Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have been a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague (later replaced by the Elite Ice Hockey League) and above that of the English National Ice Hockey League and the Scottish National League (and later, following its creation, the English Premier Ice Hockey League).

Fife Flyers and Guildford Flames were the only two teams to consistently feature in the BNL during every season of the league's history.

The BNL was disbanded at the end of the 2004/05 season, Edinburgh Capitals and Newcastle Vipers both left the league and applied to join the first tier EIHL (with whom the BNL had conducted a crossover competition with during its final season).

Bracknell Bees, Guildford Flames, and Hull Stingrays all joined the EPIHL; which replaced the BNL as the second tier of English hockey (it having previously been the third tier), whilst Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers joined the EPIHL's Scottish counterpart; the Scottish National League.

All of these teams, with the exception of Bracknell Bees, became members of the EIHL in later seasons, with Hull Stingrays making the move in 2006, before being joined by Dundee Stars in 2010, Fife Flyers in 2011 and Guildford Flames in 2017.