The Pennine League management have ratified the league structures for the 2010-2011 playing season. With the successful application of 6 clubs from the CMS Yorkshire league and an already congested higher tier of divisions, the management have taken action to re-structure division one. The league will operate with 9 divisions comprising 93 teams.

The Premier league will continue to operate with 10 teams with the inclusion of new teams Queens and Hunslet Old Boys and the introduction of promoted Slaithwaite Saracens and Queensbury. Kippax Welfare were relegated due to non fulfilment of a premier fixture alongside Keighley Albion and New Earswick All Blacks.

The management have taken action to restructure division one significantly to relieve overcrowding whilst housing teams of similar competitiveness. Division One will now be split into 2 regionally based pools of teams, Division One East and Division One West.

These 8 teams will play each other home and away totalling 14 fixtures per team, once these fixtures are complete the top 4 from the East and West pool will come together to form the Championship division. Only the results versus transferring opponents will go forward into the new division.

Teams will then play the opposing pool teams both home and away totalling 8 more fixtures per team. These 8 results will go together with the 6 transferred results from the pools to form the final league table. Teams finishing top of this combined division will be eligible for promotion to the Premier and teams at the bottom of the table suitable for relegation into division one.

In association the teams finishing in the bottom 4 of each pool will form division one and play the teams they haven’t so far, both home and away. Teams at the top of the table will be eligible for promotion into the Championship division and teams at the lower end suitable for relegation to division two.

The East pool will consist of Ackworth Jaguars, Birstall Victoria, Dearne Valley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Moor, Kippax Welfare, New Earswick All Blacks, Ossett Trinity and Westgate Wolves.
The West pool will house Birkenshaw, Clayton, Emley Moor, Illingworth, King Cross Park, Keighley Albion, Wibsey Warriors and West Bowling A.

The East and West pools will only be implemented in the 2010-2011 season and consequent seasons will operate as standard promotion relegation with the introduction of the Championship division in between the Premier and first division.

Pennine ARL Chairman David Ingham said We see this new concept as the only feasible way to ensure our divisions keep competitively balanced, we found ourselves with a number of strong teams who needed to be housed near the top. Due to problems completing last years fixture programme, expanding the division to more than 12 teams was not an option available. The only other alternative would have been to disturb the lower divisions where games wouldn’t have been competitive, and that’s not healthy for anyone involved. We believe that once the season is complete the introduction of the new championship division will restore balance to the top of the league.”

Teams involved in the new division one concept will be invited to the next management meeting to discuss and give clarification if needed.

Division seven which will run with 8 teams will operate with each team playing their opposition 3 times in the season.

Fixtures will be issued imminently.