American Football
American Football is the newest addition to the BUCS sporting programme. In recent years the popularity of the american sport has grown here in the UK and that has been reflected in the growth of the sport at a university level.
Now in it's second year as a BUCS sport, the Championship is contested by 76 teams who compete across eight regional leagues that then filter into the Championship Finals.
That is an increase on the 72 teams that took park in the inaugural season for American Football, which was a year to remember for the University of Birmingham Lions who produced a superb defensive performance and a last quarter offensive master class to secure the first ever BUCS medals awarded in the sport.
On April 20th 2013 the John Charles Stadium in Leeds played host to two fabulous games of football as the American Football playoff's culminated in the BUCS Championship and Trophy finals.
The University of Birmingham Lions produced a superb defensive performance and a last quarter offensive master class to wrestle the National Championship crown from the Hertfordshire Hurricanes.
The two titans of student football went toe to toe for much of the game, with two well-drilled defences limiting opportunities for two of the most prolific offences. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Lions made the telling breakthrough with Drew Newiss and Johnny Glover inspiring the Lions to overturn a 13 – 3 deficit into a 17 – 13 victory.
The Lions weren’t the only team picking up silverware in Leeds. The NTU Renegades capitalised upon an electric start to secure a 42 – 28 win over the Southampton Stags in the Trophy final.