United Counties League Premier Division South
The United Counties League Premier Division South, along with the United Counties League Premier Division North, forms the fifth step of the National League System and the ninth tier of the English pyramid overall.
Before the start of the 2021/2022 campaign, this division was the sole Premier Division of the United Counties League. In 2021, it was joined by what is now the United Counties League Premier Division South as Step 5 of the National League System.
As of season 2024/25, the league had 19 teams. However, in recent seasons, the division has contained between 18 and 20 games. The clubs participate in competitions organised by the local county FA.
The ups and downs of the league
Along with its sister league in the North, the United Counties League Premier Division South is one of the feeder leagues to Step 4. The leagues that teams are promoted to from the division are the Southern League Division One Central and the Northern Premier League South East.
Each season, one team is promoted to a Step 4 league by finishing as champions of the division. However, their promotion hinges on the champion’s ability to meet the ground safety requirements of Step 4.
A second team will win promotion via the play-offs. The teams that finished second to fifth place will compete in one-off semi-final games before the final, which will decide who will play in Step 4 the following season.
The teams that finish 19th and 20th place in the table suffer relegation to Division One, with two clubs earning promotion into the division.
Teams have been successful
Since the new two-division system, Harborough Town won the title in 2021/22, while Coventry Sphinx took the title in the following campaign. At the end of 2023/24, Wellingborough Town came out on top.