The 2021–22 season was the 115th in the history of the

United Counties League The United Counties League (also known after its sponsor as the ''GCE Hire Fleet Ltd. United Counties League'') is an England, English association football, football league covering an area including the English Counties of the United Kingdom, ...

, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

competition in England. The league operated three divisions in the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...

for the first time since the 1979–80 season. These are the Premier Divisions North and South at Step 5, both firsts in the league, and Division One at Step 6. The allocations for Steps 5 and 6 were announced by

The Football Association The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...

on 18 May 2021, and were subject to appeal. After the abandonment of the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in England The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England were NHS England and Public ...

, numerous promotions were decided on a points per game basis over the previous two seasons. As part of the

National League System The National League System comprises the six levels of the English football league system immediately below the level of the English Football League. It comes under the jurisdiction of the Football Association. The National League System has a ...

's restructure, the FA's Alliance and Leagues Committees recommended the league's expansion to gain another Step 5 division. At the end of the past season, Shepshed Dynamo left the league through promotion to the new

Northern Premier League Division One Midlands The Northern Premier League is an English football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English football league system. Geographically, the league c ...

, the only former Premier Division club to do so.

Premier Division North

In its first season the Premier Division North featured nine clubs which competed in the Premier Division last season, along with nine new clubs. * Transferred from the

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

: ** Gresley Rovers ** Heather St John's ** Long Eaton United ** Newark ** Selston * Promoted from the

East Midlands Counties League The East Midlands Counties Football League was an English football league that operated from 2008 to 2021, covering the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands. The league had one division, which stood at t ...

: ** Eastwood ** Heanor Town * Plus: ** Melton Town, promoted from Division One ** Skegness Town, promoted from the

Northern Counties East League The Northern Counties East Football League is a semi-professional English football league. It has two divisions – Premier Division and Division One – which stand at the ninth and tenth levels of the English football pyramid respectively. ...

In addition, Loughborough University began to compete as Loughborough Students.

League table

Stadia and locations

Premier Division South

In its first season the Premier Division South featured ten clubs which competed in the Premier Division last season, along with eleven new clubs. * Promoted from Division One: ** Bugbrooke St Michaels **

Long Buckby Long Buckby is a large village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the parish of Long Buckby, which includes the hamlet of Long Buckby Wharf, was recorded ...

* Transferred from the

: **

Coventry Sphinx Coventry Sphinx Football Club is a football club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England. They are currently members of the and play at Sphinx Drive. History The club was established in 1946 as a works team for Armstrong Siddeley under the ...

** Coventry United * Transferred from the Spartan South Midlands League: ** Biggleswade United ** Eynesbury Rovers ** Newport Pagnell Town ** Potton United * Plus: ** Easington Sports, transferred from the Hellenic League ** Godmanchester Rovers, transferred from the Eastern Counties League ** Leicester Road, promoted from the

In September 2021 Leicester Road were renamed Hinckley LRFC.

League table

Stadia and locations

Division One

Division One featured nine clubs which competed in the division last season, along with 14 new clubs: * Transferred from the East Midland Counties League: ** Barrow Town ** Belper United ** Borrowash Victoria ** Clifton All Whites **

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

** Gedling Miners Welfare ** Graham Street Prims **

Hucknall Town Hucknall Town Football Club is a football club based in the town of Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, England. The club is a member of the and plays at the RM Stadium. History Hucknall Town were renamed from Hucknall Colliery Welfare in 1987 and for ...

Ingles Ingles Markets, Inc. (stylized as ingles) is an American supermarket chain based in Black Mountain, North Carolina. As of September 2021, the company operates 198 supermarkets in the Appalachian region of the Southeastern United States. The c ...

** Kimberley Miners Welfare ** Radford **

West Bridgford West Bridgford () is a town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Rushcliffe, in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It lies south of Nottingham city centre, east of Wilford, north of Ruddington and west of Radcliffe-on-Trent ...

* Transferred from the

: **

Hinckley Hinckley is a market town in south-west Leicestershire, England, administered by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council. Hinckley is the third largest settlement in Leicestershire, after Leicester and Loughborough, and is about halfway between L ...

Kirby Muxloe Kirby Muxloe is a large village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish that forms part of the Blaby District, Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. Located to the west of Leicester, its proximity to the city has resulted in its inclus ...

League table

Play-offs

Stadia and locations

References

External links

United Counties League
The FA Full-Time {{DEFAULTSORT:United Counties League 2020-21 United Counties League seasons 9