England Northern League Division One

The Northern league was one of many leagues formed the year after the Football League. In its first season, it consisted of ten clubs that were a mixture of professional and amateur organisations. During its early years, the competition included clubs such as Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Darlington that would go on to play in the Football League. In 1905, the league split into two divisions, one professional and one amateur. The next year, however, the Northern League made the decision to abolish the professional division and restrict itself to amateur clubs, or at least clubs that claimed to be amateur.

Between the World Wars and in the early years following World War II, the Northern League's amateur status meant that they and their equivalent in the London area, the Isthmian League, dominated the old FA Amateur Cup. The two Leagues continued to be separate from the professional game which was dominated by the Football League, Southern League and, from 1968, the Northern Premier League.

The Northern League and Isthmian League (with its feeder leagues) continued to claim amateur status right up until, following pressure, amateur status was abandoned by the Football Association in 1974. This left amateur leagues like the Northern League to find a place in the overall structure of non-League football. Unlike the Isthmian League, which became a feeder to the Alliance Premier League in 1982, the Northern League and its clubs rejected repeated invitations. It was not until 1988 that two Northern League clubs, Bishop Auckland and Whitley Bay, accepted places in the Northern Premier League. Others including Penrith, North Shields and Spennymoor United jumped ship to neighbouring leagues (the North West Counties League and Northern Counties East League).

The Northern League formally became a feeder to the Northern Premier League, but still few clubs took the opportunity of promotion, with only five moving up over the next 20 years (Gretna in 1992, Blyth Spartans in 1994, Whitby Town in 1997, Newcastle Blue Star in 2007 and Durham City in 2008). Since the mid-2010s, FA rules have meant that clubs who are eligible can no longer refuse promotion, and two Northern League clubs are now promoted each season (the champions and the winner of a four-team playoff).

Since 1995, Northern League clubs have competed for the FA Vase, with some success, having won 11 finals, losing 4 finals. There were two all Northern League finals in 2012 (Dunston UTS beat West Auckland Town) and 2020 (Hebburn Town beat Consett).

The League had an unusual sponsorship deal put in place by Brooks Mileson, owner of the Albany Group, who were its sponsors in 2003. In that year, Mileson announced that he had created a trust which would continue to sponsor the league throughout his lifetime and that of his sons. In 2008, however, the league announced that this sponsorship had come to an end, and it held a raffle to determine its next sponsor. Interested parties were invited to buy a stake in the raffle for £250. The winning stake was held by a local training company and the league was known as the skilltrainingltd Northern League from the 2008–09 season until the 2011–12 season. The league is currently sponsored by dehumidifier manufacturer Ebac.

Level 11 clubs from the North Riding Football League, Northern Football Alliance and Wearside Football League may apply for promotion into the Northern League's Second Division (level 10).