NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE

(Redirected from UniBond League)

Northern Premier League
'Founded'
1968
'Nation'
'Feeder To'
Conference North
'Divisions'
Premier Division ''(1968-present)'' Division One North ''(2007-onwards)'' Division One South ''(2007-onwards)'' First Division ''(1988-2007)''
'Number of Teams'
57 21 ''( Premier Division )'' 18 ''(Division One North)'' 18 ''(Division One South)''
'Levels on Pyramid'
Level 7 and Level 8
'Cups'
???
'Current Champions (2006/07)'
Burscough ''(Premier Division)'' Buxton ''(First Division)''

The 'Northern Premier League', known in recent years as the 'UniBond League' under a title sponsorship contract, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference. Due to restructuring, from 2005 onwards its champions have been promoted to the Conference North division rather than the Conference National as was previously the case.

Contents

History

Current structure

Previous winners

External links

History

The Northern Premier League was founded in 1968, decades after the other two leagues at what is now the seventh tier of the English football league system, the Southern League and Isthmian League. At that time it was considered to share the fifth tier with these leagues as well as the long-established Northern League.
Over the next two decades, the NPL successfully displaced its older rival to become the pre-eminent regional competition in northern England, with the Northern League eventually forced to accept status as feeder league to the NPL. The creation of what is now the Conference in 1979 and the Conference's addition of regional divisions in 2004 have effectively "demoted" the NPL by two tiers.

Current structure

The League has two divisions, with the lower division, Division One, divided into North and South regions. The Premier Division has 22 clubs. The champions of this division together with the winner of a playoff between the second to fifth place finishers are promoted to Conference North. The bottom three teams are relegated to Division One North or South (or another division at the same level in the pyramid). The Division One North and Division One South have 18 clubs each. For Division One, the champions are promoted to the Premier Division, along with the winners of a playoff between the second to fifth place clubs. The bottom two clubs of the Division One are relegated to one of the three feeder leagues. Promotion to Division One is possible from each of these three leagues covering smaller sections of northern England, the Northern League, the Northern Counties East League, and the North West Counties League.

Previous 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	Runcorn
1976-77	Boston United
1977-78	Boston United
1978-79	Mossley
1979-80	Mossley
1980-81	Runcorn
1981-82	Bangor City
1982-83	Gateshead
1983-84	Barrow
1984-85	Stafford Rangers
1985-86	Gateshead
1986-87	Macclesfield Town

''For the 1987-88 season, Division One was added.''

Season	Premier Division	Division One
1987-88	Chorley	Fleetwood Town
1988-89	Barrow	Colne Dynamoes
1989-90	Colne Dynamoes	Leek Town
1990-91	Witton Albion	Whitley Bay
1991-92	Stalybridge Celtic	Colwyn Bay
1992-93	Southport	Bridlington Town
1993-94	Marine	Guiseley
1994-95	Marine	Blyth Spartans
1995-96	Bamber Bridge	Lancaster City
1996-97	Leek Town	Radcliffe Borough
1997-98	Barrow	Whitby Town
1998-99	Altrincham	Droylsden
1999-00	Leigh RMI	Accrington Stanley
2000-01	Stalybridge Celtic	Bradford Park Avenue
2001-02	Burton Albion	Harrogate Town
2002-03	Accrington Stanley	Alfreton Town
2003-04	Hucknall Town	Hyde United
2004-05	Hyde United	North Ferriby United
2005-06	Blyth Spartans	Mossley
2006-07	Burscough	Buxton

''For the 2007-08 season, Division One was reorganised into North and South regions.''

Season	Premier Division	Division One North	Division One South
2007-08

External links

★ Official website