As a result the first games of the league season will be on Saturday Septmeber 26th with the First XV at Percy Park in Regional 2 North, the Stags at home to Rovers first team in Counties Two NE South and the Bucks away to Newton Aycliffe in Counties Three NE South. All kicking off at 3.00.

The Firsts were due to start the season with two home games against newly promoted Novocastrians and Penrith. However, those games will now be scheduled for free Saturdays before Christmas.

When the league does finally get underway there will be some changes to promotion and relegation. In Regional Two the top team  will go up with the 2nd placed team at home to the 3rd placed team in a play-off. The winner of that game will face the side which wins the play-off in Regional 2 North East. The winner of that game will then be away to the losing team in the relegation play-off in Regional One North. (Last season the 4th and 5th placed sides were also involved in the play-offs but that has been discarded).

There will also be a relegation play-off between the 10th and 11th placed sides.

In Counties 2 NE,  where the Stags will be playing, the top side will be promoted with the 2nd placed team playing off against the 2nd placed team in Counties 2 NE. The winner will then face the team which finished third from bottom in Counties 1 North  to decide who plays in Counties One next season. The bottom two  sides will be relegated.

There will be no relegation from Counties 3 where the Bucks will be playing. There will be promotion into Counties 2 for the top two teams as long as it means any club does not have two teams in the same league.