Thursday, 26 September 2019
Following two successful BUCS Big Wednesdays, the University of Nottingham has announced it will host the pinnacle of university team sport for a further two years.
With the 2019-20 season kicking off this week, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) have confirmed that they will be bringing the flagship event back to Nottingham for a record third and fourth consecutive year.
BUCS Big Wednesday 2020 will see more than a hundred teams and thousands of spectators head to Nottingham on 25 March for the finals of fourteen sports.
It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase our award winning sporting offer and we’re looking forward to welcoming thousands of top student athletes and spectators onto campus.
The event will be hosted across a range of venues with the central hub based at the multi-million pound David Ross Sports Village on University Park campus, which plays host to multiple national and international sporting events each year.
The announcement joins a growing list of accolades for University of Nottingham Sport in the last 12 months, following being named 2019 Sports University of the Year by the Times and finishing runners up in the overall BUCS league points table in 2018/19.
The Green and Gold will be targeting multiple gold medals in March after making the home advantage count in 2019 with 13 victories, more than double the haul of their closest rival Loughborough.
Among the University of Nottingham student teams hoping for glory will be six-times defending champions Men’s Table Tennis led by Gold Coast Commonwealth medallist David McBeath and the Women’s Hockey squad with senior international players Esme Burge and Alex Malzer heading up their line-up.
Highlight of the sporting year
Following the announcement, Vince Mayne, Chief Executive Officer of BUCS, commented: “Having delivered two incredible BUCS Big Wednesdays, we are delighted to be returning to the University of Nottingham for another two years.
"The University of Nottingham offers the outstanding facilities, staff and environment necessary to make BUCS Big Wednesday a success. On behalf of the team at BUCS, we look forward to working with the University of Nottingham Sport team to deliver this fantastic event and welcome students from around the country to their campus.”
Dan Tilley, Director of Sport at University of Nottingham Sport, added: “University of Nottingham Sport are so proud that BUCS have chosen to return to Nottingham for their flagship BUCS Big Wednesday event. It’s testament not only to the state-of-the-art sporting facilities we have here, but also to the commitment of our staff and students to making this event such a huge success."
Students’ Union Sports Officer, Millie Doherty echoed their excitement: “I can’t wait for BUCS Big Wednesday to return to Nottingham – the event has become one of the top highlights of the student sporting experience. It brings together our community to celebrate the top level of university sport as well as providing invaluable opportunities for our students to volunteer at a major sporting event.”
Tickets for BUCS Big Wednesday will go on sale in early 2020, with fixtures announced as teams progress through the knock-out rounds. Keep up to date with the latest online at www.nottingham.ac.uk/sport
Want to get involved? University of Nottingham Sport will be recruiting a team of over a hundred volunteers to deliver BUCS Big Wednesday with training and event stash provided.
To register your interest in volunteering, please email Samantha Bell-Minogue at samantha.bell-minogue@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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