2012 Championship 1
The 2012 Championship 1 was a semi-professional rugby league football competition played in England and Wales, the third tier of the sport in the country. For one season only, the top four teams were promoted to the 2013 Rugby Football League Championship, while the champions of the division were decided by a six-team play-off, which was won by Doncaster, who beat Barrow 16–13 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
There was no relegation from this league as it is the lowest tier of professional rugby league. All of the teams competed in the 2012 Challenge Cup and the 2012 National League Cup.
2012 structure
The competition featured mainly the same teams as it did in 2011. The exceptions being that the Swinton Lions and the Keighley Cougars were both promoted to compete in the 2012 RFL Championship. The Barrow Raiders were relegated from the 2010 RFL Championship, while the North Wales Crusaders enter the division following the collapse of the Crusaders, who lost a Super League licence for the 2012 season.| Team & Current Season | 2011 Position | Stadium | Capacity | Location |
| 16px Barrow Raiders | 11th | Craven Park | 7,600 | Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria |
| 16px Doncaster | 5th | Keepmoat Stadium | 15,231 | Doncaster, South Yorkshire |
| 16px Gateshead Thunder | 10th | Thunderdome | 11,800 | Gateshead, Tyne and Wear |
| 16px London Skolars | 9th | New River Stadium | 5,000 | Haringey, London |
| North Wales Crusaders | N/A | Racecourse Ground | 10,500 | Wrexham, Wales |
| 16px Oldham | 7th | Whitebank Stadium | 1500 | Limeside, Oldham, Greater Manchester |
| 16px Rochdale Hornets | 4th | Spotland Stadium | 10,249 | Rochdale, Greater Manchester |
| 16px South Wales Scorpions | 8th | The Gnoll | 6,000 | Neath, West Glamorgan, Wales |
| 16px Whitehaven | 6th | Recreation Ground | 7,500 | Whitehaven, Cumbria |
| 16px Workington Town | 2nd | Derwent Park | 10,000 | Workington, Cumbria |