North 1 East


North 1 East is the sixth tier of the English rugby union domestic competition, formed in 1987 using the name North Division 2, involving clubs from the north of the country. There was also division known as North East 1 that began in 1987 for clubs based in the north-east but this was a seventh tier league. North Division 2 would later split into two regional divisions, currently known as North 1 East and North 1 West. North 1 East is made up of teams from around the North Eastern area of England, principally County Durham, Cumbria, East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, South Yorkshire, Tyne and Wear, and West Yorkshire, who play home and away matches throughout a winter season.
The league champions are automatically promoted to the North Premier, whilst the second placed team enters into a play-off match with the second placed team in the equivalent division North 1 West. The bottom three teams are relegated to either the Yorkshire Division One or the Durham/Northumberland 1 leagues, the seventh tier of the English domestic rugby union competition. Following the play-off game, depending on the result, a team from the division with fifteen teams are transferred to the division with thirteen teams to level up the number of teams in each division.

2019–20

TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious season
Bradford & BingleyWagon Lane4,000Bingley, West Yorkshire7th
CleckheatonMoorendCleckheaton, West Yorkshire11th
DriffieldShow GroundDriffield, East Riding of Yorkshire8th
Durham CityHollow Drift1,500 Durham, County DurhamPromoted from Durham/Northumberland 1
Huddersfield Y.M.C.A.Laund Hill2,000 Huddersfield, West Yorkshire4th
KendalMint Bridge Stadium3,500 Kendal, CumbriaRelegated from North Premier
Malton & NortonThe GannockMalton, North Yorkshire10th
MoortownMoss ValleyAlwoodley, Leeds, West YorkshirePromoted from Yorkshire 1
MorleyScatcherd LaneMorley, West Yorkshire3rd
Percy ParkPreston AvenueNorth Shields, Tyne and Wear5th
PocklingtonPercy RoadPocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire9th
ScarboroughSilver Royd4500 Scalby, Scarborough, North YorkshireRunners up
West HartlepoolBrinkburn1,000 Hartlepool, County DurhamPromoted from Durham/Northumberland 1
YorkClifton ParkYork, North Yorkshire6th

Original teams

When league rugby began in 1987 this was a single division containing the following teams from the north of England:

North Division 2 (1987–1993)

The original North Division 2 was a tier 6 league with promotion up to North Division 1 and relegation down to either North East 1 or North West 1.

North Division 2 (1993–1996)

The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season, meant that North Division 2 dropped from being a tier 6 league to a tier 7 league for the years that National 5 North was active.

North Division 2 (1996–2000)

The cancellation of National 5 North at the end of the 1995–97 season meant that North Division 2 reverted back to being a tier 6 league.

North 2 East

For the 2000–01 season, North Division 2 was split into two regional divisions - North 2 East and North 2 West. While promotion continued up into North Division 1, the cancellation of the North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 meant that relegation was now to either Durham/Northumberland 1 or Yorkshire 1.

North 1 East

For the 2009-10 season the division would be renamed North 1 East as part of wholesale national restructure of the league system by the RFU leading to mass changes at all levels including in the north.

Promotion play-offs

Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of North 1 East and North 1 West for the third and final promotion place to North Premier. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the North 1 East have been the most successful with thirteen wins to the North 1 West teams six; and the home team has won promotion on fifteen occasions compared to the away teams five.

Number of league titles