2016–17 National League 2 North
| 2016–17 National League 2 North | |
|---|---|
| Countries |
 England
|
| Date | September 2016 – May 2017 |
| Champions | Caldy (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Sale |
| Relegated | Preston Grasshoppers, Scunthorpe, Harrogate |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Attendance | 78,160 (average 326 per match) |
| Highest attendance | 1,432 Caldy v Sale (8 April 2017) |
| Lowest attendance | 50 South Leicester v Caldy (22 October 2016) |
| Top point scorer |
Jack Lavin (Caldy) 373 |
| Top try scorer |
Nick Royle (Caldy) 32 |
|
← 2015–16
2017–18 →
|
|
The 2016–17 National League 2 North is the eighth season (30th overall) of the fourth tier (north) of the English domestic rugby union competitions since the professionalised format of the second division was introduced. New teams to the division include Wharfedale who were relegated from National League 1 while Sheffield Tigers were promoted as champions of National League 3 North along with Scunthorpe (champions) and Hinckley (play-off) from National League 3 Midlands.
Caldy were crowned champions on the 8 April 2017 with two games to go, after beating second place Sale 28–26 in front of a crowd of 1,432 at Paton Field (the biggest in the league that season) to make sure that the Heywood Road side could not catch them. It was the first time Caldy had won National League 2 North and the highest level they have reached in the club's history. Up until the last few games, Sale had been neck and neck with Caldy but in the end two defeats to the Wirral based club meant that they finished 9 points adrift in second place. However, a strong finish by Sale meant that they would go into the promotion play-off against the runner-up from the 2016–17 National League 2 South, Old Elthamians, with home advantage as they gained more league points (124) than the southern based side (122). Despite home advantage Sale were unable to join Caldy in the 2017–18 National League 1 as they lost a close game 14–19 to Old Elthamians in front of a crowd of 1,297 at Heywood Road.
The liquidation of London Welsh in January 2017, and their expulsion from the RFU Championship, meant that there were only five teams relegated from National League 2 South and National League 2 North this season – meaning that one league would have three teams going down and the other having just two depending on league points at the end of the season. On the same day that Caldy won the league title, Preston Grasshoppers were the first team to be relegated, losing 32–48 to relegation rivals Harrogate and ending the club's 12-year stay in the division.
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