The British Athletics League is a men-only track and field team competition in the United Kingdom. For women there is the completely separate UK Women's Athletic League.
Launched in 1969,[1] the British Athletics League in 2013 had five different divisions, which gather a total of 38 track and field teams from all over the United Kingdom, although most of them come from England.
Competition
Since 2009, there are five different divisions (Premiership, National 1, National 2, National 3 and National 4). Each of them has eight teams in competition, except the Division 4, with only six teams. Every summer season, two teams are relegated and two teams promoted for every division. The last change in the number of divisions took place in 2009, with the creation of the National 4 division.[2]
In every division there is a total of four matches per season. Teams receive points according to their athletic performances, and those points are transformed in a range of 1 to 8 points for every match, according with the matches' final table. These points are added after the four matches to determine relegations, promotions and champions.
Winning teams
This table lists the top placed clubs from the top division: [3] [4]
Teams in 2016
Premiership
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
 | Birchfield Harriers | 1969 |
|
City of Liverpool | 1970 |
| City of Sheffield and Dearne Athletic Club | 1977 |
| Newham and Essex Beagles | 1975 |
| Sale Harriers Manchester | 1969 |
| Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers | 1976 |
|
Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow AC | 1979 |
| Woodford Green with Essex Ladies | 1969 |
National Division One
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
| Basingstoke and Mid Hants | 2006 |
| Blackheath and Bromley Harriers Athletic Club | 1969 |
|
Enfield & Haringey Athletic Club | 1972 |
 |
Glasgow City | 2009 |
|
Harrow Athletic Club | 1986 |
| Herne Hill Harriers | 1983 |
| Southampton Athletic Club | 1969 |
| Thames Valley Harriers | 1969 |
National Division Two
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
|
Bedford & County AC | 1979 |
| Bristol & West Athletic Club | 1969 |
 | Cardiff AAC | 1969 |
| Crawley Athletic Club | 1985 |
| Kent AC | 2002 |
| Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers | 1969 |
| Notts Athletic Club | 1969 |
| Swansea Harriers AC | 1971 |
National Division Three
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth Athletic Club | 1992 |
| Chelmsford AC | 2015 |
| Havering Mayesbrook AC | 1991 |
|
Nene Valley Harriers | 2010 |
|
Newquay and Par AC | 2014 |
| Southend Athletic Club | 2005 |
| Trafford Athletic Club | 1974 |
| Yeovil Olympiads Athletics Club | 2009 |
National Division Four
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
|
Brighton and Hove AC | 2016 |
| City of Portsmouth | 2015 |
| Derby & Mansfield Combine | 2004 (Derby)/2010 (Mansfield) |
| Doncaster AC | Unknown |
| Reading Athletic Club | 1971 |
|
Rugby & Northampton AC | Unknown |
References
- ↑ 2011 League Information, BAL events' program, British Athletics League, p. 15.
- ↑ BAL Website.
- ↑ "AMAZING STATS FROM THE 40 YEARS OF THE BRITISH ATHLETICS LEAGUE". British Athletic League. British Athletic League. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "British leagues and club competitions". GBR Athletics. Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ↑ "British Athletics League". www.bal.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2010-08-03. Retrieved 2016-04-05.