British Athletics League
| Sport | Athletics |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| Folded | 2019 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Most titles | Belgrave Harriers (11) |
The British Athletics League was a men-only track and field team competition in the United Kingdom. The women's competition was known as the UK Women's Athletic League. The events were the pinnacle of the British athletic clubs league system. The competition ended after the 2019 edition, with it being replaced by the National Athletics League for the 2020 season, which was a merger of the men's and women's leagues.[1]
History
Launched in 1969,[2][3] the British Athletics League was split into different divisions, which gathered a total of 38 track and field teams from all over the United Kingdom.
Since 2009, there were 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 were relegated and two teams were promoted for every division. The last change in the number of divisions took place in 2009, with the creation of the National 4 division.[4]
In every division there was a total of four matches per season. Teams received points according to their athletic performances, and those points were transformed in a range of 1 to 8 points for every match, according with the matches' final table. These points were added after the four matches to determine relegations, promotions and champions.
Past winners
This table lists the top placed clubs from the top division: [5] [6]
Teams in 2019
Premiership
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
 | Birchfield Harriers | 1969 |
| Blackheath and Bromley Harriers Athletic Club | 1969 |
 | Cardiff AAC | 1969 |
| City of Sheffield and Dearne Athletic Club | 1977 |
| Harrow | 1986 |
| Newham and Essex Beagles | 1975 |
| Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers | 1976 |
| Woodford Green with Essex Ladies | 1969 |
National Division One
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
| Bournemouth Athletic Club | 1992 |
| City of Liverpool AC | 1970 |
| Sale Harriers Manchester | 1969 |
| Southampton Athletic Club | 1969 |
| Swansea Harriers AC | 1971 |
| Thames Valley Harriers | 1969 |
| Windsor, Slough, Eton & Hounslow AC | 1979 |
National Division Two
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
| Bristol & West Athletic Club | 1969 |
| Chelmsford AC | 2015 |
| Crawley Athletic Club | 1985 |
 | Glasgow City | 2009 |
| Havering Mayesbrook AC | 1991 |
| Herne Hill Harriers | 1983 |
| Kingston Athletic Club and Polytechnic Harriers | 1969 |
| Notts Athletic Club | 1969 |
National Division Three
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
| Basingstoke and Mid Hants | 2006 |
| Bedford & County AC | 1979 |
| City of Portsmouth AC | 2015 |
| Nene Valley Harriers | 2010 |
| Rugby & Northampton AC | unknown |
| Tonbridge AC | unknown |
| Trafford Athletic Club | 1974 |
| Yeovil Olympiads Athletics Club | 2009 |
National Division Four
| Country | Club | First Appearance in BAL |
|---|---|---|
| Croydon Harriers | unknown |
| Enfield & Haringey AC | 1972 |
| Herts Phoenix AC | unknown |
| Doncaster AC | Unknown |
| Reading AC | 1971 |
| Newquay and Par AC | 2014 |
| Southend Athletic Club | 2005 |
References
- ↑ "Males and Females together – some of the trends in mixed sport". Sport Wales. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
- ↑ "E.S.H. first Scots club in league". The Scotsman. 12 December 1968. Retrieved 4 April 2025 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ↑ 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. 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 2019" (PDF). Power of 10. Retrieved 4 April 2025.
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