Here at the University of Nottingham we have a long sporting heritage, being one of the founding institutions of the inter-varsity competition now known as BUCS, and having finished in the top 10 of the university leagues for more than 30 years. Our sporting greats have gone on to win multiple Olympic, world and Commonwealth titles and we are proud to offer over 70 sports club, more than any other UK university. So what teams should you look out for this year and how can you get involved and potentially be a part of our history?
For the past two years our 1st mixed American football team have won their BUCS league and last year secured the BUCS trophy. This year they will be looking to prove themselves in the next league up, the Premier North, against strong teams such as Durham 1sts who have been in the league for 4 consecutive years and topped the table last year.
“they will be back with a vengeance this year to try and reclaim their title.”
We also excel in racket sports, one being table tennis, with both the men’s and women’s teams winning their league for the last three years, and the men’s team winning the BUCS Championship for four years consecutively. However, after winning the BUCS Championship in 14/15, 15/16 and 16/17, the women’s team slipped last year and came second to Durham 1sts, meaning they will be back with a vengeance this year to try and reclaim their title.
We have found further success in the swimming pool as the men’s water polo side have risen from 2nd in their league in 16/17 to first last year, whilst they also came out on top in last year’s BUCS Trophy. This year will be tough as Birmingham 1sts are in the same league, the side who won the league when the Green and Gold were runners-up, and were only two points behind our boys last year.
“It provides exceptional indoor and outdoor facilities for an extensive range of sports.”
Both our badminton teams have improved in recent years. After winning the Premier North playoffs in 15/16, the men’s first year in the Premier North saw them finish in third place, with them climbing to second last year. Let’s hope they can make it one better this time around and win the league.
The women’s side have won their league for the past two years but have fallen short in the BUCS Championship, only managing to bag second place in 16/17 and 17/18, losing to Loughborough 1sts both years. No doubt this year they will strive to win the double and celebrate their third year on top of the league with a coinciding Championship win.
In 2017 the £40m David Ross Sports Village opened, which offers accessible sports provisions for all. It provides exceptional indoor and outdoor facilities for an extensive range of sports. You can take a look at what DRSV offers here: https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/davidrosssportsvillage/david-ross-sports-village.aspx.
Good Universities Guide | We are unbelievably proud that we have been awarded No.1 in Sport for UK Universities!??
We believe in the depth and breadth of our sporting offer that caters for elite athletes to students who have never participated before. https://t.co/Tb76GUKPy4 pic.twitter.com/82s8Vc7Pvu
— University of Nottingham Sport (@UoNSport) September 21, 2018
Last year we hosted BUCS Big Wednesday, a culmination of the BUCS team sport league programme, with over 60 of the UK’s top university teams battling for glory on our very own turf. It has recently been announced that this year we will be hosting the British National Championships in squash in 2019, another exciting competition bringing the highest quality sports players to University Park Campus.
If you would like to join a team or just find out some more information about the sporting opportunities here at the University of Nottingham, there is a welcome fair at the David Ross Sports Village on Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th September, with most sports hosting taster sessions for anyone wanting to try something new. There is more information at https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport/welcome.aspx. You can also follow all of our team’s results in our monthly review of the BUCS leagues and other university competitions.
Let’s hope the Green and Gold can better their 4th place BUCS finish from last year, and that could happen with your support!
Zoe Burgess
Follow @ImpactSport on Twitter or like the Impact Sport Facebook page for more updates and information on how to get involved.
Featured image courtesy of the University of Nottingham Sport Twitter page
