 | |
| Founded | 1895 |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Divisions | Premier Division North Premier Division South Division One |
| Number of clubs | 63 |
| 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 | Lincoln United(Premier Division North) St Neots Town(Premier Division South) Clay Cross Town (Division One) (2024–25) |
| Website | https://theucl.co.uk/ |
| Current:2025–26 season | |
TheUnited Counties League (also known after its sponsor as theGCE Hire Fleet Ltd. United Counties League) is anEnglishfootball league covering an area including the Englishcounties of northernBedfordshire, northernBuckinghamshire, most ofCambridgeshire,Derbyshire,Huntingdonshire,Leicestershire, most ofLincolnshire, westernNorfolk,Northamptonshire,Nottinghamshire, northernOxfordshire,Rutland, easternStaffordshire, easternWarwickshire and easternWest 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 theFA Cup in the preliminary round stages. The clubs in the league are eligible for theFA Vase, and there are knockout cups for the Premier/Division One clubs and for the Reserve Divisions clubs.
The United Counties League was formed in 1895 as theNorthamptonshire 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 theSouthern League. They would become the league's first former member to reach theFootball 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 theCOVID-19 pandemic in England.[1]
– Premier Division North
– Premier Division South
– Division OneThe league has two divisions at Step 5 of theNational League System (level 9 of theEnglish football league system). 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 20 clubs, feeding into theNorthern Premier League Division One Midlands and East. The south division currently has 20 clubs, feeding into the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands andSouthern Football League Division One Central.
Division One is at level 10 (step 6) in thefootball pyramid above five smaller local leagues below the recognised NLS:Central Midlands League,Leicestershire Senior League,Lincolnshire League,Northamptonshire Combination League andNottinghamshire Senior League. There are currently 23 clubs in this division.
| Club | Home ground | Ground capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Clifton All Whites | Norman Archer Memorial Ground,Clifton | 1,000 |
| Clipstone | Lido Ground,Clipstone | |
| Coalville Town | Mander Cruickshank Solicitors Stadium,Coalville | 2,000 |
| Dronfield Town | Stonelow Stadium,Dronfield | 500 |
| Dunkirk | Empire Sports Ground,Nottingham | 1,500 |
| FCV Grace Dieu | FCV Academy,Grace Dieu Manor Park | |
| Gedling Miners Welfare | Mapperley Plains Sports Club,Mapperley | 2,000 |
| Holwell Sports | Welby Road,Asfordby Hill | 1,000 |
| Pinchbeck United | MKM Stadium,Sleaford | 1,000 |
| Pinxton | Pinxton Miners Welfare,Pinxton | 2,000 |
| Radford | Oakfield Arena,Nottingham | 1,000 |
| Rainworth Miners Welfare | Kirklington Road Ground,Mansfield | |
| Retford | SL2 Rail Stadium,Retford | 3,500 |
| Retford United | Cannon Park,Retford | 2,000 |
| Sandiacre Town | St Giles Park,Sandiacre | |
| Shirebrook Town | WH Davis Stadium,Shirebrook | 2,000 |
| Sleaford Town | Eslaforde Park,Sleaford | 1,000 |
| South Normanton Athletic | Transcare Arena,South Normanton | 3,000 |
| Southwell City | Centenary Ground,Brinkley | |
| Stapleford Town | Hickings Lane Recreation Ground,Stapleford | |
| Staveley Miners Welfare | Inkersall Road,Staveley | 5,000 |
| Swallownest | Swall-Siro Stadium,Swallownest | |
| West Bridgford | Regatta Way Sports Ground,Gamston | 1,000 |
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.
| 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 theCOVID-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 | Kempston Rovers Reserves | Skegness Town | Buckingham Development |
| 2024–25 | Lincoln United | St Neots Town | Clay Cross Town | Desborough Town Reserves | Bugbrooke St Michaels Reserves | |
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