The Northern League is a British men's football league in north east England. Having been founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest football league in the world still in existence after the English 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 the historic counties of Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire's North Riding. The champion club of Division One is promoted to the lower division of the Northern Premier League.
History
The Northern league was one of many leagues formed the year after the Football League. In its first season, it consisted of ten clubs that were a mixture of professional and amateur organisations. During its early years, the competition included clubs such as Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Darlington that would go on to play in the Football League. In 1905, the league split into two divisions, one professional and one amateur. The next year, however, the Northern League made the decision to abolish the professional division and restrict itself to amateur clubs, or at least clubs that claimed to be amateur.
thumb|left|The area covered by the Northern League is coloured in red.
Between the World Wars and in the early years following World War II, the Northern League's amateur status meant that they and their equivalent in the London area, the Isthmian League, dominated the old FA Amateur Cup. The two Leagues continued to be separate from the professional game which was dominated by the Football League, Southern League and, from 1968, the Northern Premier League.
The Northern League and Isthmian League (with its feeder leagues) continued to claim amateur status right up until, following pressure, amateur status was abandoned by the Football Association in 1974. This left amateur leagues like the Northern League to find a place in the overall structure of non-League football. Unlike the Isthmian League, which became a feeder to the Alliance Premier League in 1982, the Northern League and its clubs rejected repeated invitations. It was not until 1988 that two Northern League clubs, Bishop Auckland and Whitley Bay, accepted places in the Northern Premier League. Others including Penrith, North Shields and Spennymoor United jumped ship to neighbouring leagues (the North West Counties League and Northern Counties East League).
The Northern League formally became a feeder to the Northern Premier League, but still few clubs took the opportunity of promotion, with only five moving up over the next 20 years (Gretna in 1992, Blyth Spartans in 1994, Whitby Town in 1997, Newcastle Blue Star in 2007 and Durham City in 2008). The league is currently sponsored by dehumidifier manufacturer Ebac.
Level 11 clubs from the North Riding Football League, Northern Football Alliance and Wearside Football League may apply for promotion into the Northern League's Second Division (level 10).
Current members
Division One
{| class="wikitable"
!Club
!Home ground
|-
|Birtley Town
|Birtley Sports Complex
|-
|Boro Rangers
|Trinity College, Middlesbrough
|-
|Carlisle City
|Gillford Park
|-
|Crook Town
|The Sir Tom Cowie Millfield Ground
|-
| Easington Colliery
|Welfare Ground (Easington)
|-
|Guisborough Town
|King George V Ground
|-
|Horden CW
|Horden Recreation Ground
|-
|Kendal Town F.C.
|Parkside Road
|-
|Marske United
|Mount Pleasant
|-
|Newcastle Benfield
|Sam Smith's Park
|-
| Newcastle Blue Star
|Scotswood Sports Centre
|-
|North Shields
|Daren Persson Stadium
|-
|Northallerton Town
|Calvert Stadium
|-
|Penrith
|Frenchfields Stadium
|-
|Shildon
|Dean Street
|-
| Thornaby
|Teesdale Park
|-
|West Allotment Celtic
|East Palmersville Sports Pavilion
|-
|West Auckland Town
|The Wanted Metal Stadium
|-
|Whickham
|The Glebe Sports Ground
|-
|Whitley Bay
|Hillheads Park
|}
Division Two
{| class="wikitable"
!Club
!Home ground
|-
| A.F.C. Newbiggin
| Newbiggin Sports Centre
|-
| Alnwick Town
| St James' Park
|-
| Billingham Synthonia
|Broughton Road
|-
| Billingham Town
|Bedford Terrace
|-
| Boldon CA
|Boldon Colliery Welfare
|-
| Chester-le-Street Town
|Moor Park
|-
| Darlington Town
| Eastbourne Community Stadium
|-
| Durham United
| Graham Sports Centre
|-
| Grangetown Boys Club F.C.
|B&W Lifting Ltd Stadium
|-
| Esh Winning
|West Terrace
|-
| FC Hartlepool
|Grayfields Enclosure
|-
| Jarrow
|Perth Green CA
|-
| Newcastle University
| Kimberley Park (Prudhoe)+
|-
| Park View
| Riverside
|-
| Prudhoe Youth Club
| Kimberley Park
|-
| Redcar Town
|The Vibrant Doors Stadium
|-
| Ryton & Crawcrook Albion
|Kingsley Park
|-
|Seaham Red Star
|Seaham Town Park
|-
|Sunderland RCA
|Meadow Park
|-
| Sunderland West End
|Ford Quarry
|-
|Tow Law Town
|Ironworks Road
|-
| Yarm & Eaglescliffe
|Bedford Terrace (Billingham)+
|}
+ indicates ground share
Champions
thumb|right|Middlesbrough Ironopolis were champions three times in a row in the 1890s.
Originally the league comprised a single division. The champions were as follows:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
!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.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left"
!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.
|-
|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
|-
|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.
|-
|align=center|||Willington||align=center|2–0||Ferryhill Athletic||Bishop Auckland||
|-
|align=center|||Willington||align=center|2–0||Crook Town||Bishop Auckland||
|-
|align=center|||Stockton||align=center|0–0||Bishop Auckland||Bishop Auckland||
|-
|align=center|||Stockton||align=center|4–2||Ferryhill Athletic||Bishop Auckland||
|-
|align=center|||Shildon||align=center|2–1||Chilton Colliery RA||Bishop Auckland||
|-
|align=center|||Willington||align=center|4–2||West Auckland Town||Bishop Auckland||
|-
|align=center|||Bishop Auckland||align=center|6–2||Ferryhill Athletic||Shildon||
|-
|align=center|||Dunston Fed Brewery||align=center|4–1||Jarrow Roofing||Peterlee||
|-
|align=center|||West Auckland Town||align=center|*0–0||Newcastle Benfield||Seaham||