United Counties League

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 Step 5 of the National League System (level 9 of the English 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 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. 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 23 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 sixteen teams. == Recent champions ==

These include: • British Timken Athletic F.C. ==References==