The Northern Premier League is one of the three regional football leagues in England, located below the National League in the football league system . It combines the semi-professional and amateur clubs of Northern England and the northern part of the Midlands region. The league consists of three divisions, comprising the seventh ( Premier Division ) and eighth ( First Division (North) and First Division (South) ) levels.
| Northern Premier League | |
|---|---|
| Northern Premier League | |
 | |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Region |  England |
| Divisions | Premier Division Division 1 East Division 1 West |
| Number of participants | 62 Premier Division: 22 Division 1 East: 20 Division 1 West: 20 |
| League Level | 7-8 |
| Exit to | Northern National League |
| Retirement in | level 9 |
| National tournaments | FA Cup Football Association Trophy Northern Premier League Cup and etc. |
| Current winner | Altringham (Premier Division) South Shields (North) Baysford United (South) |
| Website | League official website |
Content
- 1 History
- 2 Sponsors
- 3 Modern league structure
- 4 League Winners
- 5 notes
- 6 References
History
The Northern Premier League was created in 1968 as the northern equivalent of the Southern Football League . Together with her and the Isthmian League, the Northern Premier League is located directly beneath the Football League of England . However, with the introduction of the National Conference in 1979 and then the Regional North and South Conferences in 2004, the league dropped two levels in the football pyramid.
Sponsors
The first sponsor of the league was Multipart , which happened in the 1985/86 season. Then the sponsors were HFS Loans (1988–94), Unibond (1994–2010), and Evo-Stik (2010 – present). [1] [2]
Modern League Structure
Since 2007, there have been three divisions in the Northern Premier League: the Premier Division , the First Division (North) and the First Division (South) - similar to the structure of the Isthmian League . Starting from the 2013/14 season, the number of teams is 68: 24 in the Premier Division and 22 in the First Divisions. The winner of the competition in the Premier Division for the next season goes into the league one level higher, usually in the Northern Conference of the Football Conference of England. Between the clubs which took places from the second to the fifth in the competitions, a play-off tournament is held, the winner of which also goes up in class. The four teams of the Premier Division who took the last places go to the First (Northern and Southern) league divisions.
The winners of the First divisions (North and South) at the end of the season move to the Premier Division of the league. Together with them, one club from both First Divisions - the winners of the playoff tournaments of divisions (places from 2 to 5), is promoted in status. The teams of the First divisions, who took the last and penultimate places in their competitions, are eliminated in one of the territorial leagues of the ninth level of the football pyramid .
League Winners
| Season | Premier Division |
|---|---|
| 1968/69 | Macclesfield Town |
| 1969/70 | Macclesfield Town |
| 1970/71 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1971/72 | Stafford rangers |
| 1972/73 | Boston united |
| 1973/74 | Boston united |
| 1974/75 | Wigan Athletic |
| 1975/76 | Rancorn |
| 1976/77 | Boston united |
| 1977/78 | Boston United * |
| 1978/79 | Mossley |
| 1979/80 | Mossley |
| 1980/81 | Rancorn |
| 1981/82 | Bangor City |
| 1982/83 | Gateshead |
| 1983/84 | Barrow |
| 1984/85 | Stafford rangers |
| 1985/86 | Gateshead |
| 1986/87 | Macclesfield Town |
- In the 1977/78 season, Wigan Athletic , who finished 2nd in the league, was elected as a new member of the Football League instead of Southport .
In the 1987/88 season, the First Division was added.
| Season | Premier Division | First division |
|---|---|---|
| 1987/88 | Chorley | Fleetwood Town |
| 1988/89 | Barrow | Colne Dynamos |
| 1989/90 | Colne Dynamos | Lick Town |
| 1990/91 | Whitton Albion | Whitley bay |
| 1991/92 | Stalebridge Celtic | Coluin bay |
| 1992/93 | Southport | Bridlington Town |
| 1993/94 | Marin | Geisley |
| 1994/95 | Marin | Blyth Spartans |
| 1995/96 | Bamber bridge | Lancaster City |
| 1996/97 | Lick Town | Regcliffborough |
| 1997/98 | Barrow | Whitby Town |
| 1998/99 | Altringham | Droylesden |
| 1999/2000 | Lee RMI | Accrington Stanley |
| 2000/01 | Stalebridge Celtic | Bradford Park Avenue |
| 2001/02 | Burton albion | Harrogate Town |
| 2002/03 | Accrington Stanley | Alfreton Town |
| 2003/04 | Hacknell town | Hyde United |
| 2004/05 | Hyde United | North Ferriby United |
| 2005/06 | Blyth Spartans | Mossley |
| 2006/07 | Bersko | Buckston |
[3]
In the 2007/2008 season, the First Division was divided into two regional tournaments: the First Division (North) and the First Division (South).
| Season | Premier Division | First Division (North) | First Division (South) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007/08 | Fleetwood Town | Bradford Park Avenue | Ratford United (not moved up) 1 |
| 2008/09 | Eastwood town | Durham City | Ratford united |
| 2009/10 | Geisley | Halifax Town | Miklever Sports |
| 2010/11 | Halifax Town | Chester | Barwell |
| 2011/12 | Chester | Filed | Gratam town |
| 2012/13 | North Ferriby United | Skelmersdale United | Kings Lynn Town |
| 2013/14 | Chorley | Curzon Ashton | Halesowen Town |
1 The Cummel Laird Club, which took second place in the division, moved to the higher class instead of Ratford, since the latter did not meet the necessary parameters for the transition.