| 1988–89 Courage League National Division One | |
| Champions: | Bath (1st title) |
| Runnersup: | Gloucester |
| Relegated: | Liverpool St.Helens Waterloo |
| Matches: | 66 |
| Prevseason: | 1987–88 |
| Nextseason: | 1989–90 |
The 1988–89 Courage League National Division One was the second season of the first tier of the English league system, currently known as the Gallagher Premiership. Leicester Tigers were the defending champions while new sides Rosslyn Park and Liverpool St Helens were promoted from the 1987–88 Courage League National Division Two.
The fixture list was much more organised than with the previous season, where clubs had organised their own fixtures. Games were now played in rounds and home and away games were fairer, although as sides only played each other once, half the league had six home matches while the others had five. The points system was changed so that a win counted for 2 points, a draw 1 point and a loss no points (previously this had been 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 1 for a loss).
Bath became champions for the first time winning the league by a convincing margin from runners–up Gloucester. Waterloo and Liverpool St.Helens finished in the bottom two and were relegated to the 1989–90 Courage League National Division Two.[1]
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | City/Area | Previous season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | Recreation Ground | 8,200 | Bath, Somerset | 4th |
| Bristol | Memorial Stadium | 12,100 | Bristol, Avon | 9th |
| Gloucester | Kingsholm | 11,000 | Gloucester, Gloucestershire | 5th |
| Harlequins | The Stoop | 14,800 | Twickenham, London | 3rd |
| Leicester Tigers | Welford Road | 16,000 | Leicester, Leicestershire | Champions |
| Liverpool St Helens | Moss Lane | 3,000[2] | St Helens, Merseyside | Promoted from Courage Division 2 (2nd) |
| Moseley | The Reddings | 10,000 | Birmingham, West Midlands | 7th |
| Nottingham | Ireland Avenue | 4,950 | Beeston, Nottinghamshire | 8th |
| Orrell | Edge Hall Road | 5,500 | Orrell, Greater Manchester | 6th |
| Rosslyn Park | The Rock | 2,000 | Roehampton, London | Promoted from Courage Division 2 (1st) |
| Wasps | Repton Avenue | 3,000 | Sudbury, London | 2nd |
| Waterloo | St Anthony's Road | 9,000 | Blundellsands, Merseyside | 10th |
The home team is listed on the left column.
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National Division One is part of the Courage Clubs Championship and is sponsored by Courage Brewery