Northern Football Alliance
 |
|
| Country |
 England |
|---|---|
| Confederation | FA |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Divisions | Premier Division Division One Division Two |
| Number of teams | 46 |
| Level on pyramid | Levels 11 to 13 |
| Feeder to | Northern League Division Two |
| Domestic cup(s) | Challenge Cup Stan Seymour League Cup |
| Current champions |
Blyth Town (Premier Division) Shilbottle Colliery Welfare (Division One) Gateshead FC A (Division Two) |
The Northern Football Alliance is a football competition based in the Northeast of England and Cumbria. It has three divisions headed by the Premier Division, which sits at step 7 (or level 11) of the National League System. Under a sponsorship agreement it is billed as the Newcastle Building Society Northern Football Alliance.
The top club in the Premier Division is eligible for promotion to the Northern League Division Two. The top clubs in the First and Second Divisions are promoted to the Premier and First Divisions respectively. The bottom club in the Second 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 still exists today, currently with 46 member teams.
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