BUCS and England Touch to work towards 2022/23 integration

British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) has progressed a proposal from the England Touch Association (ETA) to introduce Touch Rugby and the University National Touch Series into the student sport programme, and the two organisations will work together with the aim of integrating the sport ahead of the 2022/23 academic year.

The ETA made the initial application to BUCS in 2021, following a number of years in which the University NTS has expanded quickly to include clubs from as far afield as Exeter, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Norwich. Not only that, but where Touch Rugby has taken root within a university it has grown rapidly, with the University of Exeter’s club now the largest in the northern hemisphere, and plenty of clubs now entering multiple teams into competitions.

This reflects the special qualities of Touch Rugby as a sport, such as gender parity on the field and extremely low barriers to entry – all you need is a ball, some space and a few players to have a game. This in turn makes Touch Rugby a good sport for any post-18 educational institution, not just universities, and the University NTS is open to all such teams to enter as well.

The news is also a timely boost for the ETA, which will host a Youth World Cup in 2023 which will include categories at Under-20 level, giving university students the opportunity to represent their country on the highest stage.

ETA Chief Executive Chris Simon says that this news represents a significant step towards the sport being added to the BUCS competition programme.

“Although addition into the programme is not yet fully confirmed we are really encouraged by the positive nature of our discussions with BUCS,” he commented. “It is recognition of the speed in which Touch Rugby has grown within universities across the country, and the benefits that a sport like ours can bring to the BUCS programme, such as full gender parity, a proactive diversity and inclusivity agenda, and low barriers to entry.

“That we have got this far is testament to the hard work done by our Universities Manager, Jack Harris, and by his predecessors Alex Scott and Harry Grocott to get the University NTS up and running and becoming an important pillar of the sport.

“The university and higher education sector is a real focus for us over the next few years. We have more and more juniors playing than ever before, who will then want to be able to play wherever they go for their post-18 education, whether it is a university, college or any further education institution. So we can only see Touch Rugby going from strength to strength in this age group.

“There is plenty of work still to do, but we are hopeful that by the start of the 2022/23 academic year Touch Rugby will be a part of the BUCS competition framework.”

ETA Universities Manager Jack Harris added his thanks to all the clubs who have been supportive of the University NTS.

“We would not be in this positive position without the hard work and dedication within all the university clubs,” he said. “The pandemic period has been really hard for university students, but Touch Rugby has not lost momentum – in fact in many universities clubs have come out of the last couple of years stronger than before.

“So a massive thank you to everyone within those clubs as we go into the second half of the 2021/22 season. Thanks as well to Chris Simon and the ETA management, as well as the referees who come and give up their Saturdays in winter to help ensure that University NTS tournaments are as good as all of our summer events.

“Finally, the team at BUCS have been very helpful and welcoming, and they understand not just our sport but what we’re looking to achieve. I’m looking forward to working with BUCS even more in the future as we look to officially join the programme before the next academic year.”