| Formerly | Eastern New England League (1885) |
|---|---|
| Sport | Minor League Baseball |
| Founded | 1885 |
| First season | 1886 |
| Ceased | 1949 |
| Country | United States |
| Most titles | 6 Lowell Tigers |
The New England League was a mid-level league in American minor league baseball that played intermittently in five of the six New England states (Vermont excepted) between 1886 and 1949. After 1901, it existed in the shadow of two Major League Baseball clubs in Boston and alongside stronger, higher-classification leagues.
In 1946, the NEL, the International League and the Canadian–American League – which all included farm teams of the Brooklyn Dodgers – were the first 20th century leagues (other than the Negro leagues) to permit African-Americans to play. The following season, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby would integrate the major leagues.