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. 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.
Departing were Hornsea, promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire as champions.
Thirsk RUFC joined the league after getting relegated from Counties 3 Yorkshire last season.
Departing were Dearne Valley (champions) promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire.
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.
Departing were Old Otliensians and Thornensians, promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire as champions and runners-up respectively
Hornsea won the league on the final day of the season and doing so got promoted to Counties 3 Yorkshire for the 25/26 season.
Dearne Valley won the south division and join the Northern division winners Hornsea in Counties 3 Yorkshire for the 25/26 season
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.
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.
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.
York RI and Nestle Rowntree were level transferred from Yorkshire 4 South East for the current season.
On 30 October 2020 the RFU announced 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.
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.
Rossington Hornets did not participate in the Shield competition.
When league rugby began in 1987 this division contained the following teams:
The original Yorkshire 4 was a tier 12 league with promotion up to Yorkshire 3 and relegation down to Yorkshire 5.
The creation of National 5 North for the 1993âÂÂ94 season meant that Yorkshire 4 dropped to become a tier 13 league. A further restructure at the end of the 1995âÂÂ96 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.