The league constitution, and opening round of the League Cup, has now been confirmed by the GCE Hire Fleet United Counties League ahead of the 2025/26 season, and, with some twenty clubs from within Nottinghamshire boundaries, there’s a lot of interest.

Seven of the twenty sides within the UCL Premier North are from the area with AFC Mansfield, Eastwood CFC, Hucknall Town, Kimberley Miners Welfare, Newark & Sherwood United, Newark Town, and Sherwood Colliery being joined in the division by Ashby Ivanhoe, Belper United, Blackstones, Boston Town, Clay Cross Town, Deeping Rangers, Grantham Town, Gresley Rovers, Harrowby United, Heanor Town, Melton Town, Skegness Town, and Wisbech Town.

Meanwhile, in the twenty-three strong Division One, thirteen of those are from Nottinghamshire, they being Clifton All Whites, Clipstone, Dunkirk, Gedling Miners Welfare, Radford, Rainworth Miners Welfare, Retford, Retford United, Sandiacre Town, Shirebrook Town, Southwell City, Stapleford Town, and West Bridgford.

That “baker’s dozen” is being joined by Coalville Town, Dronfield Town, FCV Grace Dieu, Holwell Sports, Pinchbeck United, Pinxton, Sleaford Town, South Normanton Athletic, Staveley Miners Welfare, and Swallownest – it’ll certainly be interesting to see how FCV Grace Dieu fare in a new environment, the Nottinghamshire Senior League double winners having been promoted at the end of last season.

Sherwood Colliery return to the UCL Premier after a season in the Northern Premier League Division One, following promotion, as champions, in 2024, whilst the other Notts side to have recently lifted UCL silverware is Kimberley MW, they having won the Division One title in 2022, and head into their fourth consecutive season at Step Five.

The draw has also been made for the opening, Preliminary Round, of the Sports Ground Development Ltd UCL League Cup, ties taking place in the first week in September; of those contests, eleven Notts clubs find themselves on the road, although there is also three, all-Notts affairs.

The draw for the Preliminary Round (to be played 1/2/3 or 6/7 September), concerning Notts-based clubs, is as follows –

Clay Cross Town vs. RADFORD; Boston Town vs. HUCKNALL TOWN; RETFORD UNITED vs, Deeping Rangers; WEST BRIDGFORD vs. Ashby Ivanhoe; Northampton Sileby Rangers vs. SHIREBROOK TOWN; Coalville Town vs. AFC MANSFIELD; KIMBERLEY MINERS WELFARE vs. DUNKIRK; RETFORD vs. SANDIACRE TOWN; EASTWOOD CFC vs. Melton Town; GEDLING MINERS WELFARE vs. South Normanton Athletic; March Town vs. RAINWORTH MINERS WELFARE; SHERWOOD COLLIERY vs. STAPLEFORD TOWN; Histon vs. SOUTHWELL CITY; NEWARK & SHERWOOD UNITED vs. Swallownest; CLIPSTONE vs. Gresley Rovers; Wisbech Town vs. NEWARK TOWN; Grantham Town vs. CLIFTON ALL WHITES

From those contests, the three, all-Notts clashes are as follows, Kimberley Miners Welfare vs Dunkirk, Retford vs. Sandiacre Town, and Sherwood Colliery vs. Stapleford Town

The league season is scheduled to begin on the weekend of the 25-27 July 2025, running through to April 2026, with the aim to complete the play-offs by 2 May 2026; with the League Cup kicking off in early September, the final is pencilled in for Monday 4 May 2026.

*Article provided by Peter Mann (Senior Correspondent).

*Main image @EastwoodCFCV2 Eastwood Community will be hoping to gain promotion in the UCL North.