North East 3

North East 3 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North East England. Promoted teams moved up to North East 2 while relegated teams dropped to either Yorkshire 1 or Durham/Northumberland 1 depending on their location.

At the end of the 1999-2000 the division was cancelled along with North East 1, North East 2, and their counterparts North West 1, North West 2 and North West 3, due to northern league restructuring by the RFU. Most teams in North West 3 were transferred to their relevant regional leagues - Yorkshire 1 or Durham/Northumberland 1 - although one side went into Yorkshire 2.

Original teams

When this division was introduced in 1996 it contained the following teams:

North East 3

Season

No of Teams

Champions

Runners–up

Relegated Teams

1996–97

10

Darlington

Hull

1997–98

10

Pocklington

Redcar

Whitby, Bramley Phoenix

1998–99^[1]

10

Selby

West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B.

Thornensians, Sunderland, Bradford Salem

1999–00^[2]

10

Westoe^{[lower-alpha 1]}

Yarnbury^{[lower-alpha 2]}

Roundhegians^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Green backgrounds are promotion places.

↑ As North East 2 was abolished Westoe instead transferred to Yorkshire 1.
↑ Due to the cancellation of North East 1, 2 and 3 runners up Yarnbury, Huddersfield Y.M.C.A. and Ripon were transferred to Yorkshire 1 for the following season. Gateshead, Ryton, Hartlepool Rovers, Ashington and Medicals transferred to Durham/Northumberland 1.
↑ Although not relegated in the usual fashion, Roundhegians were the only Yorkshire team to go into Yorkshire 2.