The Rugby League National Leagues (currently known as the LHF Healthplan National Leagues as a result of sponsorship) form the basis for rugby league competition in Great Britain below Super League. There are three leagues: Leagues One and Two are semi-professional, whilst League Three is "open"; professionalism is allowed, though most teams are in fact amateur.

Structure

A play-off structure is used to determine the winners of League One, who are then eligible for promotion to Super League, being replaced by the team being relegated from that competition. One team is relegated from League One, being replaced by the team finishing top of League Two. There is also a play-off structure involving the second bottom team of League One and the five teams finishing behind the league leaders in League Two; this allows for a potential second promotion/relegation spot.

The play-offs in each National League division are a top-six format. In National League Two the position of "first place" in the play-off structure is taken by the team attempting to avoid relegation from NL1, as the top team is promoted automatically.

There is no promotion or relegation between Leagues Two and Three at the moment; current RFL policy is to expand the top two leagues gradually over time. When the 'gap' in playing standards between League Two and League Three is narrowed, promotion and relegation may be considered between these two divisions, however off-field standards may prevent the possibility. As yet no clubs have been admitted to League Two from League Three, however Bramley Buffaloes and Hemel Stags have promotion as a long term aim.

A cup competition, the National League Cup, is played for by all clubs in Leagues one and Two; in 2005 four League Three clubs were also admitted, in 2006 five League Three teams have been admitted. The teams are organised into regional conferences, with knock-out stages following from the group stage.

History and future development

Most of the clubs in Leagues One and Two had previously played in a single division containing all professional clubs below the Super League. This was known as the Northern Ford Premiership.

At the end of the 2005 an extra team was relegated from Super League in order to accommodate Les Catalans. In turn an additional team was relegated from National League One; thus the number of teams in this division remained at ten. In order to "even up" the numbers a new team will be admitted into the League Two, increasing this division to twelve teams. This side was announced on June 22, 2005, to be a Welsh team called Celtic Crusaders based on the old rugby union team Celtic Warriors.

National League Three

Many of the teams in League Three, as well as London Skolars of League Two, came from the Rugby League Conference, an organisation of regional amateur teams throughout England and Wales including areas that have not traditionally been rugby league strongholds. Of the other League Three clubs three (Bradford Dudley Hill, Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks and Warrington Wizards) came from the National Conference League and one (Huddersfield Underbank Rangers) came from the Pennine League. The NCL is an amateur league now confined to the traditional areas of the game, though London Skolars and Hemel Stags have played in the competition in the past (as have the now defunct Nottingham City and Northampton Knights). The Pennine League is a regional league run by BARLA with teams mostly based in Yorkshire that is one of the feeder leagues to the NCL.

One League Three club, Bramley Buffaloes, was admitted directly to the league as a new club, though they can also be considered as an reincarnation of the previous Bramley club, which had long played in the professional leagues.

During the 2005 season Carlisle Centurions and Birmingham Bulldogs failed to complete the season, and Coventry Bears and Essex Eels resigned after the season. This left 8 teams, and initially the idea of a regionalised National League Three was floated. However this was opposed strongly by competing teams, particularly those in the south, who felt the standards would drop drastically.

Dewsbury Celtic applied for promotion from the Rugby League Conference Premier Division and were accepted as the 9th team. In a shock move Featherstone Lions, just a month after failing to finish the season in the National Conference League, were accepted to National League Three to give it ten members for the 2006 season.

While some feel these changes are a step backwards due to there being less expansion teams involved, many feel it will finally give the league some much needed stability, and help raise the standards.

All four teams that resigned from National League Three have rejoined the Rugby League Conference at either Premier Division or Regional Division level, with Carlisle entering as a new club merged with former Cumberland League club Carlisle Saints.

This season Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks have already withdrawn, and Bradford Dudley Hill are joining the National Conference League and intend to also play in National League Three, but it is uncertain if this will be possible under BARLA's dual registration ruling due to the overlapping season. This leaves the future of the league in doubt.

Results

See Rugby League Championship Second Division and Rugby League Championship Third Division for full lists of lower league championship winners (1895-date).

Footnote

1. Denotes that championship was not decided using a play-off; league position alone determined the title-holder.

Teams for 2006

There are ten teams in league one, twelve in league two and nine in league three following the withdrawal of Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks.

See also

• Super League
• Rugby League Conference
• Northern Ford Premiership
• National League Cup

External links

• results and tables from totalrl.com

British rugby league competitions