United Counties Football League

The United Counties Football League (also known after its sponsor as the Eagle Bitter United Counties League) is an English football league covering Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, as well as parts of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, and Lincolnshire. It has a total of four divisions, two for first teams and two for reserve teams. 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.

Leagues

Premier Division

The United Counties Football League Premier Division is at Level 9 (Step 5) of the National League System, feeding in to the Southern Football League Division One Midlands. It was known as the Northamptonshire League until 1934. There are currently 22 clubs in this division, consistent with the number of clubs in 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.

Woodford United won the 2005-06 Championship, and were promoted to the Southern League.

Division One

The United Counties Football League Division One is at Level 10 (Step 6) in the football pyramid above three smaller local leagues extending below the base of the recognized NLS: the Northampton Town League, Bedford & District League, and Peterborough & District League. There are currently 18 clubs in this division. This is one of the few step 6 divisions across the country that is not all-floodlit.

Sleaford Town won the 2005-06 Championship, but their ground facilties were not deemed to be good enough for promotion to the Premier Division.

Reserve Division One

Membership of the United Counties Football League Reserve Division One is made up largely of the Reserve teams of the clubs in the main United Counties League.

In the 2006/07 season the member teams are:

Blackstones Reserves
Bourne Town Reserves
Cogenhoe United Reserves
Deeping Rangers Reserves
Desborough Town Reserves
Ford Sports Daventry Reserves
Northampton Sileby Rangers Reserves
Northampton Spencer Reserves
Raunds Town Reserves
Rothwell Corinthians Reserves
Stewarts & Lloyds Corby Reserves
Stotfold Reserves
Whitworths Reserves
Woodford United Reserves
Yaxley Reserves

Reserve Division Two

Membership of the United Counties Football League Reserves Division Two is also made up largely of the Reserve teams of the clubs in the main United Counties League.

In the 2006/07 season the member teams are:

Bugbrooke St Michaels Reserves
Burton Park Wanderers Reserves
Eynesbury Rovers Reserves
Higham Town Reserves
Holbeach United Reserves
Huntingdon Town Reserves
Irchester United Reserves
Long Buckby Reserves
Northampton ON Chenecks Reserves
Olney Town Reserves
Peterborough Northern Star Reserves
St Ives Town Reserves
St Neots Town Reserves
Thrapston Town Reserves
Wellingborough Town 2004 Reserves

External links

United Counties Football League | English football competitions