The Rugby Football League Championship Second Division was founded in 1902 and was the second tier of professional rugby league in the UK until 2003.
During the 1990s a
third division was established and there is automatic promotion between the second and third division.
History
The Second Division was formed in 1902 by splitting the
RFL Championship
The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the Rugby Football League Championship Second Division, second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football Lea ...
into two divisions of 18. After three seasons the Second Division was abolished and not resurrected until 1962. Two seasons later in 1964 the Second Division was scrapped for the second time.
The division was resurrected again in 1973 and has been played every season since. During the 1991-92 season, a third division was established and, for the first time, two teams were relegated. There was no regular relegation from the Second Division until 2003.
In 1995, in anticipation for the
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
starting in 1996, six teams were relegated from the
RFL Championship
The Championship, known as the Betfred Championship for sponsorship reasons, is a professional rugby league competition. It is the Rugby Football League Championship Second Division, second-tier competition organised by the Rugby Football Lea ...
, five were relegated to the Second Division and one was relegated to form the Third Division. Controversy was caused as
London Broncos
The London Broncos are a professional rugby league club in London, England.
The club competes in the RFL Championship. It was a member of Super League from its inaugural season in 1996 until the end of the 2014 season, when they were relegat ...
, who finished 4th in the Second Division, were elected to the Championship ahead of
Keighley
Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish
in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford.
Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...
,
Batley
Batley is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Batley lies south-west of Leeds, north-west of Wakefield and Dewsbury, south-east of Bradford and north-east of Huddersfield. Batley is part of the ...
and
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
.
In 2003, the divisions under
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
were reorganised into the
National Leagues with Second and Third Divisions becoming National League One and National League Two.
Results
Winners
*§ ''Denotes club now
defunct
Defunct (no longer in use or active) may refer to:
* ''Defunct'' (video game), 2014
* Zombie process or defunct process, in Unix-like operating systems
See also
*
* :Former entities
* End-of-life product
* Obsolescence
Obsolescence is t ...
''
See also
*
Rugby Football League Championship
The Rugby Football League Championship First Division was the top division of rugby league in England between 1895 and 1996, when it was replaced by the Super League.
History
1895–1904: Foundations
The first season of rugby league (189 ...
*
Rugby Football League Championship Third Division
The Rugby Football League Championship Third Division was founded in 1991 and was the third tier of professional rugby league in the UK until 1998.
History
The RFL Championship Third Division was founded in 1991 to make the top two divisions ...
*
Rugby League Championships
The Rugby League Championships (known as the National Leagues between 2003-2008) are the two professional divisions below the Super League, consisting of 12 teams in the Championship and 14 teams in League 1 (rugby league), League 1. Promotion a ...
References
External links
{{British and Irish Rugby League links
Rugby league competitions in the United Kingdom
Rugby Football League
Rugby Football League Championship