Northern League

Northern League er en fodboldliga i Nordengland for semiprofessionelle hold og amatørhold. Ligaen blev grundlagt i 1889 og er dermed den næstældste aktive fodboldliga i verden, kun overgået af The Football League, som er ét år ældre.

Northern League
Northern Leagues område er markeret med rødt
Land(e)	England
Konføderation	UEFA
Etableret	1889
Første sæson	1889-90
Division(er)	Division One (22 hold) Division Two (22 hold)
Antal hold	44
Niveauer på pyramide	Niveau 9-10
Oprykning til	Northern Premier League
Nedrykning til	Northern Football Alliance Wearside Football League
Pokalturnering	FA Vase
Ligapokalturnering	Brooks Mileson Memorial League Cup Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup J.R. Cleator Cup Craven Cup Ernest Armstrong Memorial Trophy
Nuværende mestre	Spennymoor Town FC (Division One) Newton Aycliffe FC (Division Two) (2010-11)
Flest mesterskaber	Bishop Auckland FC (19)
Hjemmeside	www.northernleague.org
Northern League 2011-12

Ligaen består af to divisioner, Division One og Division Two, der hver består af 22 hold. Divisionerne befinder sig på niveau 9 og 10 i ligasystemet i engelsk fodbold. Ligaerne dækker County Durham, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, det nordlige Cumbria og den nordlige halvdel af North Yorkshire.

De to bedste hold i Division One kan rykke op i Northern Premier League Division One North, hvis visse kriterier er opfyldt.

Historie

Northern League var sammen med Isthmian League de to vigtigste amatørfodboldturneringer, som blev afviklet i parløb med den professionelle fodboldliga, Southern League og, siden 1968, Northern Premier League.

I 1974 holdt The Football Association imidlertid op med at skelne mellem professionelle og amatører, og amatørligaer som Northern League måtte finde en plads i det engelske ligasystem. I modsætning til sin sydlige pendant, Isthmian League, afviste Northern League gentagne invitationer til at blive indplaceret på niveauet under Alliance Premier League, da den liga blev oprettet på niveau 5 i ligasystemet i 1979. Northern League forblev uden for ligasystemet indtil 1991, hvilket blev dyrt for dens status, som faldt igennem 1980'erne, mens ligaens førende klubber skiftede til andre ligaer, der var med i ligasystemet som f.eks. Northern Counties East Football League. Da Northern League endelig blev presset ind i ligasystemet, var muligheden for at blive placeret på niveauet under Football Conference for længst forpasset, og i stedet blev Northern League placeret på niveauet under den laveste division i Northern Premier League.

Ligaens prestige faldt yderligere i 1995, da The Football Association begrænsede adgangen til FA Trophy til de første tre niveauer i National League System, dvs. niveau 5-7 i det engelske ligasystem, hvorved holdene i Northern League (og hold i ligaer på samme niveau) blev udelukket fra deltagelse i FA Trophy. Northern League-klubberne deltager nu i FA Vase.

Klubber i sæsonen 2011-12

Northern League 2011-12
Division One	Division Two
Ashington	Alnwick Town
Bedlington Terriers	Birtley Town
Billingham Synthonia	Brandon United
Billingham Town	Chester-le-Street Town
Bishop Auckland	Crook Town
Consett	Darlington Railway Athletic
Dunston UTS	Easingdon Colliery
Guisborough Town	Esh Winning
Jarrow Roofing	Gillford Park
Marske United	Hebburn Town
Newcastle Benfield	Horden Colliery Welfare
Newton Aycliffe	Morpeth Town
Norton & Stockton Ancients	North Shields
Penrith	Northallerton Town
Shildon	Ryton & Crawcrook Albion
South Shields	Seaham Red Star
Spennymoor Town	Team Northumbria
Stokesley	Thornaby
Sunderland RCA	Washington
Tow Law Town	West Allotment Celtic
West Auckland Town	Whickham
Whitley Bay	Whitehaven

Mestre

Oprindeligt bestod ligaen af én division.

Northern League 1889–1905
Sæson	Mestre
1889–90	St Augustine's
1890–91	Ironopolis
1891–92	Ironopolis
1892–93	Ironopolis
1893–94	Middlesbrough
1894–95	Middlesbrough
1895–96	Darlington
1896–97	Middlesbrough
1897–98	Stockton
1898–99	Bishop Auckland
1899–1900	Darlington
1900–01	Bishop Auckland
1901–02	Bishop Auckland
1902–03	Newcastle United A
1903–04	Newcastle United A
1904–05	Newcastle United A

I 1905 blev ligaen delt i to divisioner – en for professionelle og én for amatører. Dette varede dog kun én sæson.

Northern League 1905–06
Sæson	Mestre (prof.)	Mestre (amatør)
1905–06	Sunderland A	Bishop Auckland

I 1906 vendte ligaen tilbage til én division, og det format eksisterede indtil 1982.

Northern League 1906–1932 Sæson Mestre 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 1913–14 Willington 1914–15 Crook Town Ingen turneringer i 1915–19 1919–20 South Bank 1920–21 Bishop Auckland 1921–22 South Bank 1922–23 Eston United 1923–24 Tow Law 1924–25 Tow Law 1925–26 Willington 1926–27 Crook Town 1927–28 Chilton Colliery 1928–29 Stockton 1929–30 Willington 1930–31 Bishop Auckland 1931–32 Stockton

Northern League 1932–1959 Sæson Mestre 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 Ingen turneringer i 1940–45 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

Northern League 1959–1982 Sæson Mestre 1959–60 West Auckland 1960–61 West Auckland 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 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

I 1982 blev ligaen udvidet med Division Two.

Northern League 1982–2011
Sæson	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

Eksterne henvisninger

• Northern League Arkiveret 4. juni 2014 hos Wayback Machine