The 2002-03 Northern Premier League season was the 35th in the history of the Northern Premier League

Northern Premier League

The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...

, a football competition in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Teams were divided into two divisions; the Premier and the First.

Premier Division

The Premier League featured three new teams:

• Stalybridge Celtic
  Stalybridge Celtic F.C.
  Stalybridge Celtic are an English full time professional football club from Stalybridge, Greater Manchester in North West England. The club, which plays its home matches at Bower Fold, is currently in the Conference North in the sixth tier of the English football league system...
  
   relegated from the Conference
  Football Conference
  The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
  
  
• Harrogate Town
  Harrogate Town F.C.
  Harrogate Town Football Club is an English semi-professional football club based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1914 and currently competes in the Conference North division of the Football Conference.-History:...
  
   promoted as champions of Division One
• Ashton United
  Ashton United F.C.
  Ashton United Football Club is an English football club, based in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.-History:The club was originally founded in 1878 as Hurst F.C. and the earliest known match report dates back to March 1879. By 1880 the club were playing at Hurst Cross, their current ground....
  
   promoted via playoffs from Division One

League Table

Division One

Division One featured four new teams:

• Bamber Bridge
  Bamber Bridge F.C.
  Bamber Bridge F.C. are an English football club based in Bamber Bridge, near Preston, Lancashire. They currently play in the Northern Premier League Division One North and are full members of the Lancashire County Football Association. They play their home games at the QED Stadium in Bamber Bridge...
  
   relegated from Premier Division
• Bishop Auckland
  Bishop Auckland F.C.
  Bishop Auckland Football Club are an English football team based in Bishop Auckland, County Durham. They are one of the most successful amateur sides, having won the old FA Amateur Cup on 10 occasions , and losing finalists on a further 8. They currently play in the Northern League Division One. ...
  
   relegated from Premier Division
• Alfreton Town
  Alfreton Town F.C.
  Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...
  
   promoted as champions of the Northern Counties East Premier Division
• Kidsgrove Athletic
  Kidsgrove Athletic F.C.
  Kidsgrove Athletic F.C. is an English football club based in based in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, England currently playing in the Northern Premier League Division One South...
  
   promoted as champions of the North West Counties Division One

League Table

Playoffs

The Division One playoffs saw the third to fifth placed sides in the Division and the team that finished 21st in the Premier Division compete for one place in the Premier Division.

Promotion and relegation

In the thirty-fifth season of the Northern Premier League Accrington Stanley (as champions) were automatically promoted to the Football Conference. Gateshead

Gateshead F.C.

Gateshead Football Club are a professional Association football club, based in Gateshead, England. They currently play in the Conference National, the fifth level of the English football league system.Ian Bogie is the current manager....

, Colwyn Bay

Colwyn Bay F.C.

Colwyn Bay F.C. are a Welsh football club, as of the 2011–12 season are playing in the Conference North. Nicknamed the Seagulls, the club play at Llanelian Road in Old Colwyn.-History:...

 and Hyde United were relegated to the First Division; these three clubs were replaced by relegated Conference side Southport

Southport F.C.

Southport Football Club are an English football club, based in Southport, Merseyside. They are currently in the Conference National, and play their home matches at Haig Avenue, which has a capacity of 6,008...

, First Division winners Alfreton Town

Alfreton Town F.C.

Alfreton Town F.C. is an English football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The club was reformed after a merger between Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfreton United in 1959...

, second placed Spennymoor United

Spennymoor United F.C.

Spennymoor United F.C. was an English association football club based in Spennymoor, County Durham.In 1905, they joined the Northern League and won the league title six times in their history. In the 1936-37 season, they reached the third round of the FA Cup, where they lost to top-flight side West...

 and third placed Radcliffe Borough

Radcliffe Borough F.C.

Radcliffe Borough F.C. is an English football club based in Radcliffe, Greater Manchester. The club was formed on 24 April 1949 and currently plays in the Northern Premier League Division One North...

 (via a Playoff). In the First Division Eastwood Town

Eastwood Town F.C.

Eastwood Town F.C. is a football club from Eastwood, Nottinghamshire formed in 1953, currently playing in the Conference North.-History:Although there was a football club named Eastwood Town operating in the Nottinghamshire Alliance in 1921, its was only in existence for two years. It was not until...

 and Trafford

Trafford F.C.

Trafford F.C. is an English football club based in Flixton, Greater Manchester. The club are currently members of Division One North of the Northern Premier League and play at Shawe View.-History:...

 left the League at the end of the season and were replaced by newly-admitted Bridlington Town and Prescot Cables.

Cup Results

Challenge Cup

Northern Premier League Challenge Cup

The Northern Premier League Challenge Cup is a knock-out cup competition organised by the Northern Premier League....

: Teams from both leagues.

• Marine bt. Gateshead 3–0 on aggregate
  

President's Cup

Northern Premier League President's Cup

The Northern Premier League President's Cup is a knock-out cup competition organised by the Northern Premier League.Teams from both of the Northern Premier League Division One leagues take part in the tournament, with teams that played in the preliminary round of the Northern Premier League...

: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup.

• Stalybridge Celtic bt. Ashton United
  

Chairman's Cup

Northern Premier League Chairman's Cup

The Northern Premier League Chairman's Cup is currently a one-off game played between the champions of the Northern Premier League Division One North and Division One South. Prior to the creation of these leagues in 2007, the cup was a "plate" competition for teams that lost in the Challenge Cup...

: 'Plate' competition for losing teams in the NPL Cup.

• Hucknall Town bt. Droylsden
  

Peter Swales Shield

Peter Swales Shield

The Peter Swales Shield is an annual one-off game organised by the Northern Premier League. It is named in memory of Peter Swales....

: Between Champions of NPL Premier Division and Winners of the NPL Cup.

• Accrington Stanley bt. Marine

External links

• Northern Premier League Tables at RSSSF