# Northern League One

Northern League One is a semi-professional soccer competition in Northern New South Wales. The competition is conducted by Northern NSW Football, one of two organising bodies in New South Wales (the other being the National Premier Leagues NSW organised by Football NSW). The league sits at Level 2 on the Northern New South Wales league system (Level 3 of the overall Australian league system).
The league was formally known as the Northern Second Division (1959-1997) and subsequently the Northern First Division (1998-2013).

## Format

The competition consists of 10 teams, who each have a First grade and Reserve grade team. The regular season takes place over 18 rounds, with each team playing each other twice in a home and away format.
From 2024 promotion and relegation was reintroduced. The team in first place at the end of the league season are crowned premiers and promoted to the National Premier League (NPL). The team that finishes 11th in NPL Men’s NNSW will join the teams that finish second, third and fourth in Northern League One in a promotion/relegation play-off series to determine the 12th team in NPL Men’s NNSW.
From 2025 the team that finishes last (10th) is relegated to Zone League One, while the Zone League One champion is promoted to Northern League One with no play-off series.

## History

After Sydney clubs broke away from the NSW Football Association in 1958, the Northern NSW Soccer Federation was created by Newcastle and Coalfields clubs.
An 8-team Northern Division Two was established with: Austral Dutch, Courtaulds, Jesmond, Kahibah, Kurri Kurri, Weston, Whitebridge and Young Wallsend.

## Current Teams

The following teams are competing in the 2025 season.
| Club | Nickname(s) | Founded | LGA | Ground | Location | Capacity |
| Cessnock City | Hornets | 1907 | Cessnock | Turner Park | Cessnock | 1,000 |
| Dudley Redhead United | Thistles / Pensioners | 1896 | Lake Macquarie | Lydon Oval | Dudley | 1,000 |
| Kahibah | Rams / Greens | 1925 | Lake Macquarie | Kahibah Oval | Charlestown | 750 |
| Lake Macquarie City | Lakes / Roosters | 1912 | Lake Macquarie | Macquarie Field | Speers Point | 5,000 |
| Singleton Strikers | Wildhogs | 1978 | Singleton | Howe Park | Singleton | 1,000 |
| South Cardiff | Gunners / Southy | 1964 | Lake Macquarie | Ulinga Oval | Cardiff South | 1,000 |
| Thornton Redbacks | Redbacks | 1978 | Maitland | Thornton Park | Thornton | 500 |
| Toronto Awaba | The Stags | 1922 | Lake Macquarie | Lyall Peacock Field | Toronto | 2,000 |
| Wallsend | Red Devils | 1887 | Newcastle | The Gardens | Wallsend | 3,000 |
| West Wallsend | Bluebells | 1891 | Lake Macquarie | Johnston Park | West Wallsend | 1,500 |

## Honours
### NNSW Northern League 1

| Season | Premiers | Champions | Score | Runners Up |
| 2014 | Maitland | Maitland | 3–1 aet | Valentine |
| 2015 | Valentine | Wallsend | 1–0 | Valentine |
| 2016 | Lake Macquarie City | Wallsend | 0–0 (4–3 (p)) | Belmont Swansea United |
| 2017 | Cooks Hill United | Cooks Hill United | 4–0 | Belmont Swansea United |
| 2018 | Cooks Hill United | Belmont Swansea United | 4–2 | West Wallsend |
| 2019 | Cooks Hill United | Belmont Swansea United | 3–2 | Cooks Hill United |
| 2020 | New Lambton | Singleton Strikers | 2–0 | New Lambton |
| 2021 | New Lambton | Not Played Covid-19 | Not Played Covid-19 | Not Played Covid-19 |
| 2022 | New Lambton | Belmont Swansea United | 2–1 | New Lambton |
| 2023 | Toronto-Awaba | West Wallsend | 1–1 (4–2 (p)) | South Cardiff |
| 2024 | Belmont Swansea United | Not Played | Not Played | Not Played |

### NNSW Northern First Division (1998–2013)

| Season | Premiers | Champions | Score | Runners Up |
| 1998 | Budgewoi | Lambton Jaffas | 3–1 | Budgewoi |
| 1999 | West Wallsend | Dudley Redhead | 4–0 | Budgewoi |
| 2000 | West Wallsend | West Wallsend | 1–0 | Medowie |
| 2001 | Lake Macquarie City | Lake Macquarie City | 2–0 | Toronto-Awaba |
| 2002 | Toronto-Awaba | Dudley Redhead | 1–0 | Toronto-Awaba |
| 2003 | Newcastle University | West Wallsend | 4–0 | Dudley Redhead |
| 2004 | Phoenix Rangers | Phoenix Rangers | 3–1 | West Wallsend |
| 2005 | Phoenix Rangers | Phoenix Rangers | 3–1 | West Wallsend |
| 2006 | Dudley Redhead | Beresfield United | 1–0 | Dudley Redhead |
| 2007 | West Wallsend | West Wallsend | 4–0 | Lambton Jaffas |
| 2008 | Adamstown Rosebud | Adamstown Rosebud | 1–0 | Maitland |
| 2009 | Azzuri | Maitland | 1–0 | Azzuri |
| 2010 | Lake Macquarie City | Charlestown City Blues | 3–2 | Lake Macquarie City |
| 2011 | Charlestown City Blues | Charlestown City Blues | 1–0 | Lambton Jaffas |
| 2012 | Lambton Jaffas | Lambton Jaffas | 1–0 | Adamstown Rosebud |
| 2013 | Adamstown Rosebud | Adamstown Rosebud | 2–1 | Maitland |

### NNSW Northern Second Division (1959–1997)

| Season | Premiers | Champions | Score | Runners Up |
| 1959 | Whitebridge | Kahibah | 2–1 | Young Wallsend |
| 1960 | Jesmond | | | |
| 1961 | Merewether Advance | Merewether Advance | 6–4 | Jesmond |
| 1962 | Maitland | Whitebridge | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Maitland |
| 1963 | Jesmond | Mayfield United | 7–2 | Jesmond |
| 1964 | Weston Bears | Weston Bears | 2–1 | Dudley Redhead |
| 1965 | Hamilton Azzuri | Slavia United | 3–2 | Hamilton Azzuri |
| 1966 | Belmont Swansea United | | | |
| 1967 | New Lambton South | Mayfield United | | New Lambton South |
| 1968 | Cardiff | Cardiff | 2–1 | Cessnock City |
| 1969 | Maitland | Maitland | 2–1 | Mayfield United |
| 1970 | Maitland | Maitland | 2–1 | Charlestown RSL |
| 1971 | New Lambton South | Mayfield United | 2–0 | New Lambton South |
| 1972 | Mayfield United | Mayfield United | 3–1 | Cessnock City |
| 1973 | Edgeworth Eagles | Kotara South | 2–1 | Edgeworth Eagles |
| 1974 | Charlestown United | Maitland | | Charlestown United |
| 1975 | Maitland | Central Coast United | 3–2 | Maitland |
| 1976 | Central Coast United | | | |
| 1977 | Cessnock City | Belmont Swansea United | | Cessnock City |
| 1978 | Belmont Swansea United | Belmont Swansea United | 1–0 | Belmont |
| 1979 | Hamilton Red Star | West Lakes | 4–3 | Hamilton Red Star |
| 1980 | Dudley Redhead United | Beresfield United | 6–1 | Belmont |
| 1981 | Austral United | Austral United | 4–1 | Doyalson-Wyee RSL |
| 1982 | Doyalson-Wyee RSL | Cardiff | | Doyalson-Wyee RSL |
| 1983 | Cardiff | Cardiff | 3–0 | Austral United |
| 1984 | Austral United | Austral United | 2–0 | Wallsend |
| 1985 | Wallsend | Belmont | 1–0 | Wallsend |
| 1986 | Stockton | Cessnock City | 3–0 | Belmont |
| 1987 | Stockton | Cessnock City | 1–0 | Stockton |
| 1988 | Cessnock City | Cessnock City | 1–0 | Newcastle Macedonia |
| 1989 | Edgeworth Eagles | Edgeworth Eagles | 3–2 | Belmont |
| 1990 | Newcastle Croatia | Lambton Jaffas | 0–0 (4–3 (p)) | Newcastle Croatia |
| 1991 | Hamilton Olympic | Hamilton Olympic | 0–0 (3–0 (p)) | Lambton Jaffas |
| 1992 | Cessnock City | Singleton Strikers | 1–0 | Stockton |
| 1993 | Newcastle Macedonia | Cessnock City | 4–0 | Belmont Swansea |
| 1994 | Wallsend | Wallsend | 2–0 | Broadmeadow Macedonia |
| 1995 | South Cardiff | No Final Series | | |
| 1996 | Dudley Redhead | South Cardiff | 3–2 | Budgewoi |
| 1997 | South Cardiff | Lambton Jaffas | 2–1 | South Cardiff |

### Titles

| Premiers | Premiers | Champions | Champions |
| Maitland | 5 | Belmont Swansea United | 5 |
| Belmont Swansea United | 3 | Maitland | 5 |
| Cessnock City | 3 | Maitland | 5 |
| Cooks Hill United | 3 | Cessnock City | 4 |
| New Lambton | 3 | Lambton Jaffas | 4 |
| West Wallsend | 3 | Mayfield United | 4 |
| Lake Macquarie City | 3 | West Wallsend | 4 |
| Adamstown Rosebud | 2 | Cardiff | 3 |
| Austral United | 2 | Wallsend | 3 |
| Cardiff | 2 | Adamstown Rosebud | 2 |
| Dudley Redhead | 2 | Austral United | 2 |
| Edgeworth Eagles | 2 | Beresfield United | 2 |
| Jesmond | 2 | Charlestown City Blues | 2 |
| New Lambton South | 2 | Dudley Redhead | 2 |
| Phoenix Rangers | 2 | Phoenix Rangers | 2 |
| South Cardiff | 2 | Singleton Strikers | 2 |
| Stockton | 2 | Belmont | 1 |
| Toronto-Awaba | 2 | Central Coast United | 1 |
| Wallsend | 2 | Cooks Hill United | 1 |
| Azzuri | 1 | Edgeworth | 1 |
| Budgewoi | 1 | Hamilton Olympic | 1 |
| Central Coast United | 1 | Kahibah | 1 |
| Charlestown City Blues | 1 | Kotara South | 1 |
| Charlestown United | 1 | Lake Macquarie City | 1 |
| Doyalson-Wyee RSL | 1 | Merewether Advance | 1 |
| Dudley Redhead United | 1 | Slavia United | 1 |
| Hamilton Azzuri | 1 | South Cardiff | 1 |
| Hamilton Olympic | 1 | West Lakes | 1 |
| Hamilton Red Star | 1 | Weston Bears | 1 |
| Lambton Jaffas | 1 | Whitebridge | 1 |
| Mayfield United | 1 | | |
| Merewether Advance | 1 | | |
| Newcastle Croatia | 1 | | |
| Newcastle Macedonia | 1 | | |
| Newcastle University | 1 | | |
| Valentine | 1 | | |
| Weston Bears | 1 | | |
| Whitebridge | 1 | | |