United Counties League

United Counties League

Founded	1895
Country	England
Divisions	Premier Division North Premier Division South Division One
Number of teams	59
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	Anstey Nomads (Premier Division North) Coventry Sphinx (Premier Division South) Aylestone Park (Division One) (2022–23)
Current: 2023–24 season

The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the Uhlsport United Counties League) is an English football league covering an area including the English counties of northern Bedfordshire, northern Buckinghamshire, most of Cambridgeshire, southern Derbyshire, southern Leicestershire, most of Lincolnshire, western Norfolk, Northamptonshire, southern Nottinghamshire, northern Oxfordshire, Rutland, eastern Staffordshire, eastern Warwickshire and eastern 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. The clubs in the league 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

Ashby Ivanhoe

AFC Mansfield

Belper United and Eastwood

Boston Town

Deeping Rangers

Heanor Town

Hucknall Town

Kimberley Miners Welfare

Lincoln United

Loughborough Students

Newark and Sherwood United

Melton Town

Pinchbeck United

Sherwood Colliery

Skegness Town

Sleaford Town

Wisbech Town

Aylestone Park

Bugbrooke St. Michaels

Cogenhoe United

Coventry United

Daventry Town

Desborough Town

Easington Sports

Eynesbury Rovers

GNG Oadby Town

Godmanchester Rovers

Histon

Leicester Nirvana

Lutterworth Town

March Town United

Newport Pagnell Town

Racing Club Warwick

Rugby Borough

St Neots Town

Wellingborough Town

Yaxley

Asfordby

Birstall United

Blackstones

Bourne Town

Clifton All Whites

Clipstone

Dunkirk

Gedling Miners Welfare

Harrowby United

Holwell Sports

Kirby Muxloe

Leicester St Andrews

Lutterworth Athletic

Newark Town

Radford

Rainworth Miners Welfare

Saffron Dynamo

Sandiacre Town

Selston

Southwell City

West Bridgford

class=notpageimage|

Locations of the United Counties League clubs by division
– Premier Division North – Premier Division South – Division One

Step 5

The league has two divisions at level 9 (step 5) of the National League System (NLS). Member clubs take part in cup competitions organised by the county FA to which they are affiliated and other cup competitions. The north division currently has 18 clubs, feeding into the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands and East. The south division currently has 20 clubs, feeding into the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands and Southern Football League Division One Central.

Premier Division North Club Home ground Ground capacity AFC Mansfield Forest Town Stadium Ashby Ivanhoe NFU Sports Ground Boston Town Tattershall Road 6,000 Belper United Coronation Park 2,500 Deeping Rangers The Haydon Whitham Stadium 2,000 Eastwood Coronation Park 2,500 Heanor Town Town Ground 2,700 Hucknall Town Ariel Way 4,000 Kimberley Miners Welfare The Stag Ground 1,000 Lincoln United Ashby Avenue 2,200 Loughborough Students Loughborough University Stadium 3,300 Melton Town Melton Sports Village 1,000 Newark and Sherwood United Hawton Lane 1,000 Pinchbeck United Sir Halley Stewart Field 2,700 Sherwood Colliery Debdale Park 1400 Skegness Town Vertigo Stadium 1,000 Sleaford Town Eslaforde Park 1,000 Wisbech Town Fenland Stadium 1,118

Premier Division South Club Home ground Ground capacity Aylestone Park Saffron Lane 1,128 Bugbrooke St Michaels Birds Close 2,500 Cogenhoe United Compton Park 5,000 Coventry United Butts Park Arena (Coventry Rugby) 4,000 Daventry Town Elderstubbs 1,855 Desborough Town Waterworks Field 1,500 Easington Sports Addison Road 1,000 Eynesbury Rovers Alfred Hall Memorial Ground 1,000 GNG Oadby Town Wigston Road 3,000 Godmanchester Rovers Bearscroft Lane 1,050 Histon Bridge Road 4,300 Leicester Nirvana Hamilton Park 1,000 Lutterworth Town Kong Park 1,000 March Town United GER Sports Ground Newport Pagnell Town Willen Road 2,000 Racing Club Warwick Townsend Meadow 1,280 Rugby Borough Kilsby Lane St Neots Town New Rowley Park 3,500 Wellingborough Town Dog & Duck Ground 2,500 Yaxley Leading Drove 1,000

Step 6 (Division One)

Division One is at level 10 (step 6) in the football pyramid above five smaller local leagues below the recognised NLS: Central Midlands League, Leicestershire Senior League, Lincolnshire League, Northamptonshire Combination League and Nottinghamshire Senior League. There are currently 21 clubs in this division.

Club	Home ground	Ground capacity
Asfordby	Asfordby Acres
Birstall United	Meadow Lane	1,000
Blackstones	Lincoln Road	1,200
Bourne Town	Abbey Lawn	5,000
Clifton All Whites	Norman Archer Memorial Ground	1,000
Clipstone	Lido Ground
Dunkirk	Ron Steel Sports Ground	1,500
Gedling Miners Welfare	Mapperley Plains Sports Club	2,000
Harrowby United	Dickens Road	1,500
Holwell Sports	Melton Road	1,000
Lutterworth Athletic	Hall Park
Kirby Muxloe	Ratby Lane	1,000
Newark Town	YMCA Sports Village
Radford	Selhurst Street	1,000
Rainworth Miners Welfare	Welfare Ground
Sandiacre Town	St Giles Park
Selston	The Parish Hall Ground	1,000
Southwell City	Centenary Ground, Brinkley
Saffron Dynamo	Cambridge Road	1,000
St. Andrews	Canal Street	1,000
West Bridgford	Regatta Way Sports Ground	1,000

Reserve Division

The membership of the Reserve Division is made up largely of the reserve teams of clubs in the Premier Division and Division One of the United Counties League. It has run as a single division since season 2013–14, and currently contains sixteen teams.

Recent champions

Season	Premier Division	Division One	Reserves Division 1	Reserves Division 2	League Cup	Reserve Divisions Cup
1980–81	Stamford	Stevenage Borough	Wootton Blue Cross	Not Formed	Irthlingborough Diamonds	Long Buckby
1981–82	Stamford	Newport Pagnell Town	Irthlingborough Diamonds	Not Formed	Stamford	Irthligborough Diamonds
1982–83	Irthlingborough Diamonds	Raunds Town	Irthlingborough Diamonds	Not Formed	Wootton Blue Cross	Desborough Town
1983–84	Buckingham Town	Brackley Town	Arlesey Town	Raunds Town	Buckingham Town	Stamford
1984–85	Arlesey Town	Northampton Spencer	Long Buckby	Brackley Town	Long Buckby	Raunds Town
1985–86	Buckingham Town	Kempston Rovers	Irthlingborough Diamonds	Wootton Blue Cross	Stamford	Rushden Town
1986–87	Potton United	Baker Perkins	Irthlingborough Diamonds	Wellingborough Whitworths	Stewarts & Lloyds Corby	Irthlingborough Diamonds
1987–88	Spalding United	British Timken Duston	Stotfold	Kettering Town	Arlesey Town	Kettering Town
1988–89	Potton United	Ramsey Town	Raunds Town	Cogenhoe United	Northampton Spencer	Raunds Town
1989–90	Holbeach United	Daventry Town	Mirrlees Blackstone	Northampton ON Chenecks	Holbeach United	Mirrlees Blackstone
1990–91	Bourne Town	Daventry Town	Northampton Spencer	Wellingborough Town	Raunds Town	Northampton Spencer
1991–92	Northampton Spencer	Harrowby United	Stotfold	Hamlet S & L Corby	Rothwell Town	Stotfold
1992–93	Rothwell Town	Ford Sports Daventry	Rushden & Diamonds	Burton Park Wanderers	Rothwell Town	Rushden & Diamonds
1993–94	Rothwell Town	Northampton Vanaid	Rothwell Town	Bourne Town	Northampton Spencer	Rothwell Town
1994–95	Boston Town	St Neots Town	Northampton Spencer	Wootton Blue Cross	Spalding United	Cogenhoe United
1995–96	Raunds Town	Ford Sports Daventry	Raunds Town	Wellingborough Whitworths	Cogenhoe United	Mirrlees Blackstone
1996–97	Stamford	Yaxley	Stotfold	Northampton Vanaid	Desborough Town	Rothwell Town
1997–98	Stamford	Higham Town	Rothwell Town	St Neots Town	Ford Sports Daventry	Rothwell Town
1998–99	Spalding United	Bugbrooke St Michaels	Rothwell Town	Kettering Town	Stotfold	Northampton Spencer
1999–2000	Ford Sports Daventry	Cottingham	Rothwell Town	King's Lynn	Cogenhoe United	King's Lynn
2000–01	Boston Town	Daventry Town	Cogenhoe United	Stamford	Desborough Town	Rothwell Town
2001–02	Ford Sports Daventry	Newport Pagnell Town	Stotfold	Holbeach United	Raunds Town	Wootton Blue Cross
2002–03	Holbeach United	Northampton Sileby Rangers	Bugbrooke St Michaels	Olney Town	Blackstones	Stewarts & Lloyds Corby
2003–04	Spalding United	Potton United	Raunds Town	Bourne Town	Boston Town	Blackstones
2004–05	Cogenhoe United	Northampton Sileby Rangers	Yaxley	Ford Sports Daventry	Potton United	Stotfold
2005–06	Woodford United	Sleaford Town	Bourne Town	Woodford United	Yaxley	Northampton Sileby Rangers
2006–07	Deeping Rangers	Whitworths	Cogenhoe United	St Neots Town	Boston Town	Cogenhoe United
2007–08	Stotfold	Daventry Town	Stotfold	Huntingdon Town	Desborough Town	Blackstones
2008–09	Stewarts & Lloyds Corby	Peterborough Northern Star	Stotfold	Peterborough Northern Star	Stotfold	Blackstones
2009–10	Daventry Town	Irchester United	St. Neots Town	Northampton ON Chenecks	St Ives Town	Stotfold
2010–11	St. Neots Town	AFC Kempston Rovers	Cogenhoe United	King's Lynn Town	Peterborough Northern Star	Thrapston Town
2011–12	Long Buckby	Huntingdon Town	King's Lynn Town	Bugbrooke St Michaels	St Ives Town	Whitworth
2012–13	Holbeach United	Northampton Sileby Rangers	Cogenhoe United	Oadby Town	Spalding United	AFC Kempston Rovers

Season	Premier Division	Division One	Reserves Division	League Cup	Reserve Divisions Cup
2013–14	Spalding United	Oadby Town	Cogenhoe United	Huntingdon Town	Peterborough Northern Star
2014–15	AFC Rushden & Diamonds	Northampton Spencer	Bugbrooke St Michaels	AFC Rushden & Diamonds	Bugbrooke St Michaels
2015–16	AFC Kempston Rovers	Peterborough Sports	Rushden & Higham United Reserves	Peterborough Sports	Rothwell Corinthians Reserves
2016–17	Peterborough Sports	Daventry Town	Lutterworth Athletic Reserves	Yaxley	Raunds Town Reserves
2017–18	Yaxley	Pinchbeck United	Bugbrooke St Michaels Reserves	Leicester Nirvana	Yaxley Reserves
2018–19	Daventry Town	Lutterworth Town	Desborough Town Reserves	Daventry Town	Cogenhoe Reserves
2019–20	Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England			Not played
2020–21

Season	Premier Division North	Premier Division South	Division One	Reserves Division	League Cup	Reserve Divisions Cup
2021–22	Long Eaton United	Harborough Town	Kimberley Miners Welfare	Bugbrooke St Michaels Reserves	Not played
2022–23	Anstey Nomads	Coventry Sphinx	Aylestone Park	Harborough Town Reserves	Anstey Nomads	Newport Pagnell Town Reserves
2023–24	Sherwood Colliery	Wellingborough Town	Bourne Town			Buckingham Development

References

1. "EXPLAINED: The 2021-22 Non-League restructure". The Non-League Paper. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.

External links

• United Counties League official website
• United Counties League FA Full Time