United Counties League

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, Lincolnshire and Norfolk. It had a total of four divisions, two 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.

United Counties League
Founded1895
CountryEngland
DivisionsPremier Division
Division One
Number of teams40
Level on pyramidLevels 9–10
Feeder toSouthern League Division One Central
Northern Premier League Division One South East
Domestic cup(s)United Counties League Cup
FA Vase
FA Cup
Current championsDaventry Town (Premier Division)
Lutterworth Town (Division One)
(2018–19)
Current: 2020–21 season

Clubs in the Premier Division 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.

Current members

Premier Division

The Premier Division is at level 9 (step 5) of the National League System, feeding into the Southern Football League Division One Central. There are currently twenty 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.

Division One

Division One is at level 10 (step 6) in the football pyramid above four smaller local leagues at the base of the recognized NLS: the Northamptonshire Combination, Bedfordshire Football League, Peterborough & District League, and Lincolnshire League. There are currently twenty clubs in this division.

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 eighteen 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 coronavirus pandemic Not awarded

References

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