esh Winning |
Guisborough Town |
Hebburn Town |
Marske United |
North Shields |
Norton & Stockton Ancients |
Penrith |
Prudhoe Town |
Ryton |
Seaham Red Star |
South Shields |
Spennymoor Town |
Stokesley SC |
Sunderland RCA |
Team Northumbria |
Thornaby |
Washington |
Whickham
[http://encycl.opentopia.com/ edit]
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| align="center" colspan= "3" style="background:#ffdead;" | English football league system - Level 9 & 10
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| align="center" colspan= "3" | Promotion to: Northern Premier League
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| align="center" colspan= "3" | Relegation to: Northern Alliance, Wearside League
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! colspan="3" style="background:#ccf;" | Football in England
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! style="background:#ffdead; width:19em;" | League competitions
| style="width:9em;" align="center" | The FA
! style="background:#ffdead; width:19em;" | Cup competitions
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| align="center" |FA Premier League
| align="center" |England
| align="center" |FA Cup
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| align="center" |The Football League (Champ, 1, 2)
| align="center" |(U-21) (B)
| align="center" |League Cup
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| align="center" |Football Conference (Nat, N, S)
| align="center" |List of clubs
| align="center" |FA Community Shield
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| align="center" |Northern Premier League (Prem, 1)
| align="center" |
| align="center" |Football League Trophy
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| align="center" |Southern League (Prem, Mid, S&W)
| align="center" |(by capacity)
| align="center" |FA Trophy
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| align="center" |Isthmian League (Prem, 1N, 1S)
| align="center" |
| align="center" |FA Vase
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| align="center" |English football league system
| align="center" |Records
| align="center" |FA NLS Cup
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| style="background:#ccf;" colspan="3" align="center" | Women's football in England
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! style="background:#ffdead; width:19em;" | League competitions
| style="width:9em;" align="center" |
! style="background:#ffdead; width:19em;" | Cup competitions
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| align="center" |Women's Premier League (Nat, N, S)
| align="center" |England women
| align="center" |FA Women's Cup
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| align="center" |List of clubs
| align="center" |Premier League Cup
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