2008–09 National Division Three North
The 2008–09 National Division Three North was the tenth and last season of the fourth division of the English domestic rugby union competition using the name National Division Three North. The division was set to be re-branded National League 2 North for the following season due to an RFU reshuffle of the entire league system. New teams to the division included Halifax and Nuneaton who were relegated from the 2007–08 National Division Two while promoted sides included Loughborough Students who came up as champions of Midlands Division 1 along with Kendal Huddersfield coming up from North Division 1. A further, final change to the division saw Rugby Lions transfer across to 2008–09 National Division Three South as the most southerly side in the division in order to address a team imbalance between the two leagues. The league system was 4 points for a win, 2 points for a draw and additional bonus points being awarded for scoring 4 or more tries and/or losing within 7 points of the victorious team. In terms of promotion the league champions would go straight up into what would be known as National League 1 from 2009-10 but unlike previous years, there would be no promotion playoff between the runners up of the division and the runners up of National Division Three South due to the league restructuring.
Nuneaton made it an instant return to the 2009–10 National League 1 winning the league title and promotion ahead of nearest rivals Caldy who finished 9 points behind without the consolation of the usual north-south playoff. At the opposite end of the table Halifax suffered their second consecutive relegation being comfortably the worst team in the league with just 1 win and 1 draw for their efforts. Much more competitive but ultimately 8 points worse off than next highest team were Darlington Mowden Park who were relegated despite finishing runners up the previous season. Darlington Mowden Park would drop down to the newly named National League 3 North. The second relegated team, Halifax, were initial supposed to join Darlington Mowden Park in that division but due to financial difficulties the club decided to drop out of the national leagues and start as an amateur club in Yorkshire 6 - the lowest level the club could drop to.
Participating teams and locations
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area |
| Bradford & Bingley | Wagon Lane | 4,000 | Bingley, West Yorkshire |
| Caldy | Paton Field | 4,000 | Thurstaston, Wirral, Merseyside |
| Darlington Mowden Park | Yiewsley Drive | Darlington, County Durham | |
| Fylde | Woodlands Memorial Ground | 9,000 | Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire |
| Halifax | Ovenden Park | Halifax, West Yorkshire | |
| Harrogate | Claro Road | Harrogate, North Yorkshire | |
| Huddersfield | Lockwood Park | 1,500 | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire |
| Hull Ionians | Brantingham Park | 1,500 | Brantingham, East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Kendal | Mint Bridge | 3,000 | Kendal, Cumbria |
| Leicester Lions | Westleigh Park | 2,000 | Blaby, Leicestershire |
| Loughborough Students | Loughborough University Stadium | 3,000 | Loughborough, Leicestershire |
| Macclesfield | Priory Park | 1,250 | Macclesfield, Cheshire |
| Nuneaton | Liberty Way | 4,314 | Nuneaton, Warwickshire |
| Preston Grasshoppers | Lightfoot Green | 5,000 | Preston, Lancashire |
Final league table
Results
Round 1
----Round 2
----Round 3
----Round 4
----Round 5
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 16 May 2009.
Round 6
----Round 7
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.
Round 8
----Round 9
----Round 10
----Round 11
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.
Round 12
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.
Round 13
----Round 14
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.
Round 15
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 17 January 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 11 April 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.
Rounds 11, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 29 November 2008.
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.
Round 16
----Round 17
----Round 18
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 14 March 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 2 May 2009.
Round 19
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 5 May 2009.
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 9 May 2009.
Round 20
----Round 21
- Postponed. Game rescheduled to 25 April 2009.
Round 22
----Rounds 12, 15 & 18 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 6 December 2008.
- Game rescheduled from 6 December 2008.
- Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
Round 23
----Round 24
----Round 25
----Rounds 7, 14 & 15 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 25 October 2008.
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
Round 26
----Rounds 12, 15 & 21 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 6 December 2008.
- Game rescheduled from 28 February 2009.
Rounds 14 & 18 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 3 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 7 February 2009.
Round 19 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 14 February 2009.
Rounds 15 & 19 (rescheduled games)
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 14 February 2009.
- Game rescheduled from 10 January 2009.
Round 5 (rescheduled game)
- Game rescheduled from 4 October 2008.
Total season attendances
Individual statistics
- Note if players are tied on tries or points the player with the lowest number of appearances will come first. Also note that points scorers includes tries as well as conversions, penalties and drop goals.
Top points scorers
Top try scorers
Season records
Team
;Largest home win — 80 pts83 - 3 Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Largest away win — 68 pts
68 - 0 Kendal away to Bradford & Bingley on 9 May 2009
;Most points scored — 83 pts
83 - 3 Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Most tries in a match — 13
Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Most conversions in a match — 9
Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Most penalties in a match — 8
Huddersfield away to Halifax on 3 January 2009
;Most drop goals in a match — 3
Nuneaton at home to Macclesfield on 11 October 2008
Nuneaton away to Bradford & Bingley on 29 November 2008
Player
;Most points in a match — 30Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions away to Bradford & Bingley on 7 March 2009
Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Most tries in a match — 6
Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions away to Bradford & Bingley on 7 March 2009
Gareth Collins for Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Most conversions in a match — 9
Jon Boden for Leicester Lions at home to Halifax on 11 April 2009
;Most penalties in a match —
Ross Winney for Macclesfield at home to Hull Ionians on 6 September 2008
Rickie Aley for Nuneaton away to Harrogate on 4 October 2008
Jon Benson for Darlington Mowden Park at home to Fylde on 7 March 2009
;Most drop goals in a match — 3
Rickie Aley for Nuneaton at home to Macclesfield on 11 October 2008
Rickie Aley for Nuneaton away to Bradford & Bingley on 29 November 2008
Attendances
;Highest — 1,644Fylde at home to Hull Ionians on 21 March 2009
;Lowest — 65
Loughborough Students at home to Huddersfield on 29 November 2008
;Highest Average Attendance — 590
Fylde
;Lowest Average Attendance — 131
Leicester Lions