Midlands Premier


Midlands Premier is a level five semi-professional league in the English rugby union system. It is one of four leagues at this level, with its counterparts, London & South East Premier, South West Premier and North Premier. The format of the league was changed at the beginning of the 2009–10 season following a reorganisation by the Rugby Football Union, 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 club that finishes as champions are automatically promoted to National League 2 North. The runner-up meets the second placed team of North Premier in a play-off with the winner also gaining promotion. Relegated teams drop down to either Midlands 1 East or Midlands 1 West depending on location, and other factors such as the location of relegated and promoted teams in other divisions.

Format

The fourteen teams in this league are drawn from across the midlands with the league champions being promoted to National League 2 North and the runner-up going into a play-off with the second placed team from North Premier with the winner also being promoted. The league's bottom three teams are relegated to either Midlands 1 East or Midlands 1 West depending on their geographic location.
The season runs from September to May and comprises twenty-six 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:

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, while the three teams promoted into the division are Bromsgrove, Kettering 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. Birmingham & Solihull were initially relegated into the division from National League 2 South but decided to drop out of the league system altogether as they became an amateur club.
Last seasons champions, Scunthorpe were promoted into National League 2 North, along with Luctonians who won their play-off game against North Premier runners up Blaydon. Teams relegated from the division included Derby and Syston and Lichfield.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
BournvilleEdgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands10th
BridgnorthEdgar Davies GroundBridgnorth, Shropshire5th
BroadstreetIvor Preece Field1,500 Binley Woods, Coventry, West Midlands4th
BromsgroveFinstall ParkBromsgrove, WorcestershirePromoted from Midlands 1 West
BurtonPeel Croft5,500 Burton, Staffordshire8th
Doncaster PhoenixCastle Park5,000Doncaster, South Yorkshire11th
KetteringWaverley Road2,000Kettering, NorthamptonshirePromoted from Midlands 1 East
Newport The Old ShowgroundNewport, Shropshire3rd
NuneatonLiberty Way4,314 Nuneaton, Warwickshire7th
PaviorsThe Ron Rossin GroundNottingham, NottinghamshirePromoted from Midlands 1 East
Peterborough LionsBretton WoodsBretton, CambridgeshireRelegated from National 2 North
SandbachBradwall RoadSandbach, Cheshire9th
SheffieldAbbeydale Park3,200 Sheffield, South Yorkshire6th
South LeicesterWelford Road GroundLeicester, LeicestershireRelegated from National 2 North

2018–19

Participating teams and locations

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. They are joined by Luctonians and Sheffield, Broadstreet, while the two teams promoted into the division are Burton and Syston. Last seasons champions Birmingham & Solihull were promoted into National League 2 South following a level transfer, while runners up Peterborough Lions RFC were promoted into National League 2 North after winning their play-off game against Hull. Teams relegated from the division included Old Halesonians, Longton and Newbold-on-Avon who all drop to Midlands 1 West.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
BournvilleAvery FieldsEdgbaston, Birmingham, West Midlands10th
BridgnorthEdgar Davies GroundBridgnorth, Shropshire5th
BroadstreetIvor Preece Field1,500 Binley Woods, Coventry, West MidlandsRelegated from National 2 South
BurtonPeel Croft5,500 Burton, StaffordshirePromoted from Midlands 1 West
DerbyHaslams LaneDerby, Derbyshire8th
Doncaster PhoenixCastle Park5,000Doncaster, South Yorkshire6th
LichfieldCooke FieldsLichfield, Staffordshire11th
LuctoniansMortimer Park2,500 Kingsland, HerefordshireRelegated from National 2 North
Newport The Old ShowgroundNewport, Shropshire3rd
NuneatonLiberty Way4,314 Nuneaton, Warwickshire9th
SandbachBradwall RoadSandbach, Cheshire7th
ScunthorpeHeslam ParkScunthorpe, Lincolnshire4th
SheffieldAbbeydale Park3,200 Sheffield, South YorkshireRelegated from National 2 North
SystonBarkby RoadQueniborough, LeicestershirePromoted from Midlands 1 East

2017–18

Participating teams and locations

Nine of the fourteen teams participated in last season's competition. Scunthorpe were relegated from National League 2 North while the three teams promoted into the division included Newbold-on-Avon,
Newport and Bournville. Last seasons champions, Broadstreet, were promoted into National League 2 South following a level transfer, while runners-up Sheffield went into National League 2 North, having won their playoff game. Teams relegated from the league included Bedford Athletic and Syston, with Sandbach given a reprieve by the RFU in light of the London Welsh liquidation, by virtue of being the best ranked third bottom side in tier 5 for 2016-17. Finally Towcestrians were level transferred from Midlands Premier into London & South East Premier, while Doncaster Phoenix were level transferred into Midlands Premier from North Premier to address an imbalance of teams in the three divisions. Birmingham & Solihull won the title on 7 April.
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
Birmingham & SolihullPortwayPortway, Birmingham, West Midlands5th
BournvilleBournbrook / Metchley ParkEdgbaston, Birmingham, West MidlandsPromoted from Midlands 1 West
BridgnorthEdgar Davies GroundBridgnorth, Shropshire6th
DerbyHaslams LaneDerby, Derbyshire9th
Doncaster PhoenixCastle Park5,000Doncaster, South YorkshireLevel transfer from North Premier
LichfieldCooke FieldsLichfield, Staffordshire7th
LongtonTrentham FieldsLongton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire11th
Newbold-on-AvonParkfield RoadNewbold-on-Avon, Rugby, WarwickshirePromoted from Midlands 1 East
Newport The Old ShowgroundNewport, ShropshirePromoted from Midlands 1 West
NuneatonLiberty Way4,314 Nuneaton, Warwickshire3rd
Old HalesoniansWassell GroveHagley, Stourbridge, Worcestershire8th
Peterborough LionsBretton WoodsBretton, Cambridgeshire4th
SandbachBradwall RoadSandbach, Cheshire12th
ScunthorpeHeslam ParkScunthorpe, LincolnshireRelegated from National 2 North

2016–17

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, Derby and Towcestrians – as well as Sheffield who were level transferred from National League 3 North having finished 7th the previous season. Scunthorpe and Hinckley were promoted into National League 2 North while Old Northamptonians were relegated to Midlands 1 East and Sutton Coldfield and Newport 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, Bromsgrove, were level transferred to National League 3 South West.

Participating teams and locations

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
Bedford AthleticPutnoe Woods500Bedford, Bedfordshirepromoted from Midlands 1 East
Birmingham & SolihullPortwayPortway, Birmingham, West Midlands7th
BridgnorthEdgar Davies GroundBridgnorth, Shropshirepromoted from Midlands 1 West
BroadstreetIvor Preece Field250 Coventry, West Midlandsrelegated from 2015–16 National League 2 North
DerbyHaslams LaneDerby, Derbyshirepromoted from Midlands 1 East
LichfieldCooke FieldsLichfield, Staffordshire11th
LongtonTrentham FieldsLongton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire8th
NuneatonLiberty Way4,314 Nuneaton, Warwickshire5th
Old HalesoniansWassell GroveHagley, Stourbridge, Worcestershire3rd
Peterborough LionsBretton WoodsBretton, Cambridgeshire4th
SandbachBradwell RoadSandbach, Cheshire10th
SheffieldAbbeydale Park3,200 Sheffield, South Yorkshirelevel transfer from National League 3 North
SystonBarkby RoadQueniborough, Leicestershire6th
TowcestriansGreens Norton RoadTowcester, Northamptonshirepromoted from South West 1 East

Final league table

Promotion play-off

Each season, the runners-up in the National League 3 Midlands, 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 Rossendale, hosted the match and lost to their opponents Sheffield, 31 – 32.
TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTry bonusLoss bonusPoints
Rossendale26210585244340914199
Sheffield 26190771743428316496

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2015–16

Despite leading the table for most of the season Hinckley lost 13 – 23 on the final week-end of the season to Scunthorpe, 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 to Midland 1 West and Old Northamptonians to Midland 1 East. The third relegated team is Sutton Coldfield.

Participating teams and locations

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
BromsgroveFinstall ParkBromsgrove, Worcestershire6th
HinckleyLeicester RoadHinckley, Leicestershire2nd
LichfieldCooke FieldsLichfield, Staffordshire9th
LongtonTrentham FieldsLongton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire10th
Newport The Old ShowgroundNewport, Shropshirepromoted from Midlands 1 West
NuneatonLiberty Way4,314 Nuneaton, Warwickshire4th
Old HalesoniansWassell GroveHagley, Stourbridge, Worcestershire5th
Old NorthamptoniansSir Humphrey Cripps PavilionNorthampton, Northamptonshirepromoted from Midlands 1 East
Peterborough LionsBretton WoodsBretton, Cambridgeshire3rd
SandbachBradwell RoadSandbach, Cheshire8th
ScunthorpeHeslam ParkScunthorpe, Lincolnshire7th
Sutton ColdfieldRoger Smoldon GroundSutton Coldfield, West Midlands11th
SystonBarkby RoadQueniborough, Leicestershirepromoted from Midlands 1 East

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.
TeamPlayedWonDrawnLostPoints forPoints againstPoints diffTry bonusLoss bonusPoints
Hinckley 262213790343447162108
Wirral Rugby Club26190767748619113493

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2014–15

First season as National 3 Midlands.

Midlands Division One

National 5 North

The top six teams from Midlands Division One and the top six from North Division One were combined to create National 5 North. Midland Division One was now the name of a tier six league and was one of two feeder leagues for National 5 North, the other being North Division One.

Midlands Division One

The leagues were reorganised at the end of 1995–96 with the top four divisions increased in size. The fifth tier National 5 North was split and reverted to Midland Division One and North Division One. Wharfedale, the champions, were promoted to National Division Three and all of the other teams, bar Broughton Park, were transferred to the fourth tier, National 4 North.

National League 3 Midlands

Midlands Premier

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the league runners-up of Midlands Premier and North Premier for the third and final promotion place to National League 2 North. 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