2020-21 Season Update
Singles Individual Championships
Entries for this event are now closed.
Singles qualifiers information, including acceptances for main draw and qualifying in addition to venue allocation for entries can be found here.
Holding the event will be dependant on Government, University, Venue & Lawn Tennis Association advice and guidance in relation to COVID-19. Specifically, guidance relating to the holding of indoor tennis competition involving multiple participants. Currently, the guidance allows us to plan the event with the intention of it being permitted to go ahead. Once the event is confirmed, the guidelines will dictate if indeed the event can go ahead closer to the time, and if so, the form it may take in terms of formats, maximum draw sizes and schedules.
Doubles Championships
This event will be scheduled for Term 3. More information will be provided as more is known about holding events and tennis activity across the rest of the 2020-21 season.
Wheelchair Tennis Championships
We intend to hold the Wheelchair Tennis Championships in the 2020-21 season, most likely in Term 3.
Leagues & Knockouts 2020-21
We are currently finalising plans for the 2020-21 league and knockout season.
The Tennis league programme will run in Term Two only and there will not be any promotion or relegation between leagues at the end of the season. These decisions were communicated with our members in June.
Term One Activity
Term one will consist of an opt-in competition with regional leagues. The focus is on encouraging participation and playing and a return to the sport, rather than performance and reward. Institutions have been consulted and asked to express an interest as to whether their institution (and tennis teams) would like to be involved. This was met with positive feedback and a preference for regional as opposed to the national competition.
Entered teams will be placed into regional leagues broadly aligned to BUCS League tiers. However, leagues will have more than six teams to allow increased flexibility and the ability to manage potential local lockdowns.
All fixtures will be released with a nominal date set before the league opens. Setting dates and venues for fixtures will be at the discretion of IAs, following the standard Fixture Change Request process. How many matches a team plays (up to twice against each team) will be at the discretion of the institution. We will have the programme open for eight weeks and institutions can play on any day during those weeks.
Entries for the opt-in competition will open on Monday 7th September and close on Friday 18th September.
University Internal Competitions
In the 2020-21 season (particularly in Term 1), which is an extraordinary season given current world circumstances, BUCS and the LTA encourage more than ever, University programmes work hard to run their own internal competitions. These should aim to cater for all players in the tennis club, from beginner/social to advanced performance players. The aim is to offer that as much as possible our University players have the opportunity to enjoy competitive tennis. These competitions can be an excellent way to bring all players and the club together. More resources on running internal competitions will be shared with University Tennis Ambassadors and Programmes at the start of term.
Fast4 Development League
The Fast4 Dev. League is scheduled to commence in Term 2, alongside the BUCS Competitive League Calendar from late Jan to end March. Entries for this league will open on 1st October and close on 1st November. Teams who have previously participated will be contacted by email when entries open on 1st October, or enter by clicking here.
Contact
Given decisions regarding involvement in the events and leagues mentioned above are complex and vary from institution to institution, we recommend you contact your institution or tennis programme first to get the most up-to-date information on your institutions situation.
For other information on any of the above regarding BUCS Tennis or the 2020-21 season, please contact chris.starkey@bucs.org.uk
BUCS Tennis Season (pre COVID-19 for information)
The BUCS league and knockout competitions run from October to March and sees teams play matches every Wednesday across the season.
The pinnacle of BUCS Tennis is the Men's and Women's National Leagues, who play team matches on regular Wednesdays as well as at two showcase Super Weekends.
Student-athletes can compete internationally, through the GB Students team at the World University Games. Students can qualify through their BUCS league to participate in the European University Student Association (EUSA) Championships. There is also the annual Master'U BNP Paribas event.
For London-based students, the London Universities Sports Leagues (LUSL) also offers more flexible and social league and knockout competitions for men’s and women’s teams.
