The Midlands Rugby League is a series of summer rugby league competition for amateur teams in the Midlands. The competition was formed in 2006 as the RLC Midlands Premier.[1] Its name changed following the 2012 restructure of amateur rugby league in Great Britain

At current the league operates the Midlands Rugby League Premier Division and Midlands Rugby League Championship, in addition to a Midlands Cup and Plate.[2]

History

The Rugby League Conference (RLC) was born in 1997, then known as the Southern Conference.

The RLC Midlands Division (now Midlands Rugby League Championship) was first created in 2001 and lasted until 2003 as the league was split in two parallel divisions due to it being oversubscribed.

The RLC Premier Divisions were set up in 2005 for teams who had achieved a certain playing standard and were able to travel further afield to find stronger opposition. The new Premier Divisions included the North Premier, the South Premier, the Central Premier and the Welsh Premier. The Central Premier had two Midlands clubs Telford Raiders and Nottingham Outlaws and the rest of the clubs were from Yorkshire or Lancashire.[3]

The Midlands Premier was created one season later in 2006, and placed between the existing RLC Midlands Division and the RLC National Division. The founder members were Coventry Bears, Telford Raiders, Nottingham Outlaws, Derby City, Birmingham Bulldogs, Leicester Phoenix and Wolverhampton Wizards.

A Midlands Merit League (now defunct) was founded in late 2005 as a feeder league for the RLC Midlands Division, this later Midlands Rugby League Division Two before folding.

In 2012 the Rugby League Conference was disbanded and all divisions adopting the name Midlands Rugby League.

Position in Pyramid

Clubs

As of 2024: Birmingham Bulldogs, Coventry Bears, Leamington Royals, Oxford Cavaliers, Nottingham Outlaws, Sherwood Wolf Hunt, Swindon St George, Telford Raiders.[4]

League standings

Premier Division

Current Teams 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Bedford Tigersxx3rdxxxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Birmingham Bulldogs6th6th6th4th3rdSouth 3rdSouth 1stCOVID-19COVID-192nd2nd3rd
Boston BuccaneersxNorth 4thNorth 3rdCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Bristol Sonicsxxx3rdxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Coventry Bears2nd1st2nd1st6thxxCOVID-19COVID-191st5th6th
Derby City4th5th5th2ndxNorth 2ndNorth 2ndCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Gloucestershire Warriorsx3rd4th6thxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Leicester Phoenix3rd8th7th5thxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Leamington Royals7thSouth 2ndSouth 3rdCOVID-19COVID-194th4th7th
North East Worcestershire RavensxSouth 4thSouth 4thCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Nottingham Outlaws1st2nd1stxx2ndNorth 3rdNorth 4thCOVID-19COVID-19xx2nd
Oxford Cavaliers5thxxCOVID-19COVID-193rd3rd5th
Redditch RavensxxxDNFxxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Somerset Vikingsx4thxxxxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx
Sherwood Wolf Hunt4thNorth 1stNorth 1stCOVID-19COVID-19xx4th
Swindon St George8thxxCOVID-19COVID-19xx8th
Telford Raiders5th7thx7thx1stSouth 1stSouth 2ndCOVID-19COVID-195th1st1st
Wolverhampton Wizards7thxxxxxxxCOVID-19COVID-19xxx

Key

DNF Did not complete the season
x Did not participate
Divisional winner
Qualified for divisional play-off
Finished bottom

Titles

Premier Division

RLC Midlands Premier era

Midlands Rugby League Premier Division era

Championship

RLC Midlands Division era

RLC Midlands Regional era

Midlands Rugby League Division One era

Midlands Rugby League Championship era

Merit League

RLC Midlands Merit League era

  • 2006 South Humber Rabbitohs
  • 2007 St Helens Wild Boars
  • 2008 Moorends-Thorne Marauders ML
  • 2009 Birmingham Bulldogs A
  • 2010 Leicester Storm A
  • 2011 Hope Valley Hawks

Midlands Rugby League Division Two era

  • 2012 Hope Valley Hawks
  • 2013 Leamington Royals
  • 2014 Unknown
  • 2015 Unknown
  • 2016 Unknown

Junior League

The 2007 season saw the introduction of an informal under-15 league Midlands Junior League based on Merit League principles. In 2008 the junior competition featured under-14 and under-16 divisions.

Midlands clubs voted against clubs outside the Midlands being included for the 2010 season. In 2010 the Under-12s took a tournament based format and Under-11s and Girls Under-12s started on a similar basis.

2011 saw the addition of an Under-18s league and saw the Under-14s take on a tournament based format, with the Under-12s replaced by an Under-13s.

From 2018, the league system was replaced by friendly matches and festivals, returning the region to the Midlands Junior Development League. Clubs were encouraged to arrange their own fixtures and to also attend centralised festivals throughout the summer months. Bassetlaw Bulldogs and Immmingham Wasps played the first game in the RFL's new flagship Player Development League on 12th May 2018.

Following a number of years of steady growth, in 2023, the Midlands Junior League continued its development, following the formation of a new Midlands Junior League Steering group. 4 regional festivals at U7-U16 age groups were played during the summer of 2023, with a host of friendly fixtures arranged between clubs also.

Festivals were held at Bassetlaw Bulldogs, Shrewsbury Lions, Sherwood Wolfhunt and NEW Ravens RLFC.

Current clubs

The following teams participated in 2023, across a range of age groups from U7s to U15s:

2023 Clubs
ClubFurther information
1Bassetlaw BulldogsWebsite Facebook Twitter
2Bolsover BullsWebsite Facebook Twitter
3Coventry BearsWebsite Facebook Twitter
4Immingham WaspsFacebook Twitter
5Isle of AxholmFacebook Twitter
6Leamington RoyalsWebsite Facebook Twitter
7Moorends MaraudersWebsite Facebook Twitter
8NEW RavensWebsite Facebook Twitter
9Sherwood WolfhuntWebsite Facebook Twitter
10Shrewsbury KnightsWebsite Facebook Twitter
11Swindon St GeorgeWebsite Facebook Twitter
12Telford RaidersWebsite Facebook Twitter

Past winners

References

  1. ↑ "RL Conference breaks 100 team barrier". Love Rugby League. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Midlands Rugby League".
  3. ↑ "Conference set for further expansion". Warrington Guardian. 31 January 2005. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Match Centre".
  5. ↑ "Demons take title". RFL. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  6. ↑ "Demons retain title". RFL. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Midlands Finals round-up". RFL. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Sherwood lift Division One title". RFL. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midlands_Rugby_League