| 1987–88 Courage Area League North | |
| Champions: | Rugby (1st title) |
| Runnersup: | Durham City (not promoted) |
| Relegated: | Solihull, Derby, Birkenhead Park |
| Matches: | 110 |
| Nextseason: | 1988–89 |
The 1987–88 Courage Area League North was the first full season of rugby union within the fourth tier of the English league system, currently known as National League 2 North, and was the counterpart to Courage Area League South (now National League 2 South). Each team played one match against the other teams, playing a total of ten matches each. There was no set date for matches, clubs having to arrange the fixtures among themselves.[1] [2] Rugby were the first ever champions, gaining promotion to the 1988–89 National Division Three while Solihull, Derby and Birkenhead Park were the relegated sides.[3] Solihull and Derby dropped to Midlands 1 while Birkenhead Park fell into North 1.
Each team played one match against each of the other teams, playing a total of ten matches each. The champions are promoted to National Division 3 and the bottom three teams were relegated to either North 1 or Midlands 1 depending on their locality. The reason that there were three relegated teams (compared to the 1987–88 Courage Area League South) was that both teams relegated from National Division 3 were based in the northern section of the country.
| Team | Ground | Capacity | City/Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Park | Birkenhead, Wirral | ||
| Hough End | Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester | ||
| Haslams Lane | Derby, Derbyshire | ||
| Hollow Drift | Durham, County Durham | ||
| Cooke Fields | Lichfield, Staffordshire | ||
| 1,000 | Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | ||
| Lightfoot Green | 5,000 | Preston, Lancashire | |
| Chandos Park | Roundhay, Leeds West Yorkshire | ||
| Webb Ellis Road | 1,000 | Rugby, Warwickshire | |
| 2,500 | Solihull, West Midlands | ||
| Stourton Park | 3,000 | Stourbridge, West Midlands | |
Area League North is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and was sponsored by Courage Brewery.