The 2025-26 NVL structure - and how promotion and relegation will work

Both the women’s and men’s Division 1 of the NVL will now be split into two divisions – Division 1 North and Division 1 South, which will significantly reduce the amount of long journeys for teams. 

The champions from each of the men’s and women’s divisions will win promoted to the Super League, while the eighth place Super League team will be relegated and the sixth and seventh team play-off to see who will also go down. 

At the bottom of Division 1, the seventh and eighth place sides from the North and South Conference will be relegated into Division 2. 

In Division 2, the champions from each of the three conferences will be promoted, while the three second-placed teams will play-off in a round-robin for the right to join them.  

In Division 3, the champions from each of the four regional conferences will move up to Division 2 and the four second place team will enter a play-off. 

In it, the Division 3 South East and South West teams and the Division 3 North and Central (women) and North Central and North West teams (men) will play each other, with each of the winners also going up. 

With the NVL now at its maximum capacity of 84 teams per gender, teams finishing in ninth place in each of the Division 3 Conferences will be relegated, but they will have the chance to apply as a ‘new team entrant’ for the following season and state their case for re-election. 

Please note that in all cases, teams who finish in the promotion positions or win play-offs will only go up if they meet all the conditions to take a place in the higher division. 

For more details on the NVL structure for the 2025-26 season, view the Key Regulation Amendments 2025-2026 document by clicking here, and going to sections four and five. 

A summary of the NVL structure for 2025-26 can be found below: