# United Counties League

The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the GCE Hire Fleet Ltd. 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.

## Current members
### 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 | |
| Belper United | Coronation Park | 2,500 |
| Boston Town | Tattershall Road | 6,000 |
| Bourne Town | Abbey Lawn | 2,000 |
| Deeping Rangers | The Haydon Whitham Stadium | 2,000 |
| Eastwood | Coronation Park | 2,500 |
| Gresley Rovers | Moat Ground | 2,400 |
| Harrowby United | Dickens Road | 1,500 |
| 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 |
| Melton Town | Melton Sports Village | 1,000 |
| Newark and Sherwood United | Hawton Lane | 1,000 |
| Newark Town | YMCA Sports village | 1,000 |
| Shirebrook Town | Langwith Road | 2,000 |
| 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 | Riverside | 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 20 clubs in this division.
| Club | Home ground | Ground capacity |
| Blackstones | Lincoln Road | 1,200 |
| Bourne Town | Abbey Lawn | 5,000 |
| Coalville Town | Owen Street Sports Ground | 2,000 |
| 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 | |
| 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 | Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England | Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England | Not played | Not played |
| 2020–21 | Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England | Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England | Season abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England | Not played | Not played |
| 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 | 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 |

## Defunct clubs

These include:
* British Timken Athletic F.C.