Touch Rugby club mark successful first year of competition

The University of Nottingham Touch Rugby Club have completed the first season of competition since being formed last summer, landing a top five finish against competitors from across the country in the UTC (University Touch Competition) for 2023/24. The season culminated in the final round of the competition being played at the University of Nottingham's Riverside Sports Complex, with the side playing 6 fixtures on Saturday 23rd March.

Winning four of those six matches would help to cement the clubs first year as a huge success on the pitch, with the club also awarded the 'Most Improved Team' accolade by the UTC. Incoming club president for 2024/25, Nicolas Richards, commented that “with the first UTC cancelled to start this term, we knew that with only 2 tournaments results would be needed from game 1. Fortunately, that’s exactly what happened as we finished second in our group in the first UTC, leaving us with a cup quarter final in which we beat the Southern Champions Surrey, before a tough loss to Bath left us 4th on the day. In the second UTC only 2 weeks later, we once again came second in our group, only to once again lose very narrowly in the next rounds. However, we finished off the final game with a 4-2 win to give our leavers the proper send-off they deserved. This was followed up by receiving the trophy for most improved team, having improved by 16 places from the 2022/23 season to finish 5th overall in our first year as a club. This recognition makes me proud to see how we’ve progressed in such a short space of time. We now look ahead to next year as we aim to break into the top 3 and go for BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) medals.”

This years clubs president, Hannah McLaughlin, was also nominated for female player of the season. Reflecting on the achievements of the past 12 months, Hannah said that "being president during the first year of this club has been such an exciting and rewarding experience. The club has grown to 40+ members who are all a range of abilities. The members of the club have created a welcoming and inclusive ethos and atmosphere. I can’t wait to see the growth continue and for next year’s recruitment be as successful. It’s a great sport and club to be a part of at university, so get involved!"

The club are already looking to increase participation in 2024/25 with hopes of an additional opportunities to compete for more members, and to also provide more inclusive events throughout the year. You can find out more about the Touch Rugby club at the University of Nottingham by contacting and following them on social media here.

The clubs second year in existence will come on the back of the University of Nottingham hosting the 2024 Touch World Cup at our Highfields Sports Complex in July. The world championships will see up to 200 teams from 40 participating nations compete to be crowned world champions across a number of categories, with the tournament representing a 60% growth from the 2019 Malaysia Touch World Cup. Many of the University of Nottingham Touch Rugby Club will be volunteering at the championships and there are opportunities for you to get involved too. You can find out more about volunteering at the 2024 Touch World Cup here.