The 2022–23 season was the 55th season of the Northern Premier League. The league consists of four divisions, the Premier Division at Step 3 of the National League System, and the West, East and Midlands divisions at Step 4. The NPL continued this season with main sponsors Entain's Pitching In.
The allocations for Step 4 this season were announced by The Football Association (FA) on 12 May 2022.
Premier Division
Team changes The following 6 clubs left the Premier Division before the season: Basford United – transferred to the Southern League Premier Division Central Buxton – promoted to the National League North Grantham Town – relegated to Division One East Scarborough Athletic – promoted to the National League North Mickleover – transferred to the Southern League Premier Division Central Witton Albion – relegated to Division One West
The following 6 clubs joined the division before the season: Belper Town – promoted from Division One Midlands Guiseley – relegated from the National League North Liversedge – promoted from Division One East Marine – promoted from Division One West Marske United – promoted from Division One East Warrington Rylands 1906 – promoted from Division One West
Premier Division table
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Clayton Donaldson Gainsborough Trinity222 Regan Linney F.C. United of Manchester203 Adam Boyes Marske United18 Fin Sinclair-Smith Bamber Bridge5 Liam Waldock Gainsborough Trinity176 Callum Dolan Warrington Rylands147 Sol Solomon Marine138 Darius Osei South Shields12 Jack Redshaw Hyde United
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Stadia and locations
ClubLocationGroundCapacity Ashton United Ashton-under-Lyne Hurst Cross 4,500 Atherton Collieries Atherton Alder Street 2,500 Bamber Bridge Bamber Bridge Irongate 2,264 Belper Town Belper Christchurch Meadow 2,650 FC United of Manchester Manchester (Moston) Broadhurst Park 4,400 Gainsborough Trinity Gainsborough The Northolme 4,304 Guiseley Guiseley Nethermoor Park 4,200 Hyde United Hyde Ewen Fields 4,250 Lancaster City Lancaster Giant Axe 3,500 Liversedge Cleckheaton Clayborn 2,000 Marine Crosby Rossett Park 3,185 Marske United Marske-by-the-Sea Mount Pleasant 2,500 Matlock Town Matlock Causeway Lane 2,214 Morpeth Town Morpeth Craik Park 1,500 Nantwich Town Nantwich The Weaver Stadium 3,500 Radcliffe Radcliffe Stainton Park 3,500 South Shields South Shields 1st Cloud Arena 3,500 Stafford Rangers Stafford Marston Road 4,000 Stalybridge Celtic Stalybridge Bower Fold 6,500 Warrington Rylands 1906 Warrington Gorsey Lane 1,345 Warrington Town Warrington Cantilever Park3,500 Whitby Town Whitby Turnbull Ground 3,500
Division One East
Division One East comprises 20 teams, one more than the previous season.
Team changes The following 5 clubs left Division One East before the season: Frickley Athletic – relegated to the Northern Counties East League Premier Division Liversedge – promoted to the Premier Division Marske United – promoted to the Premier Division Pickering Town – relegated to the Northern League Division One Yorkshire Amateur – relegated to the Northern Counties East League Premier Division
The following 6 clubs joined the division before the season: Carlton Town – transferred from Division One Midlands Consett – promoted from the Northern League Division One Grantham Town – relegated from the Premier Division Grimsby Borough – promoted from the Northern Counties East League Premier Division Long Eaton United – promoted from the United Counties League Premier Division North North Shields – promoted from the Northern League Division One
Division One East table
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals1 Liam Hughes Worksop Town332 Jamie Walker Long Eaton United203 Adam Priestley Pontefract Collieries174 Amar Purewal Hebburn Town155 Matthew Cotton Lincoln United14 Declan Howe Cleethorpes Town7 Kevin Hayes Stockton Town13
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Inter-step play-off
Stadia and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity Bridlington Town Bridlington Queensgate 3,000 Brighouse Town Brighouse St Giles Road 1,000 Carlton Town Carlton Bill Stokeld Stadium 1,500 Cleethorpes Town Grimsby Clee Road 1,000 Consett Consett Belle View Stadium 3,770 Dunston Dunston Wellington Road 2,500 Grantham Town Grantham South Kesteven Sports Stadium 7,500 Grimsby Borough Grimsby Bradley Football Centre 1,000 Hebburn Town Hebburn The Green Energy Sports Ground – Lincoln United Lincoln Ashby Avenue 2,200 Long Eaton United Long Eaton Grange Park 3,000 North Shields North Shields Daren Persson Stadium 1,500 Ossett United Ossett Ingfield 1,950 Pontefract Collieries Pontefract Harratt Nissan Stadium 1,200 Sheffield Dronfield Coach and Horses Ground 2,089 Shildon Shildon Dean Street 4,700 Stocksbridge Park Steels Stocksbridge Bracken Moor 3,500 Stockton Town Stockton Bishopton Road West 1,800 Tadcaster Albion Tadcaster Ings Lane 2,000 Worksop Town Worksop Sandy Lane 2,500
Division One Midlands
Team changes The following 6 clubs left Division One Midlands before the season: Belper Town – promoted to the Premier Division Carlton Town – transferred to Division One East Histon – relegated to the United Counties League Premier Division South Ilkeston Town – promoted to the Southern League Premier Division Central Soham Town Rangers – relegated to the Eastern Counties League Premier Division Wisbech Town – relegated to the United Counties League Premier Division South
The following 6 clubs joined the division before the season: Boldmere St Michaels – promoted from the Midland League Premier Division Dereham Town – transferred from the Isthmian League North Division Gresley Rovers – promoted from the United Counties League Premier Division North Harborough Town – promoted from the United Counties League Premier Division South Hinckley LRFC – promoted from the United Counties League Premier Division South St Neots Town – transferred from the Southern League Division One Central
Division One Midlands table
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals 1 Jonny Margetts Stamford 33 2 Kai Tonge Coleshill Town 30 3 Miracle Okafor Sporting Khalsa 26 4 Richard Gregory Halesowen Town 19 5 Trey Charles St Neots Town 17 Zayn Hakeem Shepshed Dynamo 7 Simeon Cobourne Halesowen Town 16 8 Rhys Hilton Sutton Coldfield Town 15 Jack Langston Chasetown
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Inter-step play-offs
Stadia and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity Bedworth United Bedworth The Oval 3,000 Boldmere St Michaels Boldmere Trevor Brown Memorial Ground 2,000 Cambridge City Impington Bridge Road (Impington) 4,300 Chasetown Burntwood The Scholars Ground 3,000 Coleshill Town Coleshill Pack Meadow 2,000 Corby Town Corby Steel Park 3,893 Daventry Town Daventry Elderstubbs 1,855 Dereham Town Dereham Aldiss Park 3,000 Gresley Rovers Church Gresley Moat Ground 2,400 Halesowen Town Halesowen The Grove 3,150 Harborough Town Market Harborough Bowden Park – Hinckley LRFC Hinckley Leicester Road Stadium 4,329 Loughborough Dynamo Loughborough Nanpantan Sports Ground 1,500 Shepshed Dynamo Leicestershire The Dovecote Stadium 2,500 Spalding United Spalding Sir Halley Stewart Field 3,500 Sporting Khalsa Willenhall Guardian Warehousing Arena – Stamford Stamford Borderville Sports Centre 2,000 St Neots Town St Neots New Rowley Park 3,500 Sutton Coldfield Town Sutton Coldfield Central Ground 2,000 Yaxley Yaxley Leading Drove 1,000
Division One West
Team changes The following 4 clubs left Division One West before the season: Kendal Town – relegated to the North West Counties League Premier Division Marine – promoted to the Premier Division Market Drayton Town – relegated to the Midland Football League Premier Division Warrington Rylands 1906 – promoted to the Premier Division
The following 4 clubs joined the division before the season: Hanley Town – promoted from the Midland League Premier Division Macclesfield – promoted from the North West Counties League Premier Division Skelmersdale United – promoted from the North West Counties League Premier Division Witton Albion – relegated from the Premier Division
Division One West table
Skelmersdale United were relegated instead of Widnes because Skelmersdale were unable to meet the FA ground grading regulations. Their artificial pitch at JMO Sports Park failed a "bounce test", and the ground they shared at Burscough was graded at Step 5.
Top goalscorers RankPlayerClubGoals 1 James Berry Macclesfield 24 2 Mason Fawns Mossley 17 Sefton Gonzales Clitheroe Elliot Morris Skelmersdale United David Symington Workington 6 Scott Allison Workington 15 Tim Grice Leek Town Nicky Maynard Macclesfield 9 Jamie Rainford Runcorn Linnets 14
Results table
Play-offs
Semi-finals
Final
Inter-step play-off
Stadia and locations
Team Location Stadium Capacity 1874 Northwich Barnton The Offside Trust Stadium (groundshare with Barnton) 3,000 Bootle Bootle New Bucks Park 3,750 City of Liverpool Bootle New Bucks Park (groundshare with Bootle) 3,750 Clitheroe Clitheroe Shawbridge 2,000 Colne Colne Holt House 1,800 Glossop North End Glossop The Amdec Forklift Stadium 1,301 Hanley Town Stoke-on-Trent Potteries Park 1,300 Kidsgrove Athletic Kidsgrove The Autonet Insurance Stadium 2,000 Leek Town Leek Harrison Park 3,600 Macclesfield Macclesfield Leasing.com Stadium 4,720 Mossley Mossley Seel Park 4,000 Newcastle Town Newcastle-under-Lyme Lyme Valley Stadium 4,000 Prescot Cables Prescot IP Truck Parts Stadium 3,200 Ramsbottom United Ramsbottom The Harry Williams Riverside 2,000 Runcorn Linnets Runcorn APEC Taxis Stadium 1,600 Skelmersdale United Skelmersdale One Call Stadium - JMO Sports Park 1,300 Trafford Flixton Shawe lane 2,500 Widnes Widnes Halton Stadium 13,350 Witton Albion Northwich Wincham Park 4,813 Workington Workington Borough Park 3,101
Challenge Cup For the third successive season, it was announced to member clubs that the League Challenge Cup was cancelled and for the foreseeable future that would not be contested.
See also Northern Premier League 2022–23 Isthmian League 2022–23 Southern League
Notes
References
External links Official website