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16 sports, 57 fixtures, 114 teams, 1800 players, 2 days, 6 hubs; these are some of the numbers that make up BUCS Big Wednesday – one of the most prestigious events in the BUCS calendar. For only the second time ever, American Football will be part of this illustrious event. What’s more, American Football will be the only sport taking place on Tuesday and has the honour of kicking off this event with a bang at David Ross Sports Village, Nottingham.

Tickets for the finals are still available and can be purchased here.

There will be two American Football games taking place: the finals of the Tier 1 knockout competition (National Trophy), and the finals for the Premier Tier knockout competition (National Championship).

The National Trophy game, kicking off at 2pm, sees the winners of the Southern Tier 1, Portsmouth take on the winners of Midlands Tier 1, Loughborough. Both teams have already secured promotion to the Premier Tier next season but will be battling out to determine who the best team is in Tier 1.

Portsmouth had a slow start to the season, losing their first game of the year. Their only other loss was a 6-0 loss to Hertfordshire. In their final league game of the season, they made up for that loss with a 20-6 win over Hertfordshire which also secured them the league title. Despite being the #2 seed in the Southern half of the playoffs, Portsmouth have earned their way to the National Trophy finals. They beat Bournemouth, the #1 seed in the semi-finals in a one possession game. That win not only secured them a place in the finals, but also secured them promotion to the Premier Tier.

Loughborough on the other hand, had a pretty straight forward regular season. They went 8-0 and secured themselves a #2 seed in the Northern half of the playoffs. Their semi-final game against Leeds was an enthralling game which went down to the wire. Loughborough were able to stop Leeds 1 yard short on 4th down with 6 seconds left in the game to win 13-7. With that win, they also secured promotion to the premier tier.

The National Championship Game sees Nottingham 1, the Premier North winners, take on UWE 1, the Premier South winners and the defending National Champions. The game kicks off at 7pm. This is a rematch of last year’s National Championship match, which has been described by some, as the greatest game ever played on British soil.

Nottingham went 7-1 in the regular season, with their only loss coming away at Leeds Beckett. They won the return leg against Leeds Beckett by a larger score margin, which played a part in them securing the Premier North league title. They have had a straightforward journey through the knockout competition so far and are now hoping the finals this year pan out differently to last year’s.

UWE breezed through the regular season going 8-0, on their way to winning the Premier South league title. They had a high-powered offence scoring 604 points. This was coupled with a stout defence, that only conceded 28 points. Things haven’t gone all their way in the knockouts. Their semi-final fixture against Leeds Beckett was a nail-bitter. They were 24-8 down midway through the 4th quarter, but dug deep to end up winning the game 30-24. The game, like any true fairy tale, was ended with a completed Hail Mary pass with no time left on the clock. UWE will carry that euphoria with them as they look to secure back to back National Championships and continue to add to their legacy.

Speaking ahead of the day, BUCS American Football Coordinator Tonye Dokubo said: “I am looking forward to what I have unofficially called in the office, ‘American Football Tuesday’.

“It is going to be a great day for the sport. I will be starting the day by hosting an American Football Conference for coaches, club presidents/captains. After the conference, I will settle in to watch what I hope would be two amazing finals.

“One of the key things I am looking forward to the most, is the half time exhibition game during the National Trophy Final. The Women’s Flag football team at the University of Nottingham will be playing intra-squad exhibition game during halftime. Getting more women involved in American Football and facilitating the continued growth of flag football, are two things I am really passionate about within my role, so I am glad that the Nottingham team agreed to put on this exhibition game for us.”

BUCS Big Wednesday will also be available to watch live at BUCS TV.