RFL Championship Second Division
Every champion of English rugby league's historic second tier, which ran intermittently from 1902 before being reorganised into National League One (the direct forerunner of today's RFL Championship) in 2003. This page covers only that earlier, pre-2003 era — see the RFL Championship page for every season from 2003 onward.
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
35 seasons with a champion on record. Oldham have won the most titles (3).
Champions
| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1902-03 | Keighley | — | Promoted alongside Leeds. |
| 1903-04 | Wakefield Trinity | — | Promoted alongside St Helens. |
| 1904-05 | Dewsbury | — | Divisions combined for 1905-06; no Second Division again until 1962. |
| 1962-63 | Hunslet | — | Promoted alongside Keighley. |
| 1963-64 | Oldham | — | Divisions combined for 1964-65; no Second Division again until 1973. |
| 1973-74 | Bradford Northern | — | Promoted alongside York, Keighley, and Halifax. |
| 1974-75 | Huddersfield | — | Promoted alongside Hull Kingston Rovers, Oldham, and Swinton. |
| 1975-76 | Barrow | — | Promoted alongside Rochdale Hornets, Workington, and Leigh. |
| 1976-77 | Hull F.C. | — | Promoted alongside Dewsbury, Bramley, and New Hunslet. |
| 1977-78 | Leigh | — | Promoted alongside Barrow, Rochdale Hornets, and Huddersfield. |
| 1978-79 | Hull F.C. | — | Promoted alongside New Hunslet, York, and Blackpool. |
| 1979-80 | Featherstone Rovers | — | Promoted alongside Halifax, Oldham, and Barrow. |
| 1980-81 | York | — | Promoted alongside Wigan, Fulham, and Whitehaven. |
| 1981-82 | Oldham | — | Promoted alongside Carlisle, Workington, and Halifax. |
| 1982-83 | Fulham | — | Promoted alongside Wakefield Trinity, Salford, and Whitehaven. |
| 1983-84 | Barrow | — | Promoted alongside Workington, Hunslet, and Halifax. |
| 1984-85 | Swinton | — | Promoted alongside Salford, York, and Dewsbury. |
| 1985-86 | Leigh | — | Promoted alongside Barrow and Wakefield Trinity. |
| 1986-87 | Hunslet | — | Promoted alongside Swinton. |
| 1987-88 | Oldham | — | Promoted alongside Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield Trinity. |
| 1988-89 | Leigh | — | Promoted alongside Barrow and Sheffield Eagles. |
| 1989-90 | Hull Kingston Rovers | — | Promoted alongside Rochdale Hornets and Oldham. |
| 1990-91 | Salford | — | Promoted alongside Halifax and Swinton. |
| 1991-92 | Sheffield | — | Promoted alongside Leigh. |
| 1992-93 | Featherstone Rovers | — | Promoted alongside Oldham. |
| 1993-94 | Workington | — | Promoted alongside Doncaster. |
| 1994-95 | Keighley | — | London Broncos also promoted. |
| 1995-96 | Salford Reds | — | No promotion this year. |
| 1996 | Salford Reds | — | Promoted alongside Rochdale Hornets; Batley relegated. |
| 1997 | Hull | — | Promoted alongside Huddersfield. |
| 1998 | Wakefield Trinity | — | Divisions merged after this season, becoming Division One. |
| 1999 | Hunslet Hawks | — | No promotion this year. |
| 2000 | Dewsbury | — | |
| 2001 | Widnes | — | Promoted. |
| 2002 | Huddersfield | — | Promoted. Reorganised into National League One (the direct forerunner of today's RFL Championship) for 2003. |
Promotion, not a head-to-head runner-up
Most seasons here promoted 2-4 clubs together rather than deciding a single runner-up in a final, so runner-up is left blank and the promoted clubs are named in the notes instead.
Sources
← All Rugby League competitions
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