British Universities and Colleges Sport

Governing body for university sport in the United Kingdom

"BUCS" redirects here. For other uses, see Bucs (disambiguation).

British Universities and Colleges Sport

Jurisdiction| United Kingdom
Membership| 165
Abbreviation| BUCS
Founded| 2008; 16 years ago (2008)
Affiliation| FISU
Regional affiliation| EUSA
Location| 20–24 King's Bench Street
London
SE1 0QX
United Kingdom
Replaced| British Universities Sports Association (BUSA)
University College Sport (UCS)
Official website
www.bucs.org.uk

British Universities and Colleges Sport, commonly abbreviated as BUCS, is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom.

BUCS is responsible for organising 54 inter-university sports in the United Kingdom, as well as representative teams for the FISU World University Championships and the FISU World University Games.

BUCS is a membership organisation of over 165 universities and colleges, with six thousand teams competing across 850 leagues. Anne, Princess Royal is currently patron of BUCS.

## History[edit]

BUCS was formed in 2008 by a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport (UCS).

## Sports[edit]

As of 2024, BUCS organise competition across 54 sports.[1]

Sport  | Competition(s)  | Champions[2]

|
|

Men's  | Women's  | Mixed
American football | British Universities American Football League | None | West of England (172)
Archery | BUCS Archery Indoor Championships
BUCS Archery Outdoor Championships |  Nottingham (55) |  Nottingham (64) | None
Athletics | BUCS Athletics Indoor Championships
BUCS Athletics Outdoor Championships |  Loughborough (420) |  Loughborough (488)
Badminton | BUCS Badminton Championship |  Loughborough (271) |  Nottingham (221) |  Edinburgh (120)
Baseball and softball | BUCS National Baseball Championship
BUCS National Softball Championship | None |  Loughborough (215)
Basketball | BUCS Basketball League |  Loughborough (169) |  Loughborough (159) | None
Boxing | BUCS Boxing Championships |  Loughborough (28) |  Northumbria (20)
Canoeing | BUCS Canoe Championships |  Nottingham (242) |  Nottingham (114) |  Nottingham (192)
Clay pigeon shooting | BUCS Clay Pigeon Shooting Championships | Oxford Brookes (46) |  Harper Adams (32) | None
Climbing | BUCS Climbing Championships |  Sheffield Hallam (28) |  Sheffield (28)
Cricket | BUCS Cricket Indoor Championship
BUCS Cricket Outdoor Championship |  Loughborough (255) |  Loughborough (180)
Cycling | BUCS Cycling |  Loughborough (316) |  Loughborough (129) |  Cambridge (20)
Dodgeball | BUCS Dodgeball League |  Imperial (125) |  Sheffield (110) | None
Equestrian | BUCS Equestrian Championship | None |  Loughborough (54)
Fencing | BUCS Fencing Championships |  Durham (219) |  Edinburgh (162) | None
Football | BUCS Football League |  Hartpury
Loughborough (201) |  Loughborough (183)
Futsal | BUCS Futsal League |  Loughborough (176) |  Nottingham (162)
Gaelic football | British University Gaelic Football Championship
British University Ladies' Gaelic Football Championship |  Liverpool John Moores
Liverpool (30)
Nottingham Trent (30)
Robert Gordon (30) |  Liverpool
Golf | BUCS Golf Tour |  Stirling (20) |  Stirling (24) |  Exeter (268)
Gymnastics |  | Leeds Beckett (32) |  Loughborough (36) | None
Handball |  |  Oxford (50) |  Loughborough (61)
Hockey |  |  Nottingham (338) |  Exeter (320)
Jiu jitsu |  |  Sheffield (14+2⁄3)
Edinburgh (14+2⁄3)
Bristol (14+2⁄3) |  Edinburgh (22)
Judo |  |  Bath (65) |  Cardiff Met (38)
Karate |  |  Nottingham (63) |  Loughborough (53) |  Nottingham (32)
Korfball | British Student Korfball Nationals | None |  Loughborough
Exeter (57)
Lacrosse |  |  Nottingham (205) |  Nottingham (297) | None
Modern biathlon and pentathlon |  |  Loughborough (32) |  Loughborough (44) |  Cambridge (20)
Netball |  | None |  Loughborough (219) | None
Orienteering |  |  Edinburgh (56) |  Edinburgh (58)
Para powerlifting |  | None
Pool and snooker |  |  Derby (62) |  Lancaster (65) |  Manchester (103)
Powerlifting |  |  Loughborough (84) |  Loughborough (88) |  Loughborough (20)
Rifle |  |  Exeter (18) |  Cambridge (24)
Edinburgh (24) |  St Andrews (42)
Rowing | BUCS Rowing Championship |  Durham (138) |  Durham (170) | None
Rugby league | University and College Rugby League |  Northumbria (220) | None
Rugby union | BUCS Super Rugby |  Loughborough
Exeter (337.5) |  Hartpury
Loughborough (272) | None
Sailing |  | None |  Southampton (199)
Snowsports |  |  Glasgow (108) |  Aberdeen (60) |  Loughborough (48)
Squash |  |  Nottingham (219) |  Birmingham (187) | None
Surfing |  |  Falmouth (40) |  Exeter (28)
Swimming |  |  Loughborough (506) |  Loughborough (610) |  Loughborough (124)
Table tennis |  |  Nottingham (276) |  Nottingham (313) |  Nottingham (30)
Taekwondo | BSTF National Taekwondo Championships |  Nottingham (40) |  UCL (56)
Loughborough (56) |  UCL (20)
Tennis |  |  Nottingham (371) |  Nottingham (312) | None
Touch rugby |  | None |  Exeter (50)
Trampoline |  |  Birmingham (32) |  Birmingham (20) | None
Triathlon |  |  Loughborough (28) |  Loughborough (70) |  Loughborough (78)
Ultimate |  |  Bath (154) |  St Andrews (131) | None
Volleyball |  |  Nottingham (208) |  Durham (272)
Water polo |  |  Durham (169) |  Durham (158)
Weightlifting |  | None
Wheelchair basketball |  | None | Worcester (80)
Windsurfing |  |  Warwick (12) |  Exeter (12) |  Swansea (32)

### Non-BUCS sports[edit]

Certain university and college sports are not governed by BUCS for various reasons. The following is a partial list of these sports and respective competitions:

Sport  | Competition(s)  | Champions

|
|

Men's  | Women's  | Mixed
Darts | UDUK Nationals | None |  Sheffield
Hurling | British University Hurling Championship
Ice hockey | BUIHA National Championships |  Nottingham |  Caledonia | None
Kart racing | British Universities Karting Championship | None |  Reading
Underwater hockey | BOA Student Nationals |  West Yorkshire

## Competitions and events[edit]

Team sports compete in BUCS leagues, with the majority of league fixtures taking place on Wednesday afternoons, which is commonly referred to as BUCS Wednesday. Wednesday afternoons are generally free from lectures to allow students to compete in sport. There are 850 leagues, with institutions across the country competing against each other to avoid relegation or win the league and gain promotion to higher leagues.

The finals of the Championship and Trophy are played at BUCS Big Wednesday. This annual single-day event showcases the Championship and Trophy finals across 16 league sports. As of 2023,[update] Big Wednesday will take place at Loughborough University.[3]

BUCS Nationals is an annual multisport event that takes place across three days. As of 2023, indoor athletics, swimming, badminton and climbing are the sports represented at BUCS Nationals. The event is held in Sheffield.[4]

Over the year, BUCS runs over 120 events for both individual and team sports.

## BUCS Points[edit]

BUCS Points are awarded to institutions based on their finishing positions in leagues and events under the BUCS marquee. The accumulation of these points determines the overall BUCS champion.

Loughborough University have topped the overall BUCS standings in each of the 13 years since its founding, including the 2022–23 season. As of 2023, no university has scored within 1000 points of Loughborough in the overall standings.

Both the 2019–20 and 2020–21 seasons were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom.

### By year[edit]

Season  | Champions  | Points  | Runners-up | Margin  | Third place  | Fourth place  | Fifth place  | Results

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

2008–09 |  Loughborough | 5,512  |  Bath | 2,459.5 (44.62%)  | Leeds Beckett[a] |  Birmingham |  Edinburgh | Results
2009–10 |  Loughborough | 5,585.5  | Leeds Beckett[a] | 2,213 (39.62%)  |  Birmingham |  Bath |  Edinburgh | Results
2010–11 |  Loughborough | 5,342  |  Birmingham | 2,357.5 (44.13%)  | Leeds Beckett[a] |  Durham |  Bath | Results
2011–12 |  Loughborough | 5,133.4  |  Durham | 1,648.9 (32.12%)  |  Birmingham |  Bath | Leeds Beckett[a] | Results
2012–13 |  Loughborough | 5,473  |  Durham | 2,055 (37.55%)  |  Birmingham |  Bath |  Exeter | Results
2013–14 |  Loughborough | 5,331  |  Durham | 1,765.5 (33.12%)  |  Birmingham |  Bath |  Edinburgh | Results
2014–15 |  Loughborough | 5,876.2  |  Durham | 1,783.5 (30.35%)  |  Edinburgh |  Bath |  Birmingham | Results
2015–16 |  Loughborough | 5,773  |  Durham | 1,692.5 (29.32%)  |  Edinburgh |  Nottingham |  Exeter | Results
2016–17 |  Loughborough | 6,498  |  Durham | 1,683 (25.90%)  |  Edinburgh |  Nottingham |  Exeter | Results
2017–18 |  Loughborough | 6,230.7  |  Durham | 1,209.7 (19.42%)  |  Edinburgh |  Nottingham |  Bath | Results
2018–19 |  Loughborough | 6,157.7  |  Nottingham | 1,038.2 (16.86%)  |  Durham |  Edinburgh |  Exeter | Results
2019–20 | Season suspended and voided due to the COVID-19 pandemic[b]
2020–21 | Not held due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 |  Loughborough | 8,034.1  |  Nottingham | 1,582.6 (19.70%)  |  Durham |  Edinburgh |  Exeter | Results
2022–23 |  Loughborough | 9,341.5  |  Nottingham | 1,426 (15.27%)  |  Durham |  Exeter |  Edinburgh | Results
Season  | Champions  | Points  | Runners-up | Margin  | Third place  | Fourth place  | Fifth place  | Results

1. ^ a b c d Known at the time as Leeds Metropolitan University.
2. ^ Prior to being voided, the University of Nottingham led the points standings with 4,723 points, 186.5 ahead of Loughborough University.

### By university[edit]

University  | Titles  | Runners-up | Top 5

|
|
|

Loughborough | 13  | 0  | 13
Durham | 0  | 7  | 11
Nottingham | 3  | 6
Bath | 1  | 8
Birmingham | 1  | 7
Leeds Beckett | 1  | 4
Edinburgh | 0  | 10
Exeter | 6

## International representation[edit]

Members of both FISU (International University Sport Federations) and EUSA (European University Sports Association), BUCS is responsible for sending a cohort of students to international events including the World University Summer & Winter Games and the European Universities Games. The British international team goes by the name of GB Students.

## National governing body involvement[edit]

BUCS applies for annual funding from Sport England to support the delivery of student sport across the country. They also work with national governing bodies to develop sports within the student sector and some posts within BUCS are funded by such bodies, with the aim of developing specific student sports.

### Partnership with the Football Association (2016–present)[edit]

The Football Association (FA) fund projects and positions within BUCS to help develop grassroots football. With their investment, BUCS set up 167 FA Grassroot Hubs to support football and futsal in the higher education sector, benefiting over 250 thousand participants.[5]

BUCS also collaborated with the FA to create the Women's Leadership Programme, providing female students with important skills and qualities to help them in their future careers. The first cohort of leaders graduated in 2020.[6]

## Board[edit]

The BUCS Board is responsible for leading strong governance and strategic leadership within the sector. The Board is made up of the chair, five independent directors and four BUCS directors - two representing students and two representing the staff of the membership.

Chair of the Board: Vacant

Commercial Director and Senior Independent Director: Russell James

Sport and Competition Director: Katy Storie

Finance Director: Simon Wilson

EDIA Director: Vacant

Legal and Governance Director: Carrie Stephenson

Chair of BUCS Senior Managers Executive: Cathy Gallagher

Chair of BUCS Advisory Group: Chris Anthony

Student Director: Ella Williams

Student Director, Welfare Lead: George Christian

## Hall of Fame[edit]

In 2019, BUCS introduced the Hall of Fame to celebrate the centenary of university sport in the United Kingdom. The Hall of Fame acknowledges individual dedication to and achievements in sport.

As of 2024, 18 athletes have been inducted into the BUCS Hall of Fame.

Inductee  | University  | Sport(s)  | Season(s)  | BUCS  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

Alison Odell CBE |  Birmingham
Leicester | Administrator |  |  |
Alun Wyn Jones OBE |  Swansea | Rugby union |  |  |
Bill Slater CBE |  Birmingham | Football |  |  |
Catriona Matthew OBE |  Stirling | Golf |  |  |
Christine Ohuruogu MBE |  UCL | Athletics |  |  |
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill DBE |  Sheffield | Athletics |  |  |
Dame Katherine Grainger DBE |  Edinburgh | Rowing |  |  |
Danielle Brown MBE |  Leicester | Archery |  |  |
David Florence |  Nottingham | Canoeing |  |  |
Deng Yaping |  Nottingham | Table tennis |  |  |
Eric Liddell |  Edinburgh | Athletics
Rugby union |  |  |
Jonathan Edwards CBE |  Durham | Athletics |  |  |
Lauren Steadman MBE |  Portsmouth | Swimming
Paratriathlon |  |  |
Liz Nicholl CBE |  Nottingham | Netball |  |  |
Rebecca Romero MBE |  St Mary's | Rowing
Cycling |  |  |
Sir Gareth Edwards CBE |  Cardiff Met | Rugby union |  |  |
Sir Roger Bannister CH CBE |  Oxford | Athletics |  |  |
Sophie Ingle OBE |  Cardiff Met | Football |  |  |

## See also[edit]

* International University Sports Federation
* Scottish Universities Sport
* Colleges & Universities Sports Association of Ireland
* National Collegiate Athletic Association
* U Sports
* List of British and Irish varsity matches
* Armorial of British universities

## References[edit]

1. ^ "BUCS Sports". British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).
2. ^ "BUCS 2022–23". BUCS. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
3. ^ "Big Wednesday". BUCS. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
4. ^ "Nationals". BUCS. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
5. ^ "COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES ARE SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL". The FA. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
6. ^ "WE HAVE TODAY OPENED APPLICATIONS FOR THE FA AND BUCS'S WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME". The FA. Retrieved 23 April 2024.

## External links[edit]

* Official website