| Sport | Rugby Union |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1996; 29 years ago (1996) |
| Ceased | 2000; 25 years ago (2000) |
| Country |  England |
| Website | clubs.rfu.com |
North East 3 was anEnglishRugby Union league which was at the ninth tier of the domestic competition and was available to teams inNorth East England. Promoted teams moved up toNorth East 2 while relegated teams dropped to eitherYorkshire 1 orDurham/Northumberland 1 depending on their location.
At the end of the 1999-2000 the division was cancelled along withNorth East 1,North East 2, and their counterpartsNorth West 1,North West 2 andNorth West 3, due to northern league restructuring by theRFU. Most teams in North West 3 were transferred to their relevant regional leagues -Yorkshire 1 orDurham/Northumberland 1 - although one side went intoYorkshire 2.
When this division was introduced in 1996 it contained the following teams:
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| Season | No of Teams | Champions | Runners–up | Relegated Teams | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 10 | Darlington | Hull | Blyth,Whitley Bay Rockcliff | ||||||||||
| 1997–98 | 10 | Pocklington | Redcar | Whitby,Bramley Phoenix | ||||||||||
| 1998–99[1] | 10 | Selby | West Hartlepool T.D.S.O.B. | Thornensians,Sunderland,Bradford Salem | ||||||||||
| 1999–00[2] | 10 | Westoe[a] | Yarnbury[b] | Roundhegians[c] | ||||||||||
| Green backgrounds are promotion places. | ||||||||||||||