League 1 (rugby league)

League 1, known as Kingstone Press League 1 due to sponsorship by the Kingstone Press Cider, is a semi-professional rugby league competition based in the United Kingdom. It acts as the country's third-tier competition behind the Championship, with which it has a system of promotion and relegation.

The current incarnation of third-tier British rugby league dates to 2003, when the Northern Ford Premiership was divided into National League One and National League Two. In 2009 the names were changed to the Championship and Championship 1 respectively, with the latter adopting its current name of League 1 in 2015. The league currently consists of 15 teams and the current champions are Oldham Roughyeds.

History

1991-2003: Foundation and regular competition

Third-division rugby league competitions in the United Kingdom have existed periodically since 1991. The current incarnation was created in 2003 when the existing second-division competition below the Super League, the Northern Ford Premiership, was split into National Leagues One and Two. Teams that finished in the top ten league positions of the Norther Ford Premiership joined National League One which the remaining eight joined National League Two, where they were joined by London Skolars from the Rugby League Conference and York City Knights, who replaced the defunct York Wasps and also joined National League Two for the inaugural season in 2003.