Northern Football Alliance

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Official logo of NFAL.

The Northern Football Alliance is a football competition based in the North-East of England. It has three 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 eligibile for promotion to the Northern League Division Two. The top clubs in the First and Second Divisions get promoted to the Premier and First Divisions respectively. The bottom club in the Second Division gets relegated to either the North Northumberland League Division 1, or the Tyneside Amateur League Division 1, 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.

The Northern Alliance currently has a total membership of 45 teams.