Yorkshire Men's League
The Yorkshire Men's League is a rugby league competition for clubs in Yorkshire. It is a successor league for the Rugby League Conference also comprising clubs from the CMS Yorkshire league, Pennine League and Hull & District League.
| Founded | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Level on pyramid | 4 |
| Promotion to | National Conference League |
| Domestic cup(s) | Challenge Cup |
| Current champions | Siddal Academy (1st title) |
| Website |
History
The Yorkshire Men's League comes from the merger of elements from two strands of rugby league: the British Amateur Rugby League Association and Rugby League Conference.
The British Amateur Rugby League Association (BARLA) was created in 1973 by a group of enthusiasts concerned about the dramatic disappearance of many amateur leagues and clubs. BARLA merged the vast majority of the district leagues into larger regional leagues and created an elite National Conference League, this saw a revitalisation of the game in heartland areas of Yorkshire.
In contrast, the Rugby League Conference (RLC) was born in 1997 as the Southern Conference, a 10-team pilot league for teams in the South of England and English Midlands taking place in the summer time rather than the traditional winter season. It led to the creation of many new teams in non-traditional areas; Rotherham Giants became the first Yorkshire-based team to join in 2000. Other Yorkshire teams, mostly non-traditional parts of Yorkshire such as North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire followed playing in the North East and North Midlands divisions until a Yorkshire division was created in 2004.
By 2008, there were enough sides for a higher level Yorkshire Premier division to be created and in 2010, a Yorkshire & Humber Merit League was created out of existing merit leagues. The Conference in Yorkshire thus had a three tier structure with the Yorkshire Premier division at the top and the Yorkshire regional division and the Yorkshire & Humber merit league below.
With the RLC growing rapidly, some BARLA sides chose to leave traditional winter leagues and join the summer-based RLC. However, in 2011, the National Conference League, voted to switch to a summer season and most of the reserve teams followed. There was a short season from September to November in 2011 with teams from British Amateur Rugby League Association leagues CMS Yorkshire league, Pennine League and Hull & District League playing in four regional groups under the name Yorkshire Men's League.
The Rugby League Conference was replaced in 2012 by a series of locally administered leagues. This saw the Yorkshire Men's League merge with the RLC Yorkshire Premier and regional divisions as well as the Yorkshire & Humber merit league to create a three-tier structure.
Yorkshire Men's League Pyramid
- National Conference League
- Yorkshire Men's League Premier Division
- Yorkshire Men's League Division 1
- Yorkshire Men's League Division 2
- Yorkshire Men's League Division 3
2018 Clubs
Premier Division
| Premier Division clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batley Boys | Batley, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Bentley | Bentley, South Yorkshire | |||||
| Beverley | Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire | |||||
| East Hull | Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire | |||||
| New Earswick All Blacks | York, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Norland Sharks | Norland, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Nottingham Outlaws | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire | |||||
| Queensbury | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Siddal Academy | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
Division 1
| Division 1 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birstall Victoria | Batley, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Hull Wyke | Hull, East Yorkshire | |||||
| Mirfield Stags | Mirfield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Milford Marlins | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Oulton Raiders A | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Sheffield Hillsborough Hawks | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | |||||
| York Acorn | York, North Yorkshire | |||||
Division 2
| Division 2 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garforth Tigers | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| King Cross Park | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
Division 3
| Division 3 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford Victoria Rangers | Bradford, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Knottingley Worms | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Keighley Cougars | Keighley, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Leeds Akkies | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Ossett Trinity | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Slaithwaite Saracens | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Stanningley A | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| York Locomotive | York, North Yorkshire | |||||
Division 4
| Division 4 clubs | ||||||
| Club | City | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Castleford Lock Lane | Castleford, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Guiseley Rangers | Leeds, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Mirfield Stags A | Mirfield, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Scarborough Pirates A | Scarborough, North Yorkshire | |||||
| Siddal B | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |||||
| Stanley Rangers A | Wakefield, West Yorkshire | |||||
Past winners
Champions
Premier Division
- 2017 - Siddal Academy
Division 1
- 2017 - Norland Sharks
Division 2
- 2017 - Bramley Buffaloes
Division 3
- 2017 - Cutsyke Raiders
Division 4
- 2017 - Stainland Stags
Division 5
- 2017 - Eastmoor Dragons