Southern Conference League
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 2013 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Country |  England |
| Related competition | National Conference League |
The Conference League South is a British rugby league division in the RFL's tier 3. It is the highest level of amateur rugby league in the South of England and the English Midlands.
Despite the similarities of its name, it is not the same as the Southern Conference League, which was the previous name of the now defunct Rugby League Conference.
History
The Conference League South was founded in 2013 as a result of restructuring of the community game which saw the Rugby League Conference (RLC) broken up into regional leagues covering Britain and the heartlands National Conference League (NCL) move to a summer season. Some RLC sides joined a newly formed National Conference League Division 3 for a single season and applied for full membership of the NCL the following season.
The Conference League South was created for sides outside the rugby league heartlands of the North of England that wanted a higher standard of rugby league than the Midlands Rugby League Premier Division or the South Premier but were not yet ready to join the NCL.
The six clubs in the inaugural season [1]. Bristol Sonics, Nottingham Outlaws and St Albans Centurions joined from National Conference League Division 3; Leicester Storm and Northampton Demons were elevated from the premier division of Midlands Rugby League and Sheffield Hallam Eagles joined as a new side after the collapse of the Championship reserve under-23 division. Four clubs have expressed interest in joining from 2014.
Community game pyramid
- National Conference League
- Conference League South
- South Premier, Midlands Rugby League Premier Division
- East Men's League, London & South East Men's League, Midlands Rugby League Division One
- London, South East and East Entrance League, Midlands Rugby League Division Two
Participating teams
| Club | Founded | Location | RLC Honours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bristol Sonics | 2002 | Bristol, Avon | West Midlands Division: 2007, 2008 Midlands Premier: 2011 |
| Leicester Storm | 1986 | Leicester, Leicestershire | Central Division: 1997 South Midlands Division: 2004 |
| Northampton Demons | 2007 | Northampton, Northamptonshire | East Division: 2009, 2010 RLC Regional: 2009, 2010 |
| Nottingham Outlaws | 1999 | Nottingham, Nottinghamshire | North Midlands Division: 2003, 2004 Midlands Premier: 2006, 2008 Harry Jepson Trophy: 2008 |
| Sheffield Hallam Eagles | 2012 | Sheffield, South Yorkshire | |
| St Albans Centurions | 1996 | St Albans, Hertfordshire | Eastern Division: 2005 South Premier: 2007, 2010 Harry Jepson Trophy: 2007, 2010 |
The sides will play each other three times with a 'magic round' staged at a neutral venue as part of the 15-week regular season. After a top-four play-off the overall winner will be determined in the Grand Final, a game which is set to be staged as a double-header alongside the Harry Jepson Trophy Final.