United Counties League

United Counties League

Founded	1895
Country	England
Divisions	Premier Division North Premier Division South Division One
Number of teams	62
Level on pyramid	Levels 9–10
Feeder to	Southern League Division One Central Northern Premier League Division One East and Midlands
Domestic cup(s)	United Counties League Cup FA Vase FA Cup
Current champions	Daventry Town (Premier Division) Lutterworth Town (Division One) (2018–19)
Current: 2021–22 season

The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the Uhlsport United Counties League) is an English football league covering Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire and most of Leicestershire as well as parts of Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands. It has a total of five divisions, three for first teams and two for reserve teams, but the reserves' divisions were merged into a single division for the 2013–14 season and remains so at present.

Clubs in the Premier Divisions are eligible to enter the FA Cup in the Preliminary Round stages. Those clubs in the league with floodlights are eligible for the FA Vase, and there are knockout cups for the Premier/Division One clubs and for the Reserve Divisions clubs.

History[]

The United Counties League was formed in 1895 as the Northamptonshire Junior League, dropping the 'Junior' one year later. It took its current name in 1934 as teams from other counties had long since been a part of the league. Over the years the UCL has 'united' teams from Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire with those from parts of Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and even Norfolk. Northampton Town joined the league in 1897 and became champions in their second season before moving up to the Southern League. They would become the league's first former member to reach the Football League in 1920. In 1900 Bedford Queens became the first club from outside the county to join the league.

The Football Association announced on 12 April 2021 that United Counties League would administer a new Step 5 division since the 2021–22 season after the scheduled National League System restructure had a one-season postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England.^[1]

Current members[]

Premier Division North[]

The Premier Division North is at level 9 (step 5) of the National League System (NLS), feeding into the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands. There are currently 18 clubs in this division. The member clubs take part in cup competitions organised by the county FA to which they are affiliated and other cup competitions.

Club Home ground Ground capacity Anstey Nomads Callingtons Community Complex 1,000 Boston Town DWB Stadium 6,000 Deeping Rangers The Haydon Whitham Stadium 2,000 Eastwood Coronation Park 2,500 Gresley Rovers Moat Ground 2,400 Heanor Town Town Ground 2,700 Heather St John's St John's Park 1,000 Holbeach United Carters Park 4,000 Leicester Nirvana Hamilton Park 1,000 Long Eaton United Grange Park 1,500 Loughborough University Loughborough University Stadium 3,300 Melton Town Melton Sports Village 1,000 Newark Hawton Lane 1,000 Pinchbeck United Sir Halley Stewart Field 2,700 Quorn Farley Way Stadium 3,000 Selston The Parish Hall Ground 1,000 Skegness Town Vertigo Stadium 1,000 Sleaford Town Eslaforde Park 1,000

The area mostly covered by the United Counties League until 2021 is coloured in brown.

Premier Division South[]

The Premier Division South is also at level 9 (step 5) of the NLS, feeding into the Southern Football League Division One Central. There are currently 21 clubs in this division. The member clubs take part in cup competitions organised by the county FA to which they are affiliated and other cup competitions.