British Universities and Colleges Sport,commonly abbreviated asBUCS,is thegoverning bodyfor higher education sport in theUnited Kingdom.
 | |
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Membership | 165 |
| Abbreviation | BUCS |
| Founded | 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 is responsible for organising 54 inter-university sports in the United Kingdom, as well as representative teams for theFISU World University Championshipsand theFISU World University Games.
BUCS is a membership organisation of over165 universities and colleges,with six thousand teams competing across 850 leagues.Anne, Princess Royalis currently patron of BUCS.
History
editBUCS was formed in 2008 by a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport (UCS).
Sports
editAs of 2024, BUCS organise competition across 54 sports.[1]
Non-BUCS sports
editCertain 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 | BOAStudent Nationals |  West Yorkshire
| ||
Competitions and events
editTeam 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 atLoughborough 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 inSheffield.[4]
Over the year, BUCS runs over 120 events for both individual and team sports.
BUCS Points
editBUCS 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 Universityhave 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 theCOVID-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 theCOVID-19 pandemic[b] | |||||||
| 2020–21 | Not held due to theCOVID-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 |
- ^abcdKnown at the time asLeeds Metropolitan University.
- ^Prior to being voided, theUniversity of Nottinghamled the points standings with 4,723 points, 186.5 ahead ofLoughborough 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
editMembers of bothFISU (International University Sport Federations)andEUSA (European University Sports Association),BUCS is responsible for sending a cohort of students to international events including theWorld University Summer & Winter Gamesand theEuropean Universities Games.The British international team goes by the name ofGB Students.
National governing body involvement
editBUCS applies for annual funding fromSport Englandto support the delivery ofstudent 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)
editThe Football Association(FA) fund projects and positions within BUCS to help developgrassrootsfootball.With their investment, BUCS set up 167 FA Grassroot Hubs to support football andfutsalin 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
editThe 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
editIn 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.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"BUCS Sports".British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).
- ^"BUCS 2022–23".BUCS.Retrieved19 April2024.
- ^"Big Wednesday".BUCS.Retrieved2 March2023.
- ^"Nationals".BUCS.Retrieved2 March2023.
- ^"COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES ARE SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL".The FA.Retrieved23 April2024.
- ^"WE HAVE TODAY OPENED APPLICATIONS FOR THE FA AND BUCS'S WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME".The FA.Retrieved23 April2024.
