United Counties Football League
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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.
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[edit] Leagues
[edit] 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.
[edit] Division One
The United Counties Football League 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, Northampton Town League, Bedfordshire Football League, and Peterborough & District League. There are currently 16 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 facilities were not deemed to be good enough for promotion to the Premier Division.
[edit] 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
- Stewart & Lloyds Corby Reserves
- Stotfold Reserves
- Whitworths Reserves
- Woodford United Reserves
- Yaxley Reserves
[edit] Reserve Division Two
Membership of the United Counties Football League Reserve 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
