Northern League Division One
When it comes to football leagues, only the English Football League is older than the Northern League, which was established just a year after the Football League began.
The league is the ninth tier of the English football period overall and Step 5 of the National League System. The league contains two Divisions, One and Two.
The Northern League covers areas such as Durham, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire’s North Riding.
The history of the Northern League Division One
Formed in 1889, the league first began with just ten teams, which were a mixture of professional and semi-professional clubs. The league was home to the likes of Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Darlington in his early years.
In 1905, the league was split into two separate divisions, one for the professional teams and one for the amateur teams. However, a year later, the league decided to abolish the professional league and, from then on, claimed only to allow amateur clubs into the league.
The amateur status held the league back, and it started to fall behind similar leagues, including the Isthmian League, which was its counterpart in the south of England.
The Northern League remained amateur until 1974 when the FA abandoned amateur status. That meant the league had to find their place in the non-league pyramid.
The Isthmian League, their equivalent from England’s south, decided to become a feeder league to the Alliance Premier League in 1982. The league rejected numerous invitations to join the non-league set-up.
However, in 1991, they finally relented and joined the pyramid at level nine of the English game as a feeder league to the Northern Premier League, which at one point was a comparative league.
From 1906, the league returned to a one-division system, which lasted until 1982, when a second division was established, which is a system still used today.
How does promotion and relegation work in the Northern League Division One?
As it is a feeder league to the Northern Premier League, the team that finishes top of the table are promoted to the Northern Premier League Division One East or West, the lowest division in the Northern Premier League.
The club will only be allowed entry if their stadium meets the minimum requirements of the higher division.
A second promotion spot is available to whoever wins the play-offs, which involve the teams that finish from second to fifth place in the table. This system was only introduced for season 2023/24. The winner of the play-offs joins the league champions in the Northern Premier League Division One East or West.
When it comes to relegation, the two teams that finish 21st and 22nd in the table are relegated to the Northern League Division Two.
Which clubs have been successful in Division One?
Not only did Middlesbrough and Darlington compete in the early days of the league, but they were also successful in the league. Boro won the title three times, while Darlington claimed the crown twice.
Both Newcastle’s and Sunderland’s reserve teams also won the title in its early existence, with the Magpies claiming the crown in three straight seasons from 1902 until 1905.
However, Bishop Auckland is the most successful club in the history of the Northern League Division One. They have been champions of the league on 20 occasions, with the latest title coming in season 2023/24.
Blyth Spartans was another highly successful team in the league. They won ten titles between 1973 and 1988, a tally bettered only by Bishop Auckland. The Spartans also finished as runners-up five times.
The league had a slightly unusual winner in seasons 1990/91 and 1991/92, as non-defunct Scottish team Gretna were crowned as champions. Unsurprisingly, they are the only non-English club to win the Northern League title.