Students set to compete in UK’s biggest sports event in further education

Nearly two thousand students and staff will arrive at the University of Nottingham for the annual AoC Sport National Championships later this month.

The event takes place on 26-28 April at the University of Nottingham’s £40m David Ross Sports Village and Highfields Sports Ground plus local facilities such as the Nottingham Wildcats Arena, Nottingham Hockey Centre and Nottingham Tennis Centre.

It is one of the largest annual student sporting events in the UK, with 1720 student athletes from further education and sixth form colleges across England, Wales and Northern Ireland taking part.

The National Championships is the pinnacle of the college sport year, with students representing their region as they battle to win the Wilkinson Sword Trophy.

AoC Sport managing director, Marcus Kingwell, said:

“We are looking forward to returning to the University of Nottingham for the third year running.

“By holding the championships at the University of Nottingham, FE students are able to enjoy world-class sports facilities while experiencing life on a higher education campus.

“The sport is very competitive so we might even witness a future Commonwealth Games or Olympic champion in action at the Championships.”

Events will take place across 13 different sports – including badminton, rugby, cross country running and indoor cricket – with more than 400 staff and volunteers helping to ensure the occasion is as successful as ever.

The National Championships is a celebration of competitive sport in further education and sixth form colleges, providing recognition, enjoyment and a unique opportunity for students to compete and meet their peers from across the country.

College teams and individual competitors qualify to represent their region at the Championships through regional tournaments delivered in the autumn by AoC Sport.

Andrew May, general manager at Nottingham Conferences, the conferencing arm of the University of Nottingham said:

“We feel hugely honoured that AoC Sport are returning to host their national annual event at the University of Nottingham again this year and are continuing to work hard to deliver another successful championships.

“Having been awarded ‘The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 – Sports University of the Year’, we are delighted to be welcoming a new cohort of college athletes and support staff to our campus to experience first-hand our state-of-the-art sports facilities.”

University of Nottingham Sport, Director of Sport, Dan Tilley, said:

“The AoC Sport National Championships is a truly special event and it is our pleasure to host matches once again at David Ross Sports Village and Highfields Sports Complex.

“As the facilities demonstrate, sport is a core part of university life at Nottingham, and it is hoped that the AoC athletes will be inspired by this fabulous environment and that some may even consider the University as a future destination for themselves.”