The 2002–03 Northern Premier League season was the 35th in the history of the

Northern Premier League The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...

, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

competition in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. Teams were divided into two divisions; the Premier and the First.

Premier Division

The Premier League featured three new teams: * Stalybridge Celtic relegated from the

Football Conference The National League of English Football Clubs is a professional Association football, football league in England that consists of 72 teams, divided equally between the National League (division), National League North and National League South ...

* Harrogate Town promoted as champions of Division One * Ashton United promoted via 3° play-offs from Division One

League table

Results

Division One

Division One featured four new teams: *

Bamber Bridge Bamber Bridge is a large village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". People who live in Bamber Bri ...

relegated via play-offs from Premier Division *

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

relegated from Premier Division * Alfreton Town promoted as champions of the Northern Counties East League Premier Division * Kidsgrove Athletic promoted as champions of the North West Counties League Division One

League table

Results

Play-offs

The Division One play-offs saw the third to fifth placed sides in the Division and the team that finished 21st in the Premier Division compete for one place in the Premier Division.

Promotion and relegation

In the thirty-fifth season of the Northern Premier League Accrington Stanley (as champions) were automatically promoted to the Football Conference.

Gateshead Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay () is a town, Community (Wales), community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic counties of Wales, historic county boundaries of Denbighshire (h ...

and Hyde United were relegated to the First Division; these three clubs were replaced by relegated Conference side

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

, First Division winners Alfreton Town, second placed Spennymoor United and third placed Radcliffe Borough (via a Playoff). In the First Division Eastwood Town and

Trafford Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England, with an estimated population of in . It covers and includes the area of Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford and the towns of Altrincham, Stretford, Urmston, Partington and Sa ...

left the League at the end of the season and were replaced by newly admitted Bridlington Town and Prescot Cables.

Cup Results

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

: Teams from both leagues. *''Marine'' bt. Gateshead 3–0 on aggregate President's Cup: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup. *''Stalybridge Celtic'' bt. Ashton United Chairman's Cup: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup. *''Hucknall Town'' bt. Droylsden Peter Swales Shield: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup. *''Accrington Stanley'' bt. Marine

References

External links

Northern Premier League Tables at RSSSF
{{DEFAULTSORT:2002-03 Northern Premier League Northern Premier League seasons 6