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:
Blyth - relegated from North East 2 (8th) Bramley - relegated from North East 2 (13th) Darlington - promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (champions) Hull - relegated from North East 2 (9th) Pocklington - promoted from Yorkshire 1 (champions) Ripon - relegated from North East 2 (12th) Sunderland - promoted from Durham/Northumberland 1 (runners up) Thornensians - relegated from North East 2 (11th) Whitley Bay Rockcliff - relegated from North East 2 (10th) Whitby - relegated from North East 2 (7th)
North East 3 honours
North East 3SeasonNo of TeamsChampionsRunners–upRelegated Teams 1996–97 10 Darlington Hull Blyth, Whitley Bay Rockcliff 1997–98 10 PocklingtonRedcar Whitby, Bramley Phoenix 1998–99 10 Selby West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. Thornensians, Sunderland, Bradford Salem 1999–00 10 Westoe Yarnbury Roundhegians Green backgrounds are promotion places.
Number of league titles
Darlington (1) Pocklington (1) Selby (1) Westoe (1)
Notes
References
See also English rugby union system Rugby union in England