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 Men's Rugby union in England consists of 106 leagues, which includes professional leagues at the highest level, down to amateur regional leagues. Promotion and relegation are in place throughout the system. Women's Rugby union in England cons ...

. It is one of six leagues at this level. When this division began in 1987 it was known as Midlands Division 1. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following a reorganisation by the

Rugby Football Union The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby (WR) in 1886. It promo ...

(RFU), and the name change from National League 3 to Premier was introduced for the 2017–18 season by the RFU in order to lessen confusion for what is a series of regional leagues. Midlands Premier is the highest regional rugby union league in the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the In ...

Format

The club that finishes as champions are automatically promoted to National League 2 West. Relegated teams drop down to either,

Regional 2 East Midlands Regional 2 East Midlands is an English level 6 rugby union regional league for rugby clubs in the eastern region of the Midlands, including sides from Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire and occa ...

Regional 2 North Midlands In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

or Regional 2 West Midlands, depending on there location, and other factors such as the location of relegated and promoted teams in other divisions. The season runs from September to May and comprises twenty-two rounds of matches, with each club playing each of its rivals home and away. The results of the matches contribute points to the league table as follows: * 4 points are awarded for a win * 2 points are awarded for a draw * 0 points are awarded for a loss, however * 1 losing (bonus) point is awarded to a team that loses a match by 7 points or fewer * 1 additional (bonus) point is awarded to a team scoring 4 tries or more in a match

Current season

Participating teams and locations

2021–22

Participating teams and locations

Ten of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by one relegated side,

Scunthorpe Scunthorpe () is an Industrial city, industrial town and unparished area in the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of North Lincolnshire in Lincolnshire, England of which it is the main administrative centre. Scunthorpe had an es ...

(from

National League 2 North National League 2 North is one of three, level four leagues in the English rugby union system and provides semi-professional competition for teams in the northern half of England, the North. The remainder of England is covered by the two counte ...

), while the three teams promoted into the division are Dudley Kingswinford (from Midlands 1 West,

Oundle Oundle () is a market town on the left bank of the River Nene in North Northamptonshire, England, which had a population of 5,735 at the time of the 2011 census. It is north of London and south-west of Peterborough. The town is home to Oundl ...

and

Syston Syston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census. Overview There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,00 ...

(both from Midlands 1 East. Last seasons champions,

Bournville Bournville () is a model village on the southwest side of Birmingham, England, founded by the Quaker Cadbury family for employees at its Cadbury's factory, and designed to be a "garden" (or "model") village where the sale of alcohol was forbidd ...

were promoted into

. Teams relegated from the division were

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

and

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

(who drop to Midlands 1 East). Also not returning are South Leicester who withdrew from the league during the 2019–20 season and drop to Midlands 4 East (South) for the coming season. The teams competing in 2021–22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020–21.

Final league table

2020–21

On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced that due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (

National League 1 National One (last season known as National League 1 and previously known before September 2009 as National Division Two), is the third of three national leagues in the domestic rugby union competition of England. It was known as Courage Leagu ...

and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning Midlands Premier was not contested.

2019–20

Participating teams and locations

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by two relegated sides; Peterborough Lions and South Leicester (relegated from

), while the three teams promoted into the division are

Bromsgrove Bromsgrove is a town in Worcestershire, England, about northeast of Worcester and southwest of Birmingham city centre. It had a population of 29,237 in 2001 (39,644 in the wider Bromsgrove/Catshill urban area). Bromsgrove is the main town in th ...

and Paviors. In order to address an imbalance of teams at level 5, Bedford Athletic have been level transferred into the division from

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

. Birmingham & Solihull were initially relegated into the division from

National League 2 South National League 2 South (known before September 2009 as National Division Three South) was a level four league in the English rugby union system until the end of season 2021–22. It was one of two leagues at this level, with its counterpart, N ...

but decided to drop out of the league system altogether (joining the Greater Birmingham Merit Leagues) as they became an amateur club. Last seasons champions,

were promoted into National League 2 North, along with

Luctonians Luctonians Sports Club is an English sports club based in Kingsland, Herefordshire. The rugby union team currently plays in National League 2 West, the fourth tier of the English rugby union system, following their promotion from the Midlands ...

who won their play-off game against

North Premier North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. Th ...

runners up

Blaydon Blaydon is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England, and historically in County Durham. Blaydon, and neighbouring Winlaton, which Blaydon is now contiguous with, form the postal town of Blaydon-on-Tyne. The Blay ...

. Teams relegated from the division included

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...

and

(who drop to Midlands 1 East) and

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west ...

(who fall to Midlands 1 West).

2018–19

Participating teams and locations

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by

and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

(relegated from

), Broadstreet (relegated from

), while the two teams promoted into the division are

Burton Burton, Burtons, or Burton's may refer to: Companies * Burton (retailer), a clothing retailer ** Burton's, Abergavenny, a shop built for the company in 1937 **The Montague Burton Building, Dublin a shop built for the company between 1929 and ...

and

. Last seasons champions Birmingham & Solihull were promoted into

following a level transfer, while runners up

Peterborough Lions RFC Peterborough Lions Rugby Football Club, formerly Westwood RUFC, is an English rugby union team based in Bretton near Peterborough. The club runs one senior team, a youth academy team, an under-16s side and four junior teams. with the first XV cu ...

were promoted into

after winning their play-off game against

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

. Teams relegated from the division included Old Halesonians, Longton and Newbold-on-Avon who all drop to Midlands 1 West.

2017–18

Participating teams and locations

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition.

were relegated from

while the three teams promoted into the division included Newbold-on-Avon, Newport (Salop) and

. Last seasons champions, Broadstreet, were promoted into

following a level transfer, while runners-up

went into

, having won their playoff game. Teams relegated from the league included Bedford Athletic and

, with

Sandbach Sandbach (pronounced ) is the name of a historic market town and a civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements: Sandbach itself as the largest, Elworth, Ettiley Heath ...

given a reprieve by the RFU in light of the

London Welsh London Welsh Rugby Football Club ( cy, Clwb Rygbi Cymry Llundain) was a rugby union club formed in 1885. Based in Old Deer Park, Richmond-upon-Thames, London Welsh RFC played in the English Premiership in the 2012–13 and 2014–15 seasons ...

liquidation, by virtue of being the best ranked third bottom side in tier 5 for 2016–17. Finally

Towcestrians Towcestrians Sports Club (Towcestrians) is a British sports club based in Towcester, Northamptonshire. It was founded in 1933 as a rugby union club, and subsequently extended its scope to cricket, hockey, tennis, and softball. History Old To ...

were level transferred from Midlands Premier into

, while Doncaster Phoenix were level transferred into Midlands Premier from

to address an imbalance of teams in the three divisions. Birmingham & Solihull won the title on 7 April.

2016–17

Participating teams and locations

Eight of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Broadstreet who were relegated from National 2 North while four teams were promoted into the league – Bedford Athletic,

Bridgnorth Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England. The River Severn splits it into High Town and Low Town, the upper town on the right bank and the lower on the left bank of the River Severn. The population at the 2011 Census was 12,079. Histor ...

and

(who were level transferred from the south-west league on promotion) – as well as

who were level transferred from National League 3 North having finished 7th the previous season.

(champions) and

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England. It is administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in the administrative county of Leicestershire, after Leicester and Lough ...

(play-off) were promoted into National League 2 North while Old Northamptonians were relegated to Midlands 1 East and Sutton Coldfield and Newport (Salop) both dropped to Midlands 1 West. In order to address a league imbalance due to only one team coming down from National League 2 South,

(who had finished 11th), were level transferred to National League 3 South West.

Final league table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the National League 3 Midlands, and

National League 3 North North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. T ...

participate in a play-off for promotion to National League 2 North. The team with the best playing record, in this case Rossendale, hosted the match and lost to their opponents Sheffield, 31 – 32. ----

2015–16

Participating teams and locations

Despite leading the table for most of the season

lost 13 – 23 on the final week-end of the season to

, to finish in second place for the second season in a row. Scunthorpe started the day four points behind and finished top due to winning one more match over the season. Two of last seasons promoted teams were relegated; Newport (Salop) to Midland 1 West and Old Northamptonians to Midland 1 East. The third relegated team is Sutton Coldfield.

Final league table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the National League 3 Midland, and National League 3 North participate in a play-off for promotion to National League 2 North. The team with the best playing record, in this case Hinckley, host the match and they beat their opponents Wirral 33 – 20. ---- ----

2014–15

(relegated from National 2 North) *

(promoted from Midlands 1 West) * Dudley Kingswinford (relegated from National 2 North) *

(promoted from Midlands 1 West) * Longton * Nuneaton * Old Halesonians * Peterborough Lions (promoted from Midlands 1 East) *

* South Leicester * Sutton Coldfield

2013–14

* Bedford Athletic (promoted from Midlands 1 East) *

* Broadstreet RFC *

* Longton * Lymm (transferred from

) * Newport (Salop) RFC * Nuneaton * Old Halesonians (promoted from Midlands 1 West) *

* South Leicester * Sutton Coldfield *

2012–13

Ampthill Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...

(transferred from National League 3 London/South East) *

(promoted from Midlands 1 West) * Broadstreet RFC *

(promoted from Midlands 1 East) *

* Longton *

Mansfield Mansfield is a market town and the administrative centre of Mansfield District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is the largest town in the wider Mansfield Urban Area (followed by Sutton-in-Ashfield). It gained the Royal Charter of a market t ...

* Newport (Salop) RFC * Nuneaton (relegated from National Division 2 North) *

(promoted from

North 1 West North 1 West is a rugby union league at the sixth level within the English rugby union system, English league system. The league is made up of teams from north west England and the Isle of Man; principally consisting of the English counties of ...

) *

* South Leicester * Sutton Coldfield (promoted from Midlands 1 West) *

2011–12

* Broadstreet * Dudley Kingswinford (promoted from Midlands 1 West) *

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a populatio ...

(relegated) *

* Longton *

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

(relegated from

) *

(promoted from Midlands 1 East) * Newport (Salop) * Old Northamptonians *

Rugby Lions The Rugby Lions, nicknamed The Lions, is an English rugby union club based in Rugby, Warwickshire. The club plays its home matches at Webb Ellis Road. Its developmental squad is known as the Crusaders. The club also has a ladies team known a ...

* South Leicester *

(promoted from Midlands 1 East)

2010–11

* Broadstreet *

(promoted from Midlands 1 West) *

Kenilworth Kenilworth ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Warwick District in Warwickshire, England, south-west of Coventry, north of Warwick and north-west of London. It lies on Finham Brook, a tributary of the River Sowe, which joins the ...

* Longton *

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable a ...

* Malvern * Newport (Salop) * Old Northamptonians (promoted from Midlands 1 West) *

(promoted from Midlands 1 East) *

Sheffield Tigers The Sheffield 'Tru Plant' Tigers are a motorcycle speedway team based in Sheffield, England. They currently race in the British SGB Premiership, and their home meetings take place at Owlerton Stadium. The Tigers traditionally hold their race ...

* South Leicester

2009–10

First season as National 3 Midlands. *

(promoted from Midlands 1 East) * Bedford Athletic *

* Longton *

* Malvern * Newport RUFC *

* South Leicester

2007–08

* Bedford Athletic * Broadstreet * Dudley Kingswinford * Dunstablians *

Kingswinford Kingswinford is a town of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the English West Midlands, situated west-southwest of central Dudley. In 2011 the area had a population of 25,191, down from 25,808 at the 2001 Census. The current economic focus ...

* Longton * Loughborough Students *

* Newport (Salop) *

* South Leicester

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this division (known as Midlands 1) contained the following teams: * Barkers Butts *

* Paviors *

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies about north of Wolverhampton, south of Stoke-on-Trent and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 70,145 in ...

* Stockwood Park *

Stoke-on-Trent Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England, with an area of . In 2019, the city had an estimated population of 256,375. It is the largest settlement in Staffordshire and is surroun ...

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is t ...

* Westleigh *

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 United ...

Midlands Premier honours

Midlands 1 (1987–1992)

The original Midlands 1 was a tier 5 league with promotion to Area League North and relegation to either Midlands 2 East or Midlands 2 West.

Midlands 1 (1992–1993)

For the 1991–92 season Midlands 1 remained a tier 5 league with promotion to Area League North. However, restructuring of the Midlands leagues meant that relegation was now to Midlands 2 (formerly Midlands 2 East and Midlands 2 West).

Midlands 1 (1993–1996)

The top six teams from Midlands 1 and the top six from

North 1 North Premier was a level five league in the English rugby union system, with the fourteen teams drawn from across Northern England. The other leagues at this level were London & South East Premier, Midlands Premier and South West Premier. ...

were combined to create National 5 North. Midlands 1 dropped to become a tier 6 league and was one of two feeder leagues for National 5 North. Relegation continued to Midlands 2 (currently Midlands 1 East and Midlands 1 West)

Midlands 1 (1996–2000)

At the end of the 1995–96 season National 5 North was discontinued and Midlands 1 returned to being a tier 5 league. Promotion was now to National 4 North (currently National League 2 North), while relegation continued to Midlands 2 (currently split into Midlands 1 East and Midlands 1 West).

Midlands 1 (2000–2009)

Restructuring ahead of the 2000–01 season saw Midlands 1 remain a tier 5 league but promotion was now to National 3 North (formerly National 4 North) and relegation to either Midlands 2 East or Midlands 2 West (both formerly Midlands 2).

National League 3 Midlands (2009–2017)

The division was renamed National League 3 Midlands following a restructuring of the national leagues which led to changes at all levels. It remained a tier 5 league with promotion to

(formerly National League 3 North) and relegation to either Midlands 1 East or Midlands 1 West (formerly Midlands 2 East / Midlands 2 West).

Midlands Premier (2017–2022t)

For the 2017–18 season all divisions at tier 5 were renamed from National League 3 to Premier meaning that National League 3 Midlands became known as Midlands Premier. Promotion continued to

and relegation to either Midlands 1 East or Midlands 1 West.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the league runners-up of Midlands Premier and

for the third and final promotion place to

. The team with the superior league record has home advantage. As of the end of the 2019–20 season the northern teams have been stronger with twelve wins to the Midlands seven, while the home team has won thirteen times compared to the away teams six.

Number of league titles

* Broadstreet (4) *

(3) * Bedford Athletic (2) * Birmingham & Solihull (2) *

(2) *

(1) * Barkers Butts (1) *

(1) *

(1) * Dudley Kingswinford (1) *

(1) *

Leicester Lions Leicester Lions are a speedway team which originally operated from 1968 until 1983.Bamford, R & Jarvis J.(2001). ''Homes of British Speedway''. The club returned to speedway for the 2011 Premier League season, moving up to the Elite League ...

(1) * Longton (1) * Loughborough Students (1) *

(1) *

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

(1) * South Leicester (1) *

(1) *

(1) * Whitchurch (1)

Notes

References

{{Rugby union in England 5 1 Recurring sporting events established in 1987 Sports leagues established in 1987

Format

Current season

Participating teams and locations

2021–22

Participating teams and locations

Final league table

2020–21

2019–20

Participating teams and locations

2018–19

Participating teams and locations

2017–18

Participating teams and locations

2016–17

Participating teams and locations

Final league table

Promotion play-off

2015–16

Participating teams and locations

Final league table

Promotion play-off

2014–15

2013–14

2012–13

2011–12

2010–11

2009–10

2007–08

Original teams

Midlands Premier honours

Midlands 1 (1987–1992)

Midlands 1 (1992–1993)

Midlands 1 (1993–1996)

Midlands 1 (1996–2000)

Midlands 1 (2000–2009)

National League 3 Midlands (2009–2017)

Midlands Premier (2017–2022t)

Promotion play-offs

Number of league titles

See also

Notes

References