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United Counties League Division One

United Counties League
United Counties League logo.png
Founded 1895
Country England
Divisions Premier Division
Division One
Number of teams 41
Level on pyramid Levels 9–10
Feeder to Southern League Division One Central
Northern Premier League Division One South
Domestic cup(s) United Counties League Cup
FA Vase
FA Cup
Current champions Peterborough Sports (Premier Division)
Daventry Town F.C. (Division One)
(2016–17)
2017–18 season

The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ChromaSport & Trophies United Counties League) is an English football league covering Northamptonshire, Rutland and Bedfordshire, as well as parts of Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, 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.

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.

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 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 nineteen clubs in this division, three less than is normal for Leagues at a similar level in the English football league system. The member clubs take part in Cup competitions organised by the County FA to which they are affiliated and other Cup competitions.


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