North West 3

North West 3 was an English Rugby Union league which was at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams in North West England. Promoted teams moved up to North West 2 while relegated teams dropped to either South Lancs/Cheshire 1 or North Lancs/Cumbria depending on their location.

At the end of the 1999-2000 the division was cancelled along with North West 1, North West 2, and their counterparts North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3, due to northern league restructuring by the RFU. Most teams in North West 3 were transferred to their relevant regional leagues - South Lancs/Cheshire 1, South Lancs/Cheshire 2, North Lancs/Cumbria or the Cumbrian League depending on final league position.

Original teams

When this division was introduced in 1996 it contained the following teams:

North West 3

Season

No of Teams

Champions

Runners–up

Relegated Teams

1996–97

10

Merseyside Police

Caldy

1997–98

10

Southport

Altrincham Kersal

1998–99^[1]

10

Wigan

Workington

1999–00^[2]

10

Rochdale^[b]

Green backgrounds are promotion places.

^ Calder Vale would be renamed as Burnley RUFC in 2002.
^ As North West 2 cancelled at the end of the season Rochdale would instead transfer to North Lancs/Cumbria.
^ As North West 1, 2 and 3 were to be cancelled runners up Blackpool and Rossendale were transferred to North Lancashire/Cumbria while St Edward's O.B. and Warrington went into South Lancs/Cheshire 1.
^ Although not technically relegated these teams were transferred into lower level divisions than others teams in North West 3 with Wallasey and Sandbach going into South Lancs/Cheshire 2 and St Benedicts going into the Cumbrian League.