Midlands Rugby League Premier Division

Midlands Rugby League Premier Division
Country  England
Founded 2006
Number of teams 10
Level on pyramid 5
Promotion to Conference League South
Relegation to Midlands Rugby League Division One
Domestic cup(s) Challenge Cup
Current champions Coventry Dragons
Website midlandsrugbyleague.co.uk

The Midlands Rugby League Premier Division is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the English Midlands. It was previously the Midlands Premier Division of the Rugby League Conference. Many of the clubs run juniors in the Midlands Junior League.

History

The Rugby League Conference was born in 1997, then known as the Southern Conference. The Premier Division were set up in 2005 for teams who had achieved a certain playing standard and were able to travel further afield to find stronger opposition.

The new Premier Divisions included the North Premier, the South Premier, the Central Premier and the Welsh Premier. The Central Premier had two Midlands clubs Telford Raiders and Nottingham Outlaws and the rest of the clubs were from Yorkshire or Lancashire.

The Midlands Premier was created one season later in 2006. The founder members were Coventry Bears, Telford Raiders, Nottingham Outlaws, Derby City, Birmingham Bulldogs, Leicester Phoenix and Wolverhampton Wizards.

In 2012 the Rugby League Conference will be disbanded and the Midlands Premier will continue as Midlands Rugby League Premier Division.

Community game pyramid

2015 structure

2014 structure

2013 structure

2012 structure

Club Founded Location RLC Honours
Birmingham Bulldogs A 1989 Birmingham Western Division: 2000, Midlands Division: 2003
Coventry Bears A 1998 Coventry
Gloucestershire Warriors 1997 Gloucester Western Division: 1999, South West Division: 2005, West Midlands and South West Division: 2006, West of England: 2011
Leicester Storm 1986 Leicester Central Division: 1997, South Midlands Division: 2004
Northampton Demons 2007 Northampton East Division: 2009, 2010, RLC Regional: 2009, 2010

Teams play each other three times culminating in a grand final.

League standings

Current Teams 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Bedford Tigers x x 3rd x x
Birmingham Bulldogs 6th 6th 6th 4th
Bristol Sonics x x x 3rd
Coventry Bears 2nd 1st 2nd 1st
Derby City 4th 5th 5th 2nd
Gloucestershire Warriors x 3rd 4th 6th
Leicester Phoenix 3rd 8th 7th 5th
Nottingham Outlaws 1st 2nd 1st x x
Redditch Ravens x x x DNF x
Somerset Vikings x 4th x x x
Telford Raiders 5th 7th x 7th x
Wolverhampton Wizards 7th x x x x

Key

DNF Did not complete the season
x Did not participate
Divisional winner
Qualified for divisional play-off
Finished bottom

Titles

RLC Midlands Premier

Midlands Rugby League Premier Division

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