BUCS Football League

Last updated

BUCS Football League
Founded1994
CountryUnited Kingdom
Confederation EUSA
Divisions100
Number of teams450+
Domestic cup(s)BUCS Football Championship, Trophy and Conference Cup
Website bucs.org.uk/football

The BUCS Football League is the association football league system of British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). It is the largest sport in UK higher education, with over 450 men's and women's teams competing in 100 leagues. [1]

Contents

Competition format

The league follows the standard BUCS double pyramid, with two Premier divisions (North and South) sitting above five regions (Scottish, Northern, Midlands, Western and South Eastern). There are five divisions, one for each region, in the top regional tier (Tier 1), but at lower tiers the regions may be sub-divided into A, B, etc. divisions on a geographical basis. There are eight levels (Premier to Tier 7) in the men's pyramid and five (Premier to Tier 4) in the women's pyramid. [2]

Divisions each consist of six teams, with the exception of the bottom division in each region. Teams in divisions with six or fewer teams play each other twice, home and away, while teams in divisions with seven or more teams play once, either home or away. [2] All teams from the two Premier divisions enter the knockout Championship, teams in Tier 1 enter the Trophy, and teams in Tier 2 and below enter the Conference Cup. The bottom team from each Premier division and the top first teams from Tier 1 enter a promotion/relegation playoff at the end of the season; promotion and relegation between the regional tiers is automatic. [3]

Former winners

YearChampionshipPremier NorthPremier South
2017–18Men [4] Cardiff MetNottingham TrentCardiff Met
Women [5] DurhamDurhamHertfordshire
2016–17Men [6] Cardiff MetLoughboroughHartpury
Women [7] DurhamDurhamCardiff Met
2015–16Men [8] USWDurhamHartpury
Women [9] NorthumbriaDurhamCardiff Met
2014–15Men [10] HartpuryLoughboroughUSW
Women [11] DurhamDurhamCardiff Met
2013–14Men [12] StirlingStirlingHartpury
Women [13] Cardiff MetDurhamHertfordshire
2012–13Men [14] LoughboroughLoughboroughHartpury
Women [15] Cardiff MetLoughboroughCardiff Met
2011–12Men [16] BathLoughboroughHartpury
Women [17] LoughboroughNorthumbriaCardiff Met
2010–11MenHartpury [18] Stirling [19] Hartpury [20]
WomenNorthumbria [18] Leeds Beckett [21] Hertfordshire [22]
2009–10MenLoughborough [23] [24] Leeds [19] Hartpury [20]
WomenNorthumbria [24] Leeds Beckett [21] Hertfordshire [22]
2008–09MenLoughborough [25] Loughborough [19] Hartpury [20]
WomenLeeds Beckett [25] Leeds Beckett [21] Hertfordshire [22]
2007–08MenHartpury [26] Birmingham [19] Hartpury [20]
WomenCardiff Met [26] Leeds Beckett [21] Cardiff Met [22]
2006–07MenHartpury [27] Loughborough [19] Brighton [20]
WomenLoughborough [27] Loughborough [21] Cardiff Met [22]
2005–06MenLoughborough [28] Northumbria [19] Bath [20]
WomenLoughborough [29] Loughborough [21] Cardiff Met [22]
2004–05MenLoughborough [30] Loughborough [19] Swansea [20]
WomenBath [30] Loughborough [21] Bath [22]

Note: for consistency, current names are used throughout the table, e.g. Leeds Beckett rather than Leeds Met and Cardiff Met rather than UWIC.

SeasonChampionshipTrophyShieldPlateVase
200405 Loughborough University 1st MMU Cheshire 2nd UWE Hartpury 1st University of Sussex 1st University of Strathclyde 2nd
200506Loughborough University 1st UWE Hartpury 1st De Montfort University, Bedford 1st Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie 2nd
200607 UWE Hartpury 1st University of Manchester 1st University of Hull 1st Bournemouth University 1st Northumbria University 3rd
200708 UWE Hartpury 1st University of Bath 2nd University of Manchester 1st University of Central Lancashire 1st University of Nottingham 4th

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