Counties 4 Yorkshire is an English rugby union league at the tenth tier of the domestic competition for teams from Yorkshire. Club rugby in Yorkshire operates without promotion play-offs meaning that the top two teams are automatically promoted to Yorkshire 3 and the bottom two teams were relegated to Yorkshire 5 until the RFU made changes to the Yorkshire league structure. Each season a team from Counties 3 Yorkshire or Yorkshire 4 may be picked to take part in the RFU Junior Vase - a national competition for clubs at levels 9-12.
For the 2017-18 season, Yorkshire 4 was broken up into two regional leagues - Yorkshire 4 (North West) and Yorkshire 4 (South East) - while Yorkshire 5 ceased to exist. Teams from both Yorkshire 4 and 5 were transferred into the regional divisions depending on location.[1] After the teams have played each other home and away, in February the clubs are reallocated into a Premier league and a Shield league for one further round of fixtures. The top four teams from each league play in the Premier and the other teams play in the Shield. The top two teams in the Premier league are promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
Participating clubs 2024-25
For the new season the league was once more split into North / South division as it had been most recently in season 2021-22. Three new teams, all from South Yorkshire, were added to the South league to make a total of seven, with eight competing in the North division.
Locations of the 2024–25 Counties 4 Yorkshire South teams
Participating clubs 2023-24
Departing were Mosborough (4th in 2022-23) who moved on a level transfer to Counties 3 Midlands East (North). Joining were three sides relegated from Counties 3 Yorkshire together with Richmondshire who re-entered the Yorkshire Rugby leagues having most recently competed in Durham/Northumberland 3 for season 2021-22 during which they withdrew in January 2022.
Locations of the 2023-24 Counties 4 Yorkshire teams
Participating clubs 2022-23
This was the first season following the RFU Adult Competition Review. The league was substantially similar to Yorkshire 4 albeit consolidated back into one having previously been split NW and SE. Eleven of the teams from season 2021-22 returned with two promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire and two (Sheffield Oaks and Stanley Rodillians) withdrawing from the leagues. So with four departing but only one arriving the league was reduced from 15 teams to 12.
Locations of the 2022–23 Counties 4 Yorkshire teams
Participating clubs 2021-22
The teams competing in 2021-22 achieved their places in the league based on performances in 2019-20, the 'previous season' column in the table below refers to that season not 2020-21.
North West division
York RI and Nestle Rowntree were level transferred from Yorkshire 4 South East for the current season.
Locations of the 2021–22 Yorkshire 4 (South East) teams
Season 2020–21
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced [2] that due to the coronavirus pandemic a decision had been taken to cancel Adult Competitive Leagues (National League 1 and below) for the 2020/21 season meaning Yorkshire 4 was not contested.
Locations of the 2017–18 Yorkshire 4 (South East) teams
Premier and Shield divisions
In February, after the teams have played each other home and away, the clubs in both Yorkshire 4 leagues are reallocated into a Premier league and a Shield league for one further round of fixtures. The top four teams from each league play in the Premier and the other teams play in the Shield.
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993–94 season meant that Yorkshire 4 dropped to become a tier 13 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995–96 season, which included the cancellation of National 5 North and the addition of North East 3 at tier 9, saw Yorkshire 4 remain at tier 13.
Northern league restructuring by the RFU at the end of the 1999-2000 season saw the cancellation of North East 1, North East 2 and North East 3 (tiers 7-9). This meant that Yorkshire 4 became a tier 10 league.
^League restructuring due to the cancellation of Yorkshire 6 ahead of the 1992–93 season, meant no clubs were relegated and eight clubs (originally nine) would be promoted from Yorkshire 5.
^3rd place Hornsea were promoted instead of runners up Burley who were instead demoted to Yorkshire 5.