The Northern Amateur Football League, also known as the Northern Amateur League and often simply as the Amateur League, is an association football league in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. It contains 13 divisions. These comprise four intermediate sections: the Premier Division, Division 1A, Division 1B and Division 1C; three junior sections: Division 2A, Division 2B and Division 2C; and six reserve sections.

Clubs in membership (2019–20)

Intermediate

Format

The league season lasts from August to May with each club playing the others twice, once at their home ground and once at that of their opponents. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference, and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the team that finishes in first place in the Premier division is crowned league champions.

Premier Division

There are 14 clubs in the Premier Division, each playing a total of 26 games. The two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Division 1A. The league champions can be promoted to the

NIFL Premier Intermediate League The NIFL Premier Intermediate League is the third division of the Northern Ireland Football League, the national association football league in Northern Ireland, and the highest intermediate division in Northern Ireland, occupying level three in ...

, providing they meet the admittance requirements.

Division 1A

There are 14 clubs. The two highest-placed teams are promoted into the Premier Division whilst the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Division 1B.

Division 1B

There are 14 clubs. The two highest-placed teams are promoted to Division 1A and the two lowest-placed teams are relegated to Division 1C.

Division 1C

This division was added to the Amateur League for the 2009/10 season. It now consists of 14 teams who will each play a total of 26 matches. The two top-placed teams at the end of the season will be promoted to Division 1B.

Second Division

There are three sections within the Second Division, which has junior status: Division 2A, Division 2B and Division 2C. The top team in Division 2A at the end of the season can be promoted into the Intermediate section as long as their grounds meet intermediate standards.

Third Division

The Third Division is for reserve sides of teams in the first and second divisions. It has six sections: 3A to 3F.

Cup competitions

There are two cup competitions at intermediate level: the Border Regiment Cup, more commonly referred to as the Border Cup, the final of which is played during the Christmas period, is a knock-out competition for First Division clubs. The Clarence Cup is a knock-out competition for all clubs (encompassing both the First and Second Divisions).

History

The League was founded 4 July 1923 at a meeting of fourteen clubs at the Clarence Place Hall,

Donegall Square Donegall Square is a square in the centre of Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. In the centre is Belfast City Hall, the headquarters of Belfast City Council. Each side of the square is named according to its geographical location, i.e. Do ...

East,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, initially as a league for teams from public bodies, private associations, schools and firms. It was affiliated to the

Irish Football Association The Irish Football Association (IFA) is the governing body for association football in Northern Ireland. It organised the Ireland national football team from 1880 to 1950, which after 1954, became the Northern Ireland national football team. ...

(IFA) as a junior league in August. The first season was 1923/24 and by the time the first fixtures were played on 22 September, there were 16 member clubs. The Co-operative and C.P.A. were tied at the top of the table, but the Co-operative won a play-off to be crowned the first Amateur League champions. A knock-out competition – the Clarence Cup – was also inaugurated in the first season, and the first winners were C.P.A., who beat the Co-operative 2–1 in a replay after a 0–0 draw. The League's first representative game was played on 26 January 1924 against the Minor League at

the Oval The Oval, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Kia Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, located in the borough of Lambeth, in south London. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since ...

, and was a 6–1 win for the Amateur League. In 1932, the League played its first representative match outside Northern Ireland: a 3–3 draw against the

Scottish Juvenile FA Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English * Scottish national identity, the Scottish id ...

Celtic Park Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is al ...

, Glasgow. This became an annual fixture, which lasted until 1939, only to be halted by the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Subsequently, annual fixtures have resumed, first with the Scottish Amateur League and, since 1978–1979 with the Scottish Amateur F.A., competing for the Britton Rosebowl. During the next few years, the League gained intermediate status, and a junior-status second division was added in 1926. By 1930, there were 30 clubs in membership. In 1932–1933, the League's strength was demonstrated when Dunville's became the first Amateur League team to win the

Irish Intermediate Cup The Irish Intermediate Cup is a Northern Irish football competition for teams of intermediate status, including NIFL Premiership reserve sides. It is a straight knock-out tournament and is currently sponsored by McCombs Coach Travel. The curre ...

, and in 1938–1939 when Sirocco Works won the

Steel & Sons Cup The Steel & Sons Cup (also referred to as the Steel Cup) is an intermediate football competition in Northern Ireland run by the North East Ulster Football Association (also known as the County Antrim & District Football Association). The compe ...

. In the 1936–1937 season, a new competition was introduced: the Border Regiment Cup (commonly the Border Cup), which was to become the perhaps League's most prestigious trophy as it established a traditional Christmas final. The cup was presented to the league by the team of the

Border Regiment The Border Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, which was formed in 1881 under the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot and the 55th (Westmorland) Regiment of Foot. After service i ...

, stationed at

Palace Barracks Palace Barracks, Holywood is a British Army installation in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland. History Palace Barracks occupies the site of a palatial house known as "Ardtullagh", the home of the Bishop of Down, Connor and Dromore until i ...

, which had been a member of the League since 1933, and which was nearing the end of its

tour of duty For military personnel, a tour of duty is usually a period of time spent in combat or in a hostile environment. In an army, for instance, soldiers on active duty serve 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the length of their service commitment. ...

. The first winners were Sirocco Works, who beat Whitehouse Recreation Club 4–0 in the final. After the

, the league expanded its membership and the second division was split into two – Division 2A and Division 2B – in 1947. Division 2C was added in 1950. In 1961, Division 2A was elevated to intermediate status as Division 1B, with the top division renamed as Division 1A. Divisions 2B and 2C consequently became 2A and 2B respectively. The next year, 1962, the league expanded again and a new Division 2C was added, making a total of five divisions. In 1963, it was decided that the Border Cup should be confined to teams in the First Division, and a new knock-out competition – the Cochrane Corry Cup – was instituted for the Second Division teams. The Clarence Cup is contested by teams of both divisions. From the 1970–1971 season, automatic promotion and relegation within each division was introduced, and in the following season a new Third Division was added for the reserve teams of member clubs. In 1971 Division 2C was abolished, but re-established again in 1975. In 1973 a second reserve section was formed and the Third Division was thus divided into Division 3A and Division 3B. Division 3C was added in 1980, Division 3D in 1986 and Division 3E in 1991. There is now a Division 3F. The League had been growing, particularly since the 1960s, and the milestone of 100 teams in membership was achieved in 1981. (By 1997–1998, there were 144 teams in membership.) In 1985, the League secured a sponsorship deal with

Smithwick's Smithwick's () is an Irish red ale-style beer. Smithwick's brewery was founded in Kilkenny in 1710 by John Smithwick and run by the Smithwick family of Kilkenny until 1965 when it was acquired by Guinness, now part of Diageo. The Kilkenny b ...

. In 1986, the intermediate First Division was expanded into three sections with the addition of Division 1C. From 1991, the intermediate sections were renamed as the Premier Division, Division 1A and Division 1B. Minimum standards were set for clubs' grounds as a condition of membership of the Premier Division, with promotion only available to those clubs whose facilities measured up.

List of champions

* 1923–24 Co-operative * 1924–25 North Cricket Club * 1925–26 North Cricket Club * 1926–27 Sirocco Works * 1927–28 Shaftesbury * 1928–29 Shaftesbury * 1929–30 Holm Factory * 1930–31 Dunville's * 1931–32 Dunville's * 1932–33 Dunville's * 1933–34 Dunville's * 1934–35 Sirocco Works * 1935–36 Sirocco Works * 1936–37 Sirocco Works * 1937–38 Sirocco Works * 1938–39 Sirocco Works * 1939–40 Sirocco Works * 1940–41 Victoria Works * 1941–42 Victoria Works United * 1942–43 Victoria Works United * 1943–44 Shankill Young Men * 1944–45 Shankill Young Men * 1945–46 Shankill Young Men * 1946–47 Queen's Island Woodworkers * 1947–48 Sirocco Works * 1948–49

Carrick Rangers Carrick Rangers Football Club is a semi-professional Northern Irish football club playing in NIFL Premiership. The club, founded in 1939, hails from Carrickfergus, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Taylors Avenue which is known as ...

* 1949–50 East Belfast * 1950–51 Musgrave * 1951–52

* 1952–53 East Belfast * 1953–54 East Belfast * 1954–55 East Belfast * 1955–56 East Belfast * 1956–57 Short Brothers & Harland * 1957–58 Short Brothers & Harland * 1958–59 Short Brothers & Harland * 1959–60 Short Brothers & Harland * 1960–61 Albert Foundry ref name="OriginalAlbertFoundry">The original Albert Foundry club folded in 1978. * 1961–62 Chimney Corner * 1962–63 East Belfast * 1963–64 East Belfast * 1964–65 St Elizabeth's * 1965–66 East Belfast * 1966–67 Albert Foundry ref name="OriginalAlbertFoundry"/> * 1967–68

Islandmagee Islandmagee () is a peninsula and civil parish on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, located between the towns of Larne and Whitehead. It is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council area and is a sparsely populated rural ...

* 1968–69 Chimney Corner * 1969–70 Chimney Corner * 1970–71

Royal Ulster Constabulary The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was the police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001. It was founded on 1 June 1922 as a successor to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC)Richard Doherty, ''The Thin Green Line – The History of the Royal ...

* 1971–72 International Computers Limited * 1972–73

* 1973–74 Chimney Corner * 1974–75 Chimney Corner * 1975–76 Barn United * 1976–77 Downpatrick Rec. * 1977–78 Downpatrick Rec. * 1978–79 Harland & Wolff Welders * 1979–80 Dunmurry Rec * 1980–81 Downpatrick Rec. * 1981–82 Drumaness Mills * 1982–83 Standard Telephones & Cables * 1983–84 Drumaness Mills * 1984–85 Killyleagh Youth * 1985–86 Cromac Albion * 1986–87 Cromac Albion * 1987–88 Dunmurry Rec * 1988–89 Drumaness Mills * 1989–90

Short Brothers Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...

* 1990–91 Harland & Wolff Sports * 1991–92 Dunmurry Rec * 1992–93 Killyleagh Youth * 1993–94 East Belfast * 1994–95 Crumlin United * 1995–96

Northern Telecom Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a r ...

* 1996–97

* 1997–98 Ards Rangers * 1998–99 Dunmurry Rec * 1999–00 Killyleagh Youth * 2000–01 Killyleagh Youth * 2001–02 Killyleagh Youth * 2002–03 Killyleagh Youth * 2003–04 Killyleagh Youth * 2004–05 Killyleagh Youth * 2005–06 Newington Youth * 2006–07 Albert Foundry I* 2007–08

Downpatrick Downpatrick () is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the Lecale peninsula, about south of Belfast. In the Middle Ages, it was the capital of the Dál Fiatach, the main ruling dynasty of Ulaid. Its cathedral is said to be the b ...

* 2008–09 Newington Youth * 2009–10 Newington Youth * 2010–11 Newington Youth * 2011–12 Ards Rangers * 2012–13 Newington Youth * 2013–14 Drumaness Mills * 2014–15 Ards Rangers * 2015–16

Immaculata The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception. It is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, meaning that it is held to be a divinely revealed truth wh ...

* 2016–17 Crumlin Star * 2017–18 Crumlin Star * 2018–19 Crumlin Star * 2021–22 Rathfriland Rangers

Performance by club

* Including one as Victoria Works.
** Including two as Shaftesbury.
† Including four as Short Brothers & Harland.
‡ One as Standard Telephones & Cables and two as Northern Telecom.

List of Clarence Cup winners

* 1923–24 CPA * 1924–25 Ophir * 1925–26 Sirocco Works * 1926–27 Sirocco Works * 1927–28 Shaftesbury * 1928–29 Shaftesbury * 1929–30 Shaftesbury * 1930–31 Dunville's * 1931–32 Ewarts * 1932–33 Cliftonville Strollers * 1933–34 49th (Scouts) Old Boys * 1934–35 Border Regiment * 1935–36 Willowfield * 1936–37 Whitehouse Rec * 1937–38 Whitehouse Rec * 1938–39 Sirocco Works * 1939–40 Aircraft Works II * 1940–41 Victoria Works * 1941–42 Victoria Works United * 1942–43 Victoria Works United * 1943–44 Sirocco Works * 1944–45 Shankill Young Men * 1945–46 Sirocco Works * 1946–47 East Belfast * 1947–48 Sirocco Works * 1948–49 Cogry Mills * 1949–50 East Belfast * 1950–51 East Belfast * 1951–52 East Belfast * 1952–53 Wolfhill Rec * 1953–54 Balmoral Rec * 1954–55 Balmoral Rec * 1955–56 Chimney Corner * 1956–57 East Belfast * 1957–58 Comber Rec * 1958–59 Ewarts * 1959–60 Harland & Wolff S.M.D. * 1960–61

* 1961–62 Comber Rec * 1962–63 Bethel Young Men * 1963–64 Albert Foundry ref name="OriginalAlbertFoundry"/> * 1964–65 Lisburn Rangers * 1965–66 St Elizabeth's * 1966–67 Albert Foundry ref name="OriginalAlbertFoundry"/> * 1967–68 Dundonald * 1968–69 Harland & Wolff Welders 'A' * 1969–70 Chimney Corner * 1970–71 ''Cup withheld'' * 1971–72 RNAY * 1972–73 Lisburn Rangers * 1973–74 Standard Telephones & Cables * 1974–75 Downpatrick Rec. * 1975–76 Barn United * 1976–77 Balmoral Rec * 1977–78 Cromac Albion * 1978–79 Downpatrick Rec. * 1979–80 Cromac Albion * 1980–81 Ballyclare Comrades Reserves * 1981–82

Civil Service The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

* 1982–83 Ballyclare Comrades Reserves * 1983–84 Ballyclare Comrades Reserves * 1984–85 Carreras Rothmans * 1985–86 Standard Telephones & Cables * 1986–87 Harland & Wolff Sports * 1987–88 Grove United * 1988–89 Harland & Wolff Sports * 1989–90 Rooftop * 1990–91 Abbey Villa * 1991–92 Harland & Wolff Sports * 1992–93 Drumaness Mills * 1993–94 Drumaness Mills * 1994–95 Barn United * 1995–96 ''Cup withheld'' * 1996–97 Ballynahinch United * 1997–98 Killyleagh Youth * 1998–99 Comber Rec * 1999–2000 ? * 2000–01 Killyleagh Youth * 2001–02 Killyleagh Youth * 2002–03 Bangor Amateurs * 2003–04 Kilmore Rec * 2004–05 Kilmore Rec * 2005–06 Barn United * 2006–07 East Belfast * 2007–08

* 2008–09

* 2009–10 Albert Foundry I* 2010–11

* 2011–12

Derriaghy Cricket Club Derriaghy Cricket Club is a cricket club in Derriaghy, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, playing in Section 1 of the NCU Senior League The Northern Cricket Union (NCU) Senior League is the provincial cricket league within the NCU jurisdiction ...

* 2012–13 Crumlin Star * 2013–14 Drumaness Mills * 2014–15

* 2015–16

* 2016–17

* 2017–18 Crumlin Star * 2018–19 East Belfast

Performance by club

* Including three as Shaftesbury.
** Including one as Victoria Works.

List of Border Cup winners

Sources:H. Johnstone & G. Hamilton (n.d.) ''A Memorable Milestone: 75 Years of the Northern Amateur Football League''

Performance by club

† includes 1 win by 2nd XI

Sources

*H. Johnstone & G. Hamilton (n.d.) ''A Memorable Milestone: 75 Years of the Northern Amateur Football League'' *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 1999/2000''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2000/01''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2001/02''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2002/03''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2003/04''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2004/05''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2006/07''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2007/08''. *M. Brodie (ed.) (n.d.) ''The Northern Ireland Soccer Yearbook 2008/2009''. Belfast:Ulster Tatler Publications * Newington Youth Club F.C. ''Thursday 14 May 2009– Newington are the champions
Newington Football Club
Retrieved 15–05–09.
Northern Amateur Football League

Notes

External links

The Northern Amateur Football League Official site
– (For fixtures, results and tables of all Northern Ireland amateur football)
nifootball.co.uk
– (For fixtures, results and tables of all Northern Ireland amateur football leagues) {{UEFA fifth level leagues 4 Amateur sport in the United Kingdom Amateur association football

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

1923 establishments in Northern Ireland Sports leagues established in 1923