THE Newcastle League is set to return for its 70th season on Saturday (5 September) with a new two division format.
14 teams will take part in a new ‘Division One’, combining six teams from last season’s McCall’s Premier Division with seven from last year’s McCall’s Division One, with Strangford IIs also joining.
The new Division One will spilt into two sub-divisions based on each side’s points total after every team has played each other once. After the split, the top seven teams will play each other again once in ‘Division 1A’, with the seven teams in ‘Division 1B’ doing the same. Points from prior to the split will carry over and both Division 1A and 1B matches will be played at the ground of the team who was away in the corresponding fixture before the split.
McCall’s Division Two will run as normal, with 11 teams playing each other twice, home and away. The two new additions to that league this season are Killyleagh YC Swifts and a Drumaness Mills third team. Last season’s champions Killough will be out to defend their title, whilst perennial challengers Ardglass will be out to take back the trophy they relinquished.
Newcastle League Fixtures Secretary Daryll Madine said he can’t wait to get started again and hopes the league can grow going forward. “We’ve got a good nucleus of local clubs playing football in our league, so we’re really excited to get going again. “We can’t wait to see all our clubs back playing every Saturday, and I know the clubs are keen to get going again too. “Hopefully, we only get bigger and better as we go on over the next couple of seasons, providing football for local clubs and allowing people to play locally.”
There’s more incentive than ever for clubs to chase glory, with a prize fund worth over £10,000 on offer over the next three years.
