The English Rugby Pyramid – What Is The Rugby Union League Structure in 2024/25?
How the Rugby Union League is Structured as of 2024/25
Whether you are a grassroots rugby union fan, or a betting enthusiast, it is important to have a good understanding of how the English Rugby Pyramid is set up as of season 2024/25.
Progressing through the pyramid can be an exciting journey for teams and fans as they climb the divisions, moving up the pyramid towards the game’s upper echelons. Conversely, it can be equally disheartening to see a club drop through the divisions down to the lower levels of the current Rugby Union league structure.
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In this post, we will explore the many different levels of the current Rugby Union League Structure. Going from the very top of the professional game down to the National League and Regional Leagues that form the majority of the English Rugby Pyramid below.
What Is The Current Rugby Union League Structure?
The infographic below will break down the current eleven levels of the English Rugby Pyramid.
The Rugby Union Pyramid Explained
Level 1 – Gallagher Premiership
At the highest level of the Rugby Union league structure is the Gallagher Premiership, which is also sometimes just referred to as the Rugby Premiership.
This features the 10 top club teams in the country (England) and the best-performing teams each season will qualify for the major European competitions such as the European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup.
Teams at the top level also compete in a league-wide domestic cup competition, the Premiership Rugby Cup.
The bottom team in the Gallagher Premiership each season is eligible to be relegated to Level 2 – the RFU Championship.
Level 2 – The RFU Championship
The second tier in the Rugby Union league structure is the RFU Championship, which comprises of 12 clubs who employ players on a professional or semi-professional basis.
Teams in the RFU Championship can earn promotion to the Premiership by finishing top of the table after their 22-game season. However, in addition to finishing top of the table, the team set to be promoted must meet the minimum standards criteria for promotion to the Premiership, otherwise the promotion (and relegation of the Premiership bottom team) does not happen for that season.
Levels 3 & 4 – The National League 1&2
The National League comprises of two levels.
- A 14-team National League 1. (Level 3)
- A 3 Division, each of 14-teams, National League 2 (Level 4)
The top team in National League 1 is promoted to the RFU Championship each season.
The bottom three teams in National League 1 are relegated into one of the three divisions of National League 2. National 2 East, National 2 West and National 2 North.
Only the Champions of the National League 2 three divisions are promoted.
The bottom two teams in each of the East, West and North divisions are relegated back to Level 5 on the Pyramid.
Levels 5 and 6 – The Regional League 1&2
The Regional League system in Rugby Union comprises of two levels. The first being Level 5, Regional 1.
At Regional 1 (Level 5) there are six separate divisions, each comprising of 12 teams.
- Regional 1 Midlands
- Regional 1 North West
- Regional 1 North East
- Regional 1 South Central
- Regional 1 South East
- Regional 1 South West
The top teams in each of the six leagues are promoted to either the National 2 West, National 2 North or National 2 East depending on their geographic location.
The bottom two teams in Regional 1 are demoted to one of the divisions in the Regional 2 (Level 6) sees a total of 12 different divisions, each with 12 teams competing in each division.
The Regional 2 divisions are as follows:
- Regional 2 North
- Regional 2 North East
- Regional 2 North West
- Regional 2 Anglia
- Regional 2 South East
- Regional 2 Thames
- Regional 2 South Central
- Regional 2 South West
- Regional 2 Severn
- Regional 2 Midlands West
- Regional 2 Midlands North
- Regional 2 Midlands East
The winners of the Regional 2 leagues each season are promoted to one of the six Regional 1 leagues. The bottom two teams in each of the Regional 2 leagues are relegated into the Counties Leagues
Levels 7 through 11 – The Counties Leagues 1,2,3,4&5
The bottom five levels of the Rugby Union Pyramid are the Counties Leagues, which offer up to five levels for some regions, one, two, three or four for others, based on the number of teams that are members of that particular county’s system.
The top tier in the Counties level (Level 7) is the Counties 1, which offers 18 Divisions of 12 clubs each. They are:
- Counties 1 Cumbria
- Counties 1 Durham & Northumberland
- Counties 1 Yorkshire
- Counties 1 Lancashire & Cheshire
- Counties 1 Eastern Counties
- Counties 1 Essex
- Counties 1 Kent
- Counties 1 Hampshire
- Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex
- Counties 1 Herts/Middlesex
- Counties 1 Southern North
- Counties 1 Southern South
- Counties 1 Western West
- Counties 1 Western North
- Counties 1 Midlands West (North)
- Counties 1 Midlands West (South)
- Counties 1 Midlands East (North)
- Counties 1 Midlands East (South)
Below these divisions (Level 8) are the Counties 2 divisions.
- Counties 2 Lancashire & Cheshire
- Counties 2 Durham & Northumberland
- Counties 2 Yorkshire
- Counties 2 Eastern Counties
- Counties 2 Essex
- Counties 2 Kent
- Counties 2 Hampshire
- Counties 2 Herts/Middlesex
- Counties 2 Surrey
- Counties 2 Sussex
- Counties 2 Cornwall
- Counties 2 Devon
- Counties 2 Gloucestershire North
- Counties 2 Gloucestershire South
- Counties 2 Somerset
- Counties 2 Berks/Bucks & Oxon North
- Counties 2 Berks/Bucks & Oxon South
- Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts Central
- Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts North
- Counties 2 Dorset & Wilts South
- Counties 2 Midlands West (West)
- Counties 2 Midlands West (East)
- Counties 2 Midlands East (North)
- Counties 2 Midlands East (South)
At Level 9 on the pyramid are the following Counties 3 divisions.
- Counties 3 Lancashire & Cheshire
- Counties 3 Durham & Northumberland
- Counties 3 Yorkshire
- Counties 3 Kent
- Counties 3 Hampshire
- Counties 3 Herts/Middlesex
- Counties 3 Surrey
- Counties 3 Cornwall
- Counties 3 Devon North
- Counties 3 Devon South
- Counties 3 Gloucestershire North
- Counties 3 Gloucestershire South
- Counties 3 Somerset North
- Counties 3 Somerset South
- Counties 3 Berks/Bucks & Oxon North
- Counties 3 Berks/Bucks & Oxon South
- Counties 3 Dorset & Wilts Central
- Counties 3 Dorset & Wilts North
- Counties 3 Dorset & Wilts South
- Counties 3 Midlands West (North)
- Counties 3 Midlands West (South)
- Counties 3 Midlands West (East)
- Counties 3 Midlands East (North West)
- Counties 3 Midlands East (North East)
- Counties 3 Midlands East (Central)
- Counties 3 Midlands East (South)
The penultimate level is Counties 4 (Level 10), which has fewer divisions than those above them.
- Counties 4 Yorkshire
- Counties 4 Kent
- Counties 4 Hampshire
- Counties 4 Surrey
- Counties 4 Gloucestershire North
- Counties 4 Gloucestershire South
- Counties 4 Somerset North
- Counties 4 Somerset South
- Counties 4 Berks/Bucks & Oxon North
- Counties 4 Berks/Bucks & Oxon South
- Counties 4 Midlands West (North)
- Counties 4 Midlands West (South)
The bottom level of the Rugby Union league structure is Counties 5 (Level 11) which only has two divisions in operation.
- Counties 5 Kent
- Counties 5 Surrey
Throughout the Counties level, promotion and relegation between leagues operates on a similar basis as the Regional Levels with teams promoted and relegated into the most suitable geographic region at the level above, or below.
Rugby Union Pyramid – Additional Details
- The Gallagher Premiership (Level 1) is fully professional.
- The RFU Championship (Level 2) is a mix of professional and semi-professional players.
- From the National League (Level 3) and below, the game is played at an amateur level.
- In addition to the Pyramid structure above. The Rugby Union league structure can also be divided into smaller groups of leagues as follows:
- Level 1 – Gallagher Premiership (Professional)
- Level 2 – RFU Championship (Professional & Semi-professional)
- Levels 3 & 4 – National League (Amateur)
- Level 5 and 6 – Regional Leagues (Amateur)
- Level 7 and below – Counties Leagues (Amateur)
FAQs
Why is the English Rugby Pyramid Important?
The English Rugby Union league structure is important as it identifies the pathways teams at all levels have in order to progress through the divisions. It also demarcates the difference between elite professional rugby (Levels 1 and 2) and amateur rugby (Level 3 and below).
How do teams move up and down the Rugby Union League Structure?
Teams that win their division or finish in a promotion place, can be promoted up to the next level on the pyramid for the following season. Teams that finish bottom of the table, or in a relegation place, are relegated to a lower league for the following season.
Additionally, teams that do not finish in a promotion or relegation position, in the National and Regional Leagues, may be moved ‘sideways’ to play in a different regional competition at the same level on the pyramid to ensure that each division follows a sensible geographic outline to cut down on traveling for amateur teams.
Who Oversees the English Rugby Pyramid?
The RFU oversees all levels on the Rugby Union league structure, however for the National League they delegate responsibility to the National League Rugby and at Regional levels, the RFU delegates responsibility to separate regional league organisers.
Which Division is at the top of the English Rugby Union League Structure?
The Gallagher Premiership is the top level of English Rugby Union and features the top teams in the country including Bath, Leicester, Northampton, Sale, Harlequins, Gloucester, Saracens, Exeter, Newcastle and Bristol.
Article written by
Ian John
Sports Writer and Reviewer