Touch Rugby 2026-27: Northern Regional Qualifier 1

Dates:

Saturday 7th November 2026

Venue:

Newark Rugby Club

Address:

Kelham Rd,

Newark,

NG24 1WN

All games will be played on grass surfaces.

Please ensure you bring suitable footwear for grass pitches.

The schedule for the upcoming event can be found here

• The 22 Teams are split into 4 Pools of 4 and 2 Pools of 3 Teams
• Teams will play all teams in their Pool during the morning games
• Teams will then be ranked from 1^st to 22^nd, with the 6 Pool winners ranking 1^st to 6^th, the second placed teams ranking 7^th to 12^th, third placed teams ranking 13^th to 18^th and the fourth placed teams ranking 19^th to 22^nd.
• There will then be quarter finals, with the top 8 playing in the Cup, the next 8 playing in the Bowl and the final 6 playing in the Salver.
• From the Cup quarter finals the winners will play in the Cup semi finals and the losers will play in the Plate semi finals.
• From the Bowl quarter finals the winners will play in the Bowl semi finals and the losers will play in the Shield semi finals.
• From the Salver quarter finals the winners will play in the Salver semi finals and the losers will play in the Salver 21^st / 22^nd Playoff.

• If a team loses their Semifinal, they will still play in a play-off game after.

The UTC Season Information Pack can be found here.

Sport Specific Regulations can be found here.

Sport Specific Affiliations can be found here.

FIT 5th Edition International Playing Rules can be found here.

BUCS Points are not directly available at this singular event. Please see the UTC Season Information Pack for further information.

This event is a qualifying event for the National Championships. Performance in the event and the other respective regional qualifier will determine rankings for the National Championship events. BUCS Points will be awarded after all National Championship events have taken place

The Team Points allocation format has changed for the 2026-27 season. Please see Appendix 1 for a full breakdown of how the points will be allocated for this seasons Championships.

As of publishing this document, any withdrawals from the event will not be refunded due to the entry closing date having passed.

The schedule and format will not be revised and all the games relating to the withdrawn team will be recorded as ‘Byes’.

Clubs are expected to nominate a full time referee per team entered please ensure you are looking at this, to register your full time referee linked to your club either:

• The referee should have your University as their affiliated club on their Spond profile
• You must email [email protected] and [email protected] with the names of your refs 1 week before the competition.

Player Referee slots will be allocated as per the Sport Specific Regulations, where as part of this your team is nominating a full time referee please follow the instructions above no later than Saturday 31^st October.

• Where two clubs have nominated the same referee we will use the club named on their Spond profile
• Where neither of the above occur the referees signed up to the event on Spond not affiliated will be considered neutral and player refereeing allocations be made on the basis of no nomination being made
• Where a nominated referee via e-mail has not signed up for the event on Spond this nomination will be considered null and void.

To clarify Player Referee slots not be changed in the event week if Full Time referee nomination have not been followed, you will be expected to fulfil the allocated player refereeing.

If your nominated full time referee withdraws from the event prior to the day, play ensure you are able to nominate a new referee who is not already signed up to the event, if you aren’t able to do this attempts will be made to cover the withdrawn referees appointments from within the full time referee team however where not possible this will result in your team receiving player refereeing slots to cover.

Your full time referees must sign up to the event through Spond themselves, please ensure they have done so no later than Saturday 31^st October. Instructions for signing up to Spond if they are not already in the group are found here

Due to the number of Full-Time Referees attending, it is likely that Player Referees will be required to facilitate the tournament so please be prepared regardless.

Clubs need to ensure that their 3 Player-Referees come prepared with a whistle and are at the pitch on time to cove the game how they would expect this to be refereed.

Player Referee Allocations will be completed nearer the time of the event and included on the Ref Allocations tab of the schedule.

Players must have registered individually for the event and have been added to entered teams on the BUCS Play system by 5pm on Tuesday 3^rd November. Players are not able to register after this date and will not be eligible to play on the day.

These players are then checked against the ETA Membership Database to ensure they have a valid ETA Membership. (Instructions on how to obtain membership are in the Season Info Pack here)

Club Captains will be notified of any players not with a membership before the event, it is then their responsibility to sort prior to the day, any players without a membership on the day will not be able to play. Fielding a player without a valid membership may result in a penalty or disqualification.

England Touch will then release (there will be a notification on North 1 WhatsApp group when these are ready) digital playing teamsheets via this link following the information being received from BUCS (likely Wednesday 4^h / Thursday 5^th November):

Team Captains must ensure that each player’s shirt number is filled out before their first game on the event day.

This is used to track scoring and MVP records.

REGISTRATION & ARRIVAL TIME

• 08:15am
• Teams are required to arrive and Register
• The team sheet must be completed with player shirt numbers

CAPTAIN’S BRIEFING TIME

• 08:30am - Team Captains are required to attend Event Control for a briefing at this time.

FIRST GAME KICK OFF TIME

• 09:00am Tap Off

LAST GAME KICK OFF TIME

• 15:50pm Tap Off

PRESENTATION CEREMONY

• 16:30pm – 16:45pm

EVENT CLOSING TIME

• The event will be closing at 17:00pm and the venue will be closed at 18:00pm

Presentations will take place in the bar area of the clubhouse where the following trophies will be awarded:

• Cup - 1st Place
• Plate - 5th Place
• Bowl - 9th Place
• Shield - 13th Place
• Salver – 17^th Place
• Most Valuable Players (Female & Male) (as voted for by opposition teams)
• Most Valuable Referee

The ETA would be very grateful if as many teams as possible stayed for the presentations as this adds to the atmosphere and allows teams to celebrate together.

Nominating MVPs

After each game, team captains will be asked to nominate a female and male player from the opposition. These will be tallied up through the course of the event with the most nominated players receiving an award. This is part of the community we create in Touch Rugby and we think it is very important that this is celebrated.

The layout of the pitches can be found below. The pitches in use for this event are marked 4-8 with the changing facilities in the Pavillion marked by the blue box.

There is free parking on-site. Please seek instruction from a representative from either Newark Rugby Club or ETA Staff for parking.

There may be limited parking for coaches to remain on-site. If not available, coaches may be required to leave site.

Weather

Please attend the event with the appropriate items of kit that you will need to stay warm and dry throughout the day. All players are permitted to wear any clothing item underneath their playing shirt, that keeps them warm, provided there are no rigid elements to it and it does not cover the shirt number.

Kit & Playing Attires

Please see Rule 4 of the FIT 5th Edition Playing Rules here for a full breakdown of permitted attire.

No jewellery must be worn and it is strongly advised that watches are not worn either. If a participant desperately wishes to wear a watch, this must be covered by a soft wristband, sweatband or medical tape.

Boots with screw-in studs are not permitted.

 Full changing facilities, toilets and showers are available at the grounds. Note that all items are left at the owner's risk. Teams will be allocated specific changing rooms, these will be shared with other teams where required with each team being allocated a male and female changing facility.

Event Control will be located between pitches 4 & 8 as marked on the map. The event briefing will happen here.

Medical support will be located next to event control.

As part of our commitment to quality and making the day a competitive but safe event, we aim to secure expert physio, sports therapy and first aid cover for the duration of the event and the season.

Please note that there will be a £5.00 charge for taping (free if you supply your own).

In the case of needing medical assistance during a game, please notify your nearest events assistant or attend event control.

FOOD & DRINK

There will be NO food or drink available to purchase at this event, please ensure you have brough everything you require with you prior to this event.

WATER REFILL

Water refill is available in all changing rooms and next to the yellow hut marked on the map

All participants must comply with the ETA and BUCS Code of Conduct while taking part and supporting at UTC events, the full details can be found here

The ETA Code of Behaviour applies to all participants including players, coaches, referees, administrators and supporters and sanctions can be applied to individuals, teams and clubs as necessary. Participant enjoyment should not be compromised at any point and necessary actions will be taken should they be needed to ensure this. The decision will be made by the tournament control. Your cooperation on this matter is greatly appreciated.

OUTGOING & ILOVETOUR:

Meet Outgoing & ILOVETOUR at BUCS Touch Rugby!

Outgoing and ILOVETOUR are one of the UK’s leading student travel operators, creating unforgettable trips and experiences for university students, clubs and societies. Think huge events abroad, incredible destinations and unforgettable memories with your teammates!

We’ll be at the BUCS Touch Rugby Regional Qualifier with fun games, challenges and some brilliant prizes up for grabs, including the chance to WIN 2 TICKETS TO THE MEN'S 6 NATIONS, WALES VS ENGLAND MATCH and FREE PLACES on our tours!

Come and meet the team, get involved, test your skills and find out where your next adventure could take you.

Want to see what adventures are waiting for you? Check out ILOVETOUR on social media or visit Outgoing.co.uk to explore our trips

CIMA:

CIMA have renewed their sponsorship of the BUCS UTC for 26/27, please ensure they are tagged in any social media posts relating to these events.

Newark Rugby Club:

The event is being held in partnership with Newark RUFC, they are kindly providing their facilities for the day, please treat the site with respect.

Social Media:

Ensure your players are following @universitytouchuk on Instagram for all the latest updates, inside stories and behind the scenes competition.

Please tag:

@bucssport

@englandtouch

@cimaearlycareersuk

@universitytouchuk

In your instagram stories, also use the hashtags:

#touchrugby

#bucssport

#universitytouchchampionships

If you have any issues, or need further questions answering, please contact:

BUCS – Joe O’Loughlin for issues regarding BUCS Play, Player Registration or deadlines.

ETA – Ian Tankard for event details or clarifications.