North Region Junior Football League

Last updated

North Region Junior Football League
Founded2001
Folded2025
CountryFlag of Scotland.svg  Scotland
Level on pyramid6–7/8
Promotion to Highland League
Domestic cup(s) Scottish Cup (SFA licensed clubs and Premier League winners)
Scottish Junior Cup
Last champions Culter (10th title)
(2024–25)
Most championshipsCulter (10 titles)
Website SJFA North Region
Current: 2024–25 North Region Junior Football League

The North Region Junior Football League was a football league based in the north east of Scotland. It was formed in 2001 as a replacement for the previous league.

Contents

Geographically, the league covered Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray.

Following the integration of Junior football into the league system in 2021–22, the league sat at levels 6–7/8 on the Scottish football league system, and acted as a feeder to the Highland Football League.

The league disbanded in 2025 after the SJFA North Region announced they would no longer run the league, and the newly independent North of Scotland Football League was created to serve as a direct successor for the region.

League system

When the league was founded in 2001, it consisted of the Super League (tier 1), with Division 1 (tier 2) below. The Division 1 was split geographically into an East League and a North League.

After two seasons of this format, Division 1 was combined into a single league, and a new Division 2 (tier 3) was created. This lasted until 2013, when Division 1 was once again split geographically, this time into an East League and a West League.

In 2018, the league returned to the previous setup with a Division 1 and a Division 2 below the Super League.

For season 2020-21, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the league adopted a regional system consisting of 4 leagues (Aberdeen North Division, Aberdeen South Division, Banff & Buchan Division and West Division). However, the season was ultimately declared null and void.

In 2022, the Super League changed for the first time ever, being re-named the Premier League. The two tiers beneath were combined into a single Championship. The league maintained this structure until it was folded.

The final system saw two clubs automatically relegated from the Premier League, who were replaced by two clubs from the Championship. The third-bottom club in the Premier League entered a promotion/relegation play-off with the clubs who finished between third and fifth in the Championship. In the two-leg semi-finals, the Premier League side played the fifth-placed Championship side, and the third and fourth-placed teams played each other. The semi-final winners then progressed to a single-leg final.

Member clubs for the 2024–25 season

Premier League

ClubLocationGroundFinishing position 2024–25 (NRJFA)
Banks o' Dee Juniors Aberdeen Spain Park11th
Bridge of Don Thistle Aberdeen Aberdeen Sports Village3rd
Buchanhaven Hearts Peterhead Raemoss Park9th
Colony Park Inverurie Colony Park8th
Culter Peterculter Crombie Park1st (champions)
Dyce Dyce Ian Mair Park4th
East End Aberdeen New Advocates Park12th
Ellon United Ellon The Meadows6th
Hermes Bridge of Don Lochside Park2nd
Islavale Keith Simpson Park14th
Longside Longside Davidson Park2nd in Championship
Lossiemouth United Lossiemouth Phoenix Park1st in Championship
Maud Maud Maud Pleasure Park5th
Sunnybank Aberdeen Heathryfold Park13th
Stonehaven Stonehaven Glenury Park7th
Rothie Rovers Rothienorman Forgue Road10th

Championship

ClubLocationGroundFinishing position 2024–25 (NRJFA)
Banchory St Ternan Banchory Milton Park6th
Burghead Thistle Burghead Forest Park9th
Cruden Bay Cruden Bay Watson Park14th
Deveronside Banff Myrus Centre4th
Dufftown Dufftown Westburn Park10th
Forres Thistle Forres Logie Park13th
Fraserburgh United Fraserburgh College Park16th in Premier League
Glentanar Woodside Woodside Sports Complex12th
Hall Russell United Bridge of Don Denmore Park3rd
Nairn St Ninian Nairn Showfield Park7th
New Elgin Elgin Nicol-Togneri Park8th
Newmachar United Newmachar Charles Gordon Park15th in Premier League
Stoneywood Parkvale Aberdeen Clark Commercial Park5th
Westdyke Westhill Lawsondale11th
Whitehills Whitehills School Park15th

Champions and season summaries

YearWinnerRunners-upRelegatedPromotedChampions' progression
in Scottish Cup
2001–02 Formartine United Culter Buchanhaven Hearts Aberdeen Lads Club N/A
2002–03 Sunnybank Culter Deveronside Turriff United N/A
2003–04 Culter Sunnybank Cruden Bay
Aberdeen Lads Club
Maud
Ellon United
N/A
2004–05 Culter (2) Glentanar East End
Maud
Parkvale
Fraserburgh United
N/A
2005–06 Culter (3) Formartine United Fraserburgh United
FC Stoneywood
Dyce
Islavale
N/A
2006–07 Culter (4) Sunnybank Islavale
Glentanar
East End
Maud
3rd Round 2007–08
2007–08 Banks o' Dee Sunnybank Formartine United
Parkvale
Banchory St Ternan
Lewis United
2nd Round 2008–09
2008–09 Banks o' Dee (2) Sunnybank Hillhead
Stonehaven
Buchanhaven Hearts
FC Stoneywood
2nd Round 2009–10
2009–10 Sunnybank (2) Culter East End
Buchanhaven Hearts
Fraserburgh United
Stonehaven
3rd Round 2010–11
2010–11 Culter (5) Hall Russell United Fraserburgh United Forres Thistle 3rd Round 2011–12
2011–12 Hermes Stonehaven Forres Thistle
Sunnybank
Fraserburgh United
Deveronside
1st Round 2012–13
2012–13 Culter (6) Dyce Lewis United
Fraserburgh United
New Elgin
East End
3rd Round 2013–14
2013–14 Culter (7) Banks o' Dee East End
Longside
Inverness City
Cruden Bay
2nd Round 2014–15
2014–15 Hermes (2) Maud New Elgin
Cruden Bay
Bridge of Don Thistle
Dufftown
2nd Preliminary round 2015–16
2015–16 Banks o' Dee (3) Hermes Ellon United
FC Stoneywood
Buckie Rovers
Colony Park
2nd Round 2016–17
2016–17 Banks o' Dee (4) Dyce Buckie Rovers
Deveronside
Ellon United
Montrose Roselea
3rd Round 2017–18
2017–18 Banks o' Dee (5) Hermes Banchory St Ternan
Inverness City
East End
Nairn St Ninian
1st Preliminary round 2018–19
2018–19 [1] Banks o' Dee (6) Bridge of Don Thistle Dufftown
Stonehaven
Banchory St Ternan
Deveronside
2nd Round 2019–20
2019–20 [2] Season declared Null and void on 2 May 2020 after vote among SJFA North clubs, no champion was declared and no relegation applied. [3] [a] N/A
2020–21Season declared Null and void by SJFA on 16 Mar 2021, no champion was declared and no relegation applied. [4] N/A
2021–22 Banks o' Dee (7) Bridge of Don Thistle Deveronside Stonehaven
Stoneywood Parkvale
Dufftown
1st Round 2022–23
2022–23 Culter (8) Hermes Dufftown
Banchory St Ternan
Sunnybank
Fraserburgh United
Rothie Rovers
Buchanhaven Hearts
Newmachar United
1st Round 2023–24
2023–24 Culter (9) Bridge of Don Thistle Stoneywood Parkvale
Nairn St Ninian
Islavale
Banks o' Dee Juniors
2nd Preliminary round 2024–25
2024–25 Culter (10) Hermes Newmachar United
Fraserburgh United
Lossiemouth United
Longside
  1. Using a 'points per game' algorithm applied in other leagues, Banks o' Dee (who were leading the table by a big margin) would have been nominal champions.

References

  1. McBookie.Com Superleague Table 18/19, North Region Junior Football League
  2. McBookie.Com Superleague Table 19/20, North Region Junior Football League
  3. Clark, Will (2 May 2020). "North junior football season is declared null and void as season over for Nairn St Ninian". Inverness Courier. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. "SEASON 2020/21 ENDED". Scottish Junior FA. Retrieved 5 July 2021.