In 1987 the TFL State Wide League was extended to ten clubs when NWFU clubs namely Burnie Hawks (later became Burnie Dockers) and Devonport Blues (later became Devonport Power), joined to complete a true State Wide competition.

As a result of the TANFL (controlling body in Tasmania) deciding to introduce a State-wide competition in 1986, several clubs from both the NTFA and NWFU had committed to participate. This caused the two Northern bodies (NTFA & NWFU) to form a new body known as the Northern Tasmanian Football League (NTFL).

The inaugural season of the Northern Tasmanian Football League commenced in 1987.

Following the formation of the NTFL, the former NTFA folded in 1986.

The NTFL was formed in the early part of 1987, by both the NTFA and NWFU merging to become the NTFL. This was caused as a result of the TANFL creating a Statewide competition known as the TFL State-Wide League (TSWL) that commenced in 1986.

The TANFL granted the NTFL Second Tiered Status which was retained until 1998. The home base for the NTFL was in central Devonport.

The NTFL participated in the annual Victorian Country Championships, as it happened the exercise was a financial loss, that caused the NTFL to withdraw after three years in 1989. Instead, the NTFL played matches against the TANFL Under 23’s, the Southern Football League and the Tasmanian Amateur State Team.

Teams that participated in NTFL from 1987 included: Burnie, Deloraine, East Devonport, George Town, Latrobe, Launceston, Longford, Penguin, Scottsdale, Smithton, Ulverstone and Wynyard,