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The voice for university sport...
British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the national organisation for higher education sport in the UK. It brings together expertise and experience from two former representative bodies - British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport (UCS) - to provide a unified voice for sport, fitness and physical activity on university campuses.
Their vision is to enhance the student experience in three key areas:
- Performance
- Competition
- Participation
BUCS works with student athletes, athletic union staff and elected officers as well as professional sporting staff, coaches and volunteers at 153 member institutions. It offers a comprehensive, multi-sport competition structure and manages the development of services and facilities for participative, grass-roots sport and healthy campuses through to high-performance, elite athletes.
Why get involved
Participation in sport at higher education institutions is already impressive:
- One in four students take part in regular physical activity
- 4,500 sports teams operate on campus, with the highest participation in rugby, football and hockey
- 41% of university sports teams are female
- 170 Championship finals take place annually
- 57% of the GB Team that competed in Beijing 2008 have come through the higher education system
- 67% of visits to university sporting facilities are from students, with 26% from community users and 8% from staff (NASS Survey 07/08)
- BUCS members operate approx. £20bn worth of sporting facilities and amenities, including 145 fitness suites, 541 tennis courts and 139 sports halls
- The first ‘British University Championships' in March 2008 attracted 5,000 athletes and 3,000 spectators to the city of Sheffield and generated more than £86,000 worth of media value
Bristol University and BUCS
In it's previous form of BUSA, Bristol University had finished top 15 in the British rankings every year for the last 5 years and the future for Bristol is bright with the potential and aim to break into the top 10. This potential can be aided by the Sports Union, but it is only through the clubs and club members committing their time and effort to it that we will succeed.
More information can be found on the BUCS website www.bucs.org.uk
