Tynedale RFC are delighted to confirm that Tynedale Raiders, the club’s 2nd XV, will officially join the RFU League Structure from the 2026/27 season.

The Raiders will enter at Level 7, competing in North East Counties One against exclusively 1st XV opposition — just three leagues below Tynedale’s own 1st XV.

The move marks a significant step forward for rugby at Tynedale and represents a major development in strengthening the player pathway within the club.

Joining a league featuring competitive and established rugby clubs across the region will ensure a full season of meaningful rugby, providing an outstanding and sustainable platform for players looking to test themselves in league rugby & develop their game, pushing towards 1st XV representation.

Graham Crozier, Honorary Secretary of the Northumberland Rugby Union, said:

“The new league structures for the new Counties North East league, currently Durham & Northumberland 1, 2, and 3, take into account allowing lower XV teams into the leagues and Durham and Northumberland CB’s have worked hard to get this over the line.

This League structure is in place for the 2026/27 season and is part of the RFU league structure, regulated by the Regional Organising Committee, and will include promotion and relegation, which will be communicated prior to the start of the season to all clubs in both CB’s.”

Tynedale RFC Director of Rugby Peter Southern said:

“This is a fantastic development for the club and one that will provide more quality rugby opportunities right across the senior section.

For players with ambitions of pushing themselves and competing regularly at a higher level, this creates a brilliant platform to do exactly that.

With pre-season just around the corner, this news has added another level of excitement.

There are some excellent clubs in the division and we look forward to welcoming them to Tynedale next season.”

Club Commercial Lead Richie Gledson added:

“This is a hugely exciting development and brilliant news for the club.

There are some great North-East clubs in the division and we’re looking forward to hosting them in Corbridge next season.

We’re incredibly proud of the matchday experience at Tynedale and the prospect of more big league fixtures at the club is one we’ll relish.”

Level 7 is currently, under RFU regulations, the highest division a non-1st XV side can enter within the league pyramid, with Level 6 the highest level a 2nd XV can achieve through promotion.

The club would like to place on record its thanks to both the Northumberland RFU and Durham RFU for their work in ensuring the Raiders enter the structure at the highest possible level.

Second XV sides have been part of the RFU league structure in other parts of England for several seasons, and the North East now follows suit with a number of established clubs entering reserve teams into the system.

Alongside Tynedale Raiders at Level 7, Alnwick, Northern and Morpeth will see their 2nd XV’s parachuted into North East Counties 2 North at Level 8, while Darlington Mowden Park and Billingham will join the southern conference at the same level.

The fixture schedules for both the 1st XV and Raiders will be available in the coming weeks.

As yet, the full make-up of National League Two North is still to be confirmed pending a number of club requests.

We expect a decision on the make-up of the division in mid June, with the fixture schedule being confirmed soon after.

As a result of the RFU restructure, a number of teams have now left the Candy League.

The competition will be reorganised to ensure that remaining 2nd, 3rd & 4th XV’s have a positive competition to look forward to in September.

We expect an announcement on that in the coming weeks and will share updates immediately.

The introduction of the Raiders into the RFU structure signals another important chapter in the continued growth of rugby at Tynedale, reinforcing the club’s ambition to provide meaningful competitive opportunities across all levels of the senior game.