The 2026/27 BUCS Dodgeball season is almost here, with university teams across the country preparing to battle for league glory, promotion and the chance to claim BUCS Gold. With 12 leagues and more than 75 teams competing, the new season gets underway on 31 October and 1 November, as teams look to build on an exciting 2025/26 campaign.
Men’s BUCS Premier: Can anyone stop Imperial?
Imperial dominated the Men’s BUCS Premier last season, finishing with a perfect record of seven wins from seven matches to claim top spot. The University of Bath secured second place, with Plymouth completing the top three.
At the other end of the table, Southampton and Nottingham Trent found themselves relegated to the BUCS Trophy, where they faced a fight to return to the top tier for the 2026/27 season.
They were joined in the Trophy by Portsmouth, Newcastle, Loughborough and Winchester, with the top two teams earning promotion to the Premier and a place in the battle for BUCS Trophy Gold.
Southampton made their way through to the final, securing a return to the Premier, while Portsmouth joined them to set up a South Coast derby with the Trophy title on the line. Portsmouth ultimately edged out Southampton to be crowned 2025/26 BUCS Trophy champions.
However, the biggest prize in university dodgeball was still to be decided. Imperial and Bath, the top two teams from the regular season, met in the Men’s BUCS Championship final. Despite Imperial’s unbeaten league campaign, Bath produced a huge performance to claim victory, handing Imperial their first defeat of the season and securing BUCS Gold for the University of Bath.
With Imperial looking to reassert their dominance and Bath arriving as reigning champions, the Men’s BUCS Premier promises another competitive season, with every team chasing a place at the top.
Women’s BUCS Championship: Loughborough claim the crown
Last season’s Women’s BUCS Championship brought together the leading university teams from across the country, with the best team from the North, the top two from the Midlands and two representatives from the South competing for the ultimate prize: BUCS Gold.
Newcastle entered the Championship final as Northern league winners, having completed an unbeaten campaign. Their opponents, Loughborough Women’s 1s, qualified from the Midlands in second place, having lost just one league match all season to eventual league winners Birmingham.
Despite entering the Championship as runners-up in their regional league, Loughborough rose to the occasion when it mattered most. They defeated Newcastle in the final to be crowned Women’s BUCS champions, capping off an impressive campaign with BUCS Gold.
With Newcastle having set the standard in the North and Loughborough proving that league position is no barrier to Championship success, the race for the women’s title is wide open heading into 2026/27. Can Loughborough defend their crown, or will a new contender emerge from the regional leagues to take the gold?
The road to BUCS Gold begins
With more than 75 teams across 12 leagues, university dodgeball continues to grow, bringing together teams from across the country to compete for league success and national honours.
The first rounds of the 2026/27 BUCS Dodgeball season take place on 31 October and 1 November, marking the start of another campaign full of rivalries, promotion battles and Championship ambitions.
