Hockey is one of the most popular university sports, with over 500 teams competing in the 50 BUCS Hockey leagues. With the season set to resume in just a couple of weeks, let Freshered update you on all you need to know about the sport at its highest university level before the action gets back underway. We’ll take a dive into the league structure, the season so far, and which universities are fighting for both promotion and relegation.
League Structure
The men and women’s league structures are the same, with the top division of BUCS hockey being the Premier National, which is made up of nine teams. The bottom two teams are relegated to the second tier, which consists of two, equal leagues of nine: the Premier North and Premier South. The two first-placed teams earn promotion to the Premier National, unless they are a university’s second team.
Below the top two tiers are regional tiers, divided into the Midlands, the South East, the West, the North and Scotland. There are four or five tiers for each region, depending on the number of teams in that area. These leagues consist of six teams, with some regional tiers having equal A and B leagues. The first-placed teams in these regional tiers earn promotion, with the bottom-placed sides being relegated.
The two first-placed teams with the most points out of the top five regional divisions earn promotion to either the Premier North or Premier South division, depending on their location. Consequently, the bottom-placed team in these two BUCS hockey leagues drop down into the most geographically relevant top regional division.
In each league, teams will play each other once. Three points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw, and no points for a defeat. Goal difference will be used to determine a position if teams are level on points.
2021/22 Recap
Men’s Premier Divisions
The title race in the Men’s Premier National is heating up, with the majority of teams having played six of their eight games. Nottingham Trent currently sit in the top spot on 16 points, with Loughborough breathing down their necks in second, only a point behind with a much better goal difference. The title looks set to come down to the wire, with the top two teams playing each other in the last game of the season in what looks to be a winner takes all affair. Exeter would argue they are still very much in the title race, just three points off the top in third with a game in hand.
At the other end of the table, Cardiff Met sit rock bottom on one point, the only side yet to pick up a win this season. Birmingham and Durham sit just above with three points apiece, although the former should be the more worried, given Durham’s superior goal difference, and two games in hand. Oxford Brookes will be nervously looking over their shoulder, with just four points having played seven games, one more than the rest of the league.
The teams currently in pole position for the titles in the Premier North and Premier South are Nottingham 2’s and Bristol. If this remains the case, only Bristol would be promoted, as second teams cannot progress to the same league as their first. As a result, only the bottom team in the Premier National would be relegated.
Women’s Premier Divisions
Birmingham’s 100% win record after five games sees them top of the ICG Women’s Premier National, level on 15 points with Loughborough who have played a game more. The top two teams can be joint on 15 points if Durham and Nottingham both win their games in hand, meaning Birmingham’s perfect start could be in vein if they slip up in any of their last three games. Whatever happens, the latter stages of the season look set to be full of excitement as four teams battle it out for the title.
At the bottom, it is once again Cardiff Met who prop up the table. It is a season to forget thus far for the team from the Welsh capital, with no points, and a goal difference of -33. A season in the Premier South looks certain if they continue in this vein of form. Also in danger of dropping down into the second tier could be either one of Exeter, Nottingham Trent or Oxford, with each team only picking up one win so far this campaign.
The teams leading the way in the race for the second division trophies at this stage are Durham 2’s and Bath. If this remains the case, Bath will earn promotion but Durham 2’s will not, given their first team already compete in the Premier National.