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.
History Launched in 1969,2011 League Information, BAL events' program, British Athletics League, p. 15. 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.BAL Website.
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:
Year First Second Third1969 Birchfield Harriers CardiffThames Valley Harriers1970 Thames Valley HarriersBirchfield Harriers Cardiff1971 Thames Valley HarriersBirchfield Harriers Cardiff1972 Cardiff Thames Valley HarriersWolverhampton & Bilston1973 Cardiff Thames Valley HarriersWolverhampton & Bilston1974 Cardiff Wolverhampton & Bilston Thames Valley Harriers1975 Wolverhampton & Bilston Thames Valley HarriersEdinburgh Southern Harriers1976 Wolverhampton & Bilston Edinburgh Southern Harriers Thames Valley Harriers1977 Wolverhampton & Bilston Stretford AC Cardiff1978 Wolverhampton & Bilston Cardiff Stretford AC1979 Wolverhampton & Bilston Essex Beagles Thames Valley Harriers1980 Wolverhampton & Bilston Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Essex Beagles1981 Wolverhampton & Bilston HaringeyEssex Beagles1982 Wolverhampton & Bilston HaringeyBirchfield Harriers1983 Birchfield Harriers HaringeyShaftesbury Barnet Harriers1984 HaringeyWolverhampton & Bilston Birchfield Harriers1985 Birchfield HarriersWolverhampton & Bilston Haringey1986 HaringeyBirchfield HarriersWolverhampton & Bilston1987 Birchfield HarriersHaringeyWolverhampton & Bilston1988 HaringeyBirchfield HarriersBelgrave Harriers1989 Birchfield HarriersHaringeyShaftesbury Barnet Harriers1990 HaringeyBirchfield HarriersBelgrave Harriers1991 HaringeyBelgrave Harriers Thames Valley Harriers1992 Belgrave Harriers HaringeyBirchfield Harriers1993 HaringeyBelgrave Harriers Birchfield Harriers1994 Thames Valley HarriersBelgrave Harriers Birchfield Harriers1995 Belgrave Harriers Thames Valley HarriersHaringey1996 Sale Harriers Manchester Belgrave Harriers Thames Valley Harriers1997 Belgrave Harriers Puma Thames Valley Harriers Sale Harriers Manchester1998 Belgrave Harriers Newham & Essex Beagles Sale Harriers Manchester1999 Belgrave Harriers Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Sale Harriers Manchester2000 Belgrave Harriers Newham & Essex Beagles Sale Harriers Manchester2001 Belgrave Harriers Birchfield Harriers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies2002 Belgrave Harriers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies Birchfield Harriers2003 Belgrave Harriers Newham & Essex Beagles Woodford Green with Essex Ladies2004 Belgrave Harriers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies Birchfield Harriers2005 Woodford Green with Essex Ladies Belgrave Harriers Birchfield Harriers2006 Belgrave Harriers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies City of Manchester AC2007 City of Manchester AC Birchfield Harriers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies2008 Newham and Essex Beagles Woodford Green with Essex Ladies City of Manchester AC2009 Newham and Essex Beagles Woodford Green with Essex Ladies Birchfield Harriers2010 Newham and Essex Beagles Birchfield Harriers Woodford Green with Essex Ladies2011 City of Manchester AC Woodford Green with Essex Ladies Birchfield Harriers2012 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers Newham and Essex Beagles Woodford Green with Essex Ladies2013 Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers City of Manchester AC City of Sheffield AC2014 City of Manchester AC Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers City of Sheffield AC2015Birchfield HarriersCity of Sheffield ACShaftesbury Barnet Harriers2016Birchfield HarriersShaftesbury Barnet HarriersWoodford Green with Essex Ladies2017Birchfield HarriersNewham and Essex BeaglesWoodford Green with Essex Ladies2018Birchfield HarriersShaftesbury Barnet HarriersWoodford Green with Essex Ladies2019Birchfield HarriersNewham and Essex BeaglesShaftesbury Barnet Harriers
Teams in 2019
Premiership CountryClubFirst 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 CountryClubFirst 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 CountryClubFirst 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 CountryClubFirst 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 CountryClubFirst Appearance in BAL Croydon Harriers unknown Enfield & Haringey AC1972 Herts Phoenix AC unknown Doncaster AC Unknown Reading AC 1971 Newquay and Par AC 2014 Southend Athletic Club 2005
References