Scottish Conference
 |
|
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Country |
 Scotland
|
| Number of teams | 4 |
| Level on pyramid | 1 |
| Domestic cup(s) | Challenge Cup |
| League cup(s) | Scottish National League Cup |
| Current champions | Aberdeen Warriors (4th title) |
| Most championships | Edinburgh Eagles (9 titles) |
| TV partners | none |
| Website | ScotlandRL.com |
The Scottish National League (now the Deuchars IPA National League for sponsorship reasons) was first played for in 1997 under the name The Scottish Conference before changing to its current name the following season and is the top tier domestic rugby league club competition in Scotland. It was renamed the Scottish RL Conference League between 2007 and 2011 and formed a division of the Rugby League Conference competition.
The first domestic Scottish club were the Forth & Clyde Nomads who played in the 95/96 North-East League but folded shortly before the announcement about a new Scottish rugby league competition. They made history when they won the first ever domestic competition, the Scottish Challenge Cup in 1996 beating Stirling University 30-24.
The first title was won by Lomond Valley Raiders who came top in a 5 team competition, which remains the only season where it was first past the post. The following three seasons saw different champions each season, Border Raiders in their debut season in 1998, Edinburgh Eagles in 1999 against fellow Edinburgh side Portobello Playboys and Glasgow Bulls in 2000, before in 2001 the Eagles lifted the first of a hat-trick of title wins. In 2002 the league ran two 4 team divisions but reverted to one division the following season. The Eagles dominance was ended by Fife Lions in the 2004 Grand Final. The following season saw one season wonders Royal Scots Steelers from Edinburgh beat Fife Lions in the final. The Lions regained the title in 2006 before the Edinburgh Eagles returned for a second hat-trick run of title successes including the first two against Fife Lions. In 2010 a new name was carved onto the trophy when Carluke Tigers gained revenge for their previous seasons final defeat in extra-time against Edinburgh Eagles by defeating the all-conquering team 14-10. The Eagles lifted the next two titles against finals debutants Ayrshire Storm in 2011 and Aberdeen Warriors in 2012. In that 2011 season the league once again ran two divisions this time on a regional basis Central and North. This lasted until 2014. Aberdeen Warriors have now replaced the Edinburgh Eagles as the dominant force in the league after winning four straight titles 2013-16
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Wikipedia