The fourteen teams played home and away matches from September through to April. The first placed team in the league won promotion to London & South East Premier while the league runner-up played the second placed team from London 1 South in a play-off for promotion. Relegated teams dropped to either London 2 North East or London 2 North West depending on the location of the club.
The Rugby Football Union reorganised the level six leagues for season 2022–23, with an increase from eight to twelve leahgues, and a reduction of the teams in each from fourteen to twelve.[2] The teams in this league were transferred to either Regional 2 Anglia, Regional 2 Thames or Regional 2 East Midlands.[3]
Teams 2021–22
The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019–20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020–21.
Ten of the fourteen teams from 2021–22 were placed into one of the new level six leagues for 2022–23. Amersham & Chiltern, Belsize Park and Old Haberdashers were placed into Regional 2 Thames, while Brentwood, Chingford, Eton Manor, Norwich, Southend Saxons and Thurrock were placed into Regional 2 Anglia. Leighton Buzzard were placed into Regional 2 East Midlands. The top four teams in 2021–22, Colchester, Harpenden, Shelford and Sudbury, were promoted to the level five league Regional 1 South East. No teams were relegated to level seven.
Location of 2021–22 London 1 North teams in London
Season 2020–21
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced [4] that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning London 1 North was not contested.
Amersham & Chiltern, the champions, are promoted to National League 3 London & SE for next season. There are only two relegated clubs (Harrow and Luton) as East Grinstead took voluntary relegation from the National League 3 London & SE to the Sussex Leagues.[5]
In the first season of the English rugby union league pyramid, sponsored by Courage, there was six, tier six leagues. The initial name was London 2 North and was for teams based in London and the counties of Hertfordshire, Middlesex, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Norfolk. There was eleven teams in the league and each team played one match against each of the other teams, giving each team five home matches and five away matches. The winning team was awarded two points, and there was one point for each team in a drawn match.[6]
The cancellation of National 5 South at the end of the 1995–96 season meant that London 2 North reverted to being a tier 6 league. Promotion continued to London 1 and relegation down to either London 3 North East or London 3 North West (renamed to London 2 North East and London 2 North West from the 2000–01 season onward).
London 2 North was renamed to London 1 North from the 2009–10 season onward. It continued as a tier 6 league with promotion to National League 3 London & South East (formerly London 1 and currently known as London & South East Premier) and relegation to London 2 North East and London 2 North West (formerly London 3 North East and London 3 North West).
Since the 2000–01 season there has been a play-off between the runners-up of London 1 North and London 1 South for the third and final promotion place to London & South East Premier. The team with the superior league record has home advantage in the tie. At the end of the 2019–20 season the London 1 South teams have been the most successful with eleven wins to the London 1 North teams eight; and the home team has won promotion on thirteen occasions compared to the away teams six.
London 1 (north v south) promotion play-off results
^League reduced from 11 to 10 teams after West London Institute withdrew.
^There would be no relegation due to the league increased from 12 to 17 teams for the following season.
^Lowestoft & Yarmouth, Braintree, Finchley, Southend, Brentwood and Barnet Elizabethans were the relegated teams this year. The reason for so many relegated teams was due to the creation of a new division 4 for the next season in the London league which would lead to a restructure of the whole league including a downsizing of this division from 17 teams to 12 teams.
^The division would be renamed London Division 1 North for the next season and along with the whole national restructure of the league system by the RFU lead to mass changes at all levels.
^After finishing 12th, Barking were due to be relegated but due to East Grinstead's voluntary relegation from National League 3 London & SE (all the way to level 10), the club were granted a reprieve from relegation and would remain in London 1 North for the 2016-17 season.[28]
^Harvey, Neale (22 May 2016). "French exile Ollie relishing new role at Barking". RugbyPaper. No. 401. p. 30.
^Williams, Tony; Mitchell, Bill (eds.). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990–91 (3rd ed.). Taunton: Football Directories. ISBN1 873057 01 6.
^ abcWilliams, Tony; Mitchell, Bill, eds. (1990). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1990-91. Windsor: Burlington Publishing Co Ltd. pp. 564–566. ISBN1873057 024.
^Williams, Tony; Mitchell, Bill, eds. (1992). Courage Official Rugby Union Club Directory 1991–92. Taunton: Football Directories. p. 605. ISBN1 869833 15 5.
^Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1992). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1992–93. London: Headline Book Publishing. pp. 170–185. ISBN0 7472 7907 1.
^Jones, Stephen; Griffiths, John (1993). Rothmans Rugby Union Yearbook 1993–94 (22nd ed.). London: Headline Book Publishing Ltd. pp. 151–167. ISBN0 7472 7891 1.
England
