The Rugby League Conference (RLC) (also known as the Co-operative Rugby League Conference as a result of sponsorship from The Co-operative Group), was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

teams spread throughout England, Scotland and

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the south east, but has subsequently, rebranded and expanded both geographically and numerically to include around 90 teams stretched across almost the whole of Great Britain from

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...

in northern Scotland down to

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...

on the south coast of England. The aim of the RLC was initially to provide regular fixtures for new clubs based outside the 'heartland' of rugby league, although as the playing standards increased, it also accepted teams from the 'heartlands'. The hope is that, at least some of these clubs, would eventually progress to become semi-professional clubs that could one day join the 'traditional' clubs in Championship 1; to date, London Skolars have done so with both Hemel Stags and Oxford Rugby League joining in 2013, Coventry Bears in 2014 and Nottingham Outlaws will join Championship 1 in the 2016 season. With the top heartlands amateur league, the National Conference League voting to move to a summer season, the 2012 season saw a re-alignment of the amateur game and the Rugby League Conference was replaced with a series of regional leagues.

History

The ''Southern Conference League'' was founded as a 10-team competition in 1997. The following season it was rebranded as the ''Rugby League Conference'' due to its intentions to include teams from all non-heartland parts of the country and its even then inclusion of several teams outside the South. The league steadily expanded over the first few seasons right up to the fringes of the heartlands, before expanding into Wales for the first time in 2001 with the addition of Cardiff Demons. The league expanded into the North East that same season. In 2003

National League Three The Rugby League Conference National Division (known as the National League Three From 2003 to 2003) was the fourth division of the British rugby league system. In 2012, it became the seventh tier of the system and was known as the National Confe ...

was founded including some of the stronger Rugby League Conference clubs and some BARLA clubs. This same season saw massive expansion of the Rugby League Conference including an entire Welsh division. The league also pushed its borders further including more teams from the less rugby league playing areas of the counties considered the heartlands and went as far south west as Somerset. The league expanded further in 2004 by allowing entry to heartland clubs. For the 2005 season the competition was split into two tiers, with Premier divisions being created for above the existing regional divisions. The next major changes were in 2007 when National League Three (as the National Division) and the Scottish League became integral parts of the Rugby League Conference structure. The Rugby League Conference celebrated passing the 100 club barrier in 201
RLC set to expand
2011 was the last season before the league was split up into multiple leagues.

Representative fixtures

A selection is made fo
England Lionhearts
who represent England in the

Skanska Amateur Four Nations The Amateur Four Nations was a rugby league competition contested annually by Wales A, Ireland A, Scotland A and England A. The teams from the Celtic nations would pick players from their domestic competitions, while England's squad would be pic ...

competition against national amateur sides from Wales, Scotland (players drawn from RLC teams) and Ireland (players from

Rugby League Ireland Rugby League Ireland (RLI) is the internationally recognised governing body for the development of rugby league football in Ireland, having secured official recognition from the RLIF in 2000. It is recognised within the Irish Sports Council an ...

Former divisions within the RLC

There were many changes in format of the Rugby League Conference as it expanded over time, here are the divisions that existed when the league was lasted competed for in 2011. * National Division *The premier divisions: North East Premier, North West Premier, Scottish Premier, Southern Premier, Welsh Premier,

Midlands Premier Regional 1 Midlands (until 2022–23 known as Midlands Premier and up until 2016–17 known as National League 3 Midlands) is a level five semi-professional league in the English rugby union system. It is one of six leagues at this level. When ...

, Yorkshire Premier *The regional divisions: East, London & South,

North East The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

, North West,

South West The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

Welsh Championship The WRU National Championship (or Admiral Championship for sponsorship reasons) is the second tier of professional rugby union in Wales. The league was reformed by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in 2012. The current National Championship champions ...

, West of England *The feeder leagues: Yorkshire & Humber Merit League,

North West Merit League The North West Merit League is a rugby league competition for clubs in the North West of England. It is a feeder league for the Rugby League Conference. History The Midlands Merit League was founded in late 2005 to support the growth of rugby ...

, Midlands Merit League, London and South East Merit League

Successor leagues

Conference League South The Southern Conference League is a British rugby league division in the Rugby Football League's tier 4. It is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England and South Wales. It was one of the leagues that replaced Rugby Lea ...

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. History ...

North West Men's League The North West Men's League is a rugby league competition for clubs in the North West of England. It is a successor league for the Rugby League Conference also comprising clubs from the North West Counties League following most of the latter swit ...

Midlands Rugby League The Midlands Rugby League Premier Division is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the English Midlands. It was previously the Midlands Premier Division of the Rugby League Conference. Many of the clubs run juniors in the Midlands Junio ...

North East Rugby League The North East Rugby League Premier Divisions is the top league in a 2 division structure in rugby league's tier 4. It is competed for by teams in the North East of England, Cumbria and North Yorkshire though in the past occasionally teams from W ...

South West Rugby League The South West Rugby League (SWRL) also known as the ''South West Men's League'', is a rugby league competition for teams in the South West of England. It was formerly part of the Rugby League Conference. The SWRL is a semi-autonomous league w ...

East Men's League The East Rugby League (East RL) is a tier 5 amateur rugby league competition structure with sides from the East of England. It was previously the ''East Division'' of the Rugby League Conference, which was set up in 1997. Structure The East ...

South Premier The South Premier, also known as the London Premier, is a division in rugby league's tier 4. It was the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England until the creation in 2013 of Conference League South. It was first contested ...

, London & South East Men's League, Scottish Conference League, South Wales Premiership

Women's Rugby League Conference

In 2011 the following teams will play in the

Women's Rugby League Conference The Women's Rugby League Conference was a rugby league for female teams in Britain that ran from 2008 to 2013. The men's equivalent is the Rugby League Conference. History : The ''Southern Conference League'' began as a 10-team pilot league f ...

: *Central Division: Bradford Thunderbirds, Brighouse Ladies, Dudley Hill Diamonds, Keighley Cats, West Craven Warriors *North East Division: Featherstone Rovers, Hunslet Hawks,

Peterlee Pumas Peterlee Pumas are a rugby league team based in Peterlee, County Durham. They play in the North East Premier of the Rugby League Conference. History Peterlee Pumas was formed in association with Durham Rugby League Service Area and the Rugb ...

Leeds Akkies Leeds Akkies are a rugby league team based in The Old Modernians Sports Club, Cookridge Lane, Leeds, LS16 7ND, West Yorkshire. They play in the Yorkshire Regional division of the Rugby League Conference, their A side plays in the Yorkshire & Hum ...

, Stanningley, Whinmoor *North West Division: Chorley Panthers, Leigh East,

Leigh Miners Rangers Leigh Miners Rangers are a community amateur rugby league football club from Leigh in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the National Conference League, the National Conference Premier Divis ...

Mancunians RL Mancunians is Manchester's rugby league and sports club fielding several rugby and handball teams across the city at various age groups. The club is a Sports Club Community Mutual (Co-operative) and carries out development work across the city ...

, Wigan Ladies *South Division: Coventry Bears, Nottingham Outlaws, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, The Army, West London Sharks *West Division: Crossfields, Halton, Macclesfield, Warrington, Widnes Moorfield

Past winners

Rugby League Conference National

* 2003 Warrington Woolston Rovers (now Warrington Wizards) (as National League three) * 2004 Coventry Bears (as National League three) * 2005 Bradford Dudley Hill (as National League three) * 2006

Bramley Buffaloes Bramley Buffaloes RLFC is a rugby league club from the Bramley area of West Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. History At the end of the 1999 season Bramley RLFC resigned from the Northern Ford Premiership to become a feeder team for Leeds, ...

(as National League three) * 2007 Featherstone Lions * 2008 Crusaders Colts * 2009

* 2010

Warrington Wizards Woolston Rovers are a rugby league team based in Warrington. The open age teams play in the National Division of the Rugby League Conference. History Woolston Rovers ''Woolston Rovers Rugby Club'' was founded at the Lido Country Club on Manches ...

* 2011

Huddersfield Underbank Rangers Underbank Rangers are a rugby league team based in Holmfirth near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They play in the Premier Division of the National Conference League. The club also competes in the Yorkshire Men's League.Underbank are the second ...

Harry Jepson Trophy

Until 2004, the Harry Jepson trophy was competed for by all the Conference sides. Between 2005 and 2011, it was competed for by the RLC Premier divisions. From 2012 onwards, it has been contested by the non-heartlands successor leagues. * 1997 North London Skolars (as Southern Conference) * 1998 Crawley Jets * 1999 Chester Wolves * 2000 Crawley Jets * 2001 Teesside Steelers * 2002 Coventry Bears * 2003 Bridgend Blue Bulls * 2004

Widnes Saints Widnes Saints are a rugby league team based in Widnes, Cheshire. They play in the North West Premier Division of the Rugby League Conference. History Widnes Saints were formed in 2004 operating from the Widnes St Maries premises. The club join ...

* 2005 Bridgend Blue Bulls * 2006 South London Storm * 2007 St Albans Centurions * 2008 Nottingham Outlaws * 2009 West London Sharks * 2010 St Albans Centurions * 2011 Parkside Hawks

RLC Regional

The RLC Regional is open to English sides that are in the regional divisions rather than the Premier divisions. It was introduced in 2005. * 2005 Wetherby Bulldogs * 2006 Liverpool Buccaneers * 2007

* 2008 Moorends-Thorne Marauders * 2009 Northampton Casuals (now Northampton Demons) * 2010

Northampton Demons Northampton Demons is a rugby league club based in Duston, Northampton. They play in the RFL Midlands Rugby League Men's South Division. History Background - Nene Valley and Northampton Knights ''Nene Valley'' were set up in 1989 and they trai ...