The 1997–98 National League 2 North was the eleventh full season of rugby union within the fourth tier (north) of the English league system, previously known as National Division 4 North, and was the first to be sponsored by Jewson who replaced former sponsor Courage. It is counterpart to National League 2 South, which covers the southern half of the country.
The title battle was keenly contested between Birmingham & Solihull and Manchester but in the end it was the West Midlands side that was triumphant, finishing two points clear to finish as champions. Both clubs would gain promotion to the 1998–99 National League 1. There was no relegation this season in order to prevent an imbalance of teams in the leagues due to RFU changes for the following season which would see tier 2 increased from 12 to 14 teams and tier 3 reduced from 16 to 14 teams.
Structure
Each team played home and away matches against each of the other teams, playing a total of twenty-six matches each. The league champions and runners up were promoted to National League 1. There was no relegation this season due to changes higher up in the English league system.
Participating teams and locations
TeamGroundCapacityCity/AreaPrevious seasonAspatria Bower Park3,000 (300 seats) Aspatria, Cumbria10thBirmingham & Solihull Sharmans Cross 4,000 Solihull, West Midlands 2nd (not promoted)HinckleyLeicester Road 2,000 Hinckley, Leicestershire Promoted from Midlands 1 (1st)Kendal Mint Bridge4,600 (600 seats) Kendal, Cumbria 9thLichfield Cooke Fields 5,460 (460 seats) Lichfield, Staffordshire 11thManchester Grove Park 4,000 Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester 4thNuneatonLiberty Way3,800 (500 seats)Nuneaton, Warwickshire 12thPreston Grasshoppers Lightfoot Green 2,250 (250 seats) Preston, Lancashire 3rdSandal Milnthorpe Green Sandal Magna, Wakefield, West Yorkshire 5thSedgley Park Park Lane 3,000 Whitefield, Greater Manchester Promoted from North 1 (1st)Sheffield Abbeydale Park 3,300 (100 seats) Dore, Sheffield, South Yorkshire 8thStourbridge Stourton Park 3,500 (450 seats) Stourbridge, West Midlands 6thWalsall Broadway 2,250 (250 seats)Walsall, West Midlands Relegated from National 3 (13th)Winnington Park Burrows Hill 5,000Northwich, Cheshire 7th
League table
Sponsorship National League 2 North is part of the Jewson National Leagues is sponsored by Jewson. It was the first year they would sponsor the league.
See also 1997–98 Premiership 1 1997–98 Premiership 2 1997–98 National League 1 1997–98 National League 2 South
References