Football is the most popular sport in the UK. Cast your mind back to last summer: sun, cold beer, and England in the Euro 2020 Final. Football fever was everywhere, with the whole country united in their support for the Three Lions. As a result, everybody was hooked. And for those looking for your next football fix, you need look no further than your university. BUCS football, which is high quality, competitive university sport, is soon starting up again after the Christmas break. Let Freshered explain all you need to know about BUCS Football, such as how the league structure works, as well as the teams challenging for titles and battling relegation.
League Structure
BUCS football boasts over 50 leagues, including seven different leagues for the Men’s Northern, South Eastern and Western tiers alone. The top tier for both men and women is the Premier division. It is made up of the best 12 teams, split into equal North and South leagues. Each team plays each other twice, home and away, in a bid for the title. As usual with football, it’s three points for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a defeat.
Below the Premier tier, the leagues are split into five regions: Northern, South Eastern, Scottish, Western and Midlands. For Men’s football, there are six tiers for the Scottish and Midlands leagues, and seven for the Northern, South Eastern and Western leagues. For women, there are four tiers for every region expect the Northern league, where there are five.
Promotion to and relegation from the Premier Tier is decided via a playoff. The winner earns their place in the top division, however a university second team cannot be promoted. The bottom team from the Premier South faces the first team with the most points from either the Midlands 1, South Eastern 1 or Western 1. Consequently, the bottom team from the Premier North faces the first team with the most points from either the Midlands 1, Scottish 1 or Northern 1.
Below Tier 1, the regional leagues are split into A and B, and in some cases C and D. One team from each league earns promotion each season, with either one or two teams being relegated depending on the number of teams. There are a total of 77 men’s leagues, and 31 women’s leagues; a lot of football on display!
The 2021/22 Season So Far
Men’s Premier Tier
It is Stirling who are sitting pretty at the top of the North division. Eight wins in nine games sees the Scottish team guaranteed top spot with one left to play. Down at the bottom, it is all to play for. Durham, bottom with six points, need a win on the final day, and Northumbria, on seven points, to lose, given the latter’s superior goal difference, to avoid the relegation play-off. The team awaiting them in this one-off game looks set to be Nottingham.
In the South division, Hartpury have confirmed top spot, with an impressive record of eight victories out of nine. Down at the bottom, it’s not good news for the Welsh universities, as South Wales sit bottom. They need a win and a Cardiff Met loss on the final day to avoid the play-off. Currently, the one-off game will be against East London.
Women’s Premier Tier
It is Loughborough who have ran away with the North division, doing so without dropping a point in their nine game winning streak. They look an all round threat, with 32 goals scored and only six conceded all season. With regards to relegation, Stirling have only picked up one point all season, and look set to face St Andrews in the play off. However, there is hope, If they beat Edinburgh, on four points, in the final game of the season, Stirling could avoid the play-off given their better goal difference.
First place is still up for in the South division. Bath and Cardiff Met are level on 21 points, with the upper hand with the Welsh team, given their game in hand. In terms of relegation, Hertfordshire are the prime candidates to face Nottingham in the relegation showdown. They boast the unwanted record of six defeats and one point after seven games.