 | |
| Organising body |  Northumberland Football Association Durham County Football Association |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1890 |
| Country | England |
| Confederation | FA |
| Divisions | Premier Division Division One Division Two Division Three |
| Number of teams | 60 |
| Level on pyramid | Level 11 (Premier Division) |
| Feeder to | Northern League Division Two |
| Domestic cup(s) | Challenge Cup Stan Seymour League Cup |
| Current champions | Newcastle University (Premier Division) Blyth Town (Division One) Whitley Bay Sporting United (Division Two) (2018-19) |
| Current: 2022-23 | |
The Northern Football Alliance is a football league based in the North East, England. It has four divisions headed by the Premier Division, which sits at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System.
The top club in the Premier Division is eligible for promotion to the Northern League Division Two. The top clubs in the First, Second and Third Divisions are promoted to the Premier, First, and Second Divisions respectively. The bottom club in the Third Division may be relegated to either the North Northumberland League Division One, or the Tyneside Amateur League, depending on which is more geographically appropriate.
The Northern Football Alliance was founded in 1890 as a single league, with a membership of seven teams. In 1926 it became the Second Division of the North Eastern League, but it split away again in 1935. It disbanded in 1964 due to lack of membership, but reformed just one season later, in 1965–66.
In 1988 the Northern Amateur League and the Northern Combination League combined with the Northern Football Alliance (all under the name Northern Football Alliance) to create a three-division format, which later expanded to four. Under a sponsorship agreement it is billed as the Bay Plastics Northern Football Alliance.
The league's teams chiefly come from Tyneside as well as Northumberland, with teams from further south preferring to play in the Wearside League, but there are exceptions, for example Prudhoe Town F.C. from Northumberland compete in the Wearside League, whilst Coundon and Leeholme from near Bishop Auckland in southern County Durham compete in the Alliance.