TeamUCL Club Development Report 2025-26

The 2025-26 season was successful across the board. TeamUCL retained the London Varsity trophy yet again after a 32-13 series win in our biggest London Varsity Series yet. This was also our most emphatic victory in history! Victories came for Hockey Club (RUMS Men's), Hockey Club (Men's), Hockey Club (Women's), Barbell Club, Muay Thai Club, Lacrosse Club, Running, Athletics & Cross Country Club, Cycling Club, Swimming Club, Waterpolo Club, Fencing Club, Kendo Club, Badminton Club, Squash Club, Golf Club, Football Club (RUMS Women's), Table Tennis Club (Women's), Snowsports Club, Handball Club, Netball Club, Basketball Club (Women's), Basketball Club (Men's), Horse Riding Club, Karting Club, Triathlon Club, Rugby Club (RUMS), Football Club (Men's), Football Club (Women's), Rugby Club (Women's) & Rugby Club (Men's).

The BUCS season also saw some fantastic performances, with Yan Tat Loo (Badminton Club), Abi Hicks (Rugby Club (Women's)), Ella Chawla (Boat Club (RUMS)), Elsa Vitali (Waterpolo Club), Adi Hegde (Cricket Club) and Louisa Bennamane (Taekwondo Club) shortlisted for Captain of the Year. Adidas Hegde was the incredibly deserving winner.

The Friends’ Cup was awarded to Badminton Club after their best ever season in BUCS. The newly formed Women's 2s completed the league and cup double unbeaten, the Men's 2s won Division 1 and the Men's & Women's 1s secured qualification for the European University Games in Salerno. To top it off, Jason Ou & Neville Baptist Luaran claimed a historic Bronze in the BUCS Men's Doubles, cementing their well deserved Sportsman(s) of the Year award!

Water Polo had a phenomenal unbeaten season in Division 1, narrowly missing out on promotion to the premier tier. Basketball (Women's) & Hockey (Women's) also achieved Division 1 success, winning their respective league titles! It was a great season for UCL Men's & Women's Rugby, with UCL Rugby (Men's) having their most successful season in recent memory, securing promotion for both teams, alongside a cup title for the 2s. UCL Rugby (Women's) clinched the BUCS Division 2 title, the LUSL Cup and dominated KCL in their first varsity win in the post-covid era!

Taekwondo continued their dominance in the UK, finishing top of the BSTF rankings yet again. Gymnastics had an incredible BUCS Championships, with Nile Oyenekan claiming a historic bronze on the Men's Level 1 floor, beating out some of the UK's best talent! This contributed to his well deserved Unsung Hero award at Sports Awards. Snowsports' and TeamUCL's Sportwoman of the Year, Eliana Woosnam, proved why she's a force to be reckoned with at BUCS, picking up 2 gold medals and becoming one of TeamUCL's most decorated BUCS athletes of all time.

It was a fantastic year for our Elite Athletes with successes on both the BUCS and international stage. Dr Deborah Alawode brought a phenomenal BUCS career to a close, winning an incredible 6th BUCS gold medal and receiving Students' Union UCL honorary life membership to celebrate her legacy. Nationally, Lois Leaver had a year to remember, finishing 1st in the British Championships Senior & U23 Women's Kayak, with her eyes firmly set on LA28. Lily McNeil also secured gold in the Senior Women's 63KG at the English Weightlifting Championships!

TeamUCL clubs have demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability this year, particularly through reducing waste, promoting reuse, and improving accessibility.

A number of clubs, including American Football, Netball, Running, Athletics & Cross Country, and Hockey (RUMS Women’s), implemented second-hand kit schemes, encouraging members to donate or sell pre-used kit to reduce costs and environmental impact. RUMS Boat Club also introduced a “Vinted-style” internal system for redistributing kit to new members.

Boat Club focused on long-term sustainability through maintaining and repairing equipment, extending the lifespan of boats and reducing unnecessary replacement. Similarly, several clubs prioritised sustainable procurement, opting for recycled or environmentally conscious kit where possible.

Clubs such as Netball also promoted sustainable travel, encouraging walking or public transport to training and fixtures, while American Football introduced carpooling to reduce emissions.

Collectively, these initiatives show a shift towards embedding sustainability into everyday club operations while also making participation more affordable.

 Read more about Sustainability at UCL

Volunteering has been a major area of impact, with clubs contributing significantly to both the UCL community and wider society.

RUMS Hockey (Men’s) led the way, raising over £3,000 for charities including Movember, Crisis and Save the Children, alongside organising large-scale initiatives such as charity walks and collaborative fundraising events.

Ultimate Frisbee raised over £600 for Alzheimer’s Research UK through inter-university collaboration, while Football (RUMS Women’s) raised over £3,000 for charities including Women’s Aid and Student Minds.

Clubs such as Running, Athletics & Cross Country supported major events including the TeamUCL 5k and BUCS Cross Country Championships, providing volunteers as pacers, marshals, and event support.

Muay Thai and other combat sports clubs contributed to wider student sport delivery by volunteering at events such as fight nights, supporting event operations and strengthening collaboration across the combat sports community.

In addition, clubs have made a significant contribution to grassroots sport and local communities. For example:

• Badminton delivered an 8-week programme with Regent’s High School, introducing young people to the sport through weekly coaching sessions
• Hockey (Women’s and Men’s) regularly volunteered with Hockey Inner City, supporting access to sport for young people
• Football (RUMS Men’s) supported weekly community delivery through STEP Football

Clubs have also contributed beyond sport-specific settings, including:

• Basketball (Women’s) volunteering with St John’s Soup Kitchen
• Hiking working with Street Aid Society
• Cheerleading supporting charity events such as marathons with Amnesty UK

Within performance sport, clubs such as RUMS Boat Club provided skilled volunteers at major rowing events, including marshalling and officiating at national competitions, while Taekwondo members supported large-scale competitions through event set-up and officiating roles.

Volunteering has not only been activity-based but has also become more embedded structurally, with clubs such as Netball introducing dedicated charity and volunteering committee roles to drive this work forward.

These efforts demonstrate a strong and growing culture of volunteering across TeamUCL, with clubs not only raising funds but actively contributing time, skills, and expertise to benefit wider communities, support grassroots sport, and strengthen the student sport environment.

Through an inclusive programme ranging from beginner-friendly “Discoverer” walks to challenging “Explorer” hikes in locations such as Snowdonia, Hiking has wide exploration, helping students build confidence, resilience, friendships, and a sense of belonging within TeamUCL.

To be as inclusive as possible, several clubs consistently ran social events for their members that didn’t centre around alcohol. These included activities like quiz nights, film nights, cultural events, and welfare socials. Football (RUMS Women's), Netball, American Football, Fencing & Badminton (RUMS) were just a selection of clubs that ran cross club collaborative non-alcohol events.

Tennis Club have consistently had a strong offer for their members across all levels of the sport, largely due to their tiered system for social tennis members. The club runs Recreational and Development sessions weekly with sessions aimed at all abilities within the club and has given members the opportunity to obtain LTA Level 1 qualifications. Similarly, Sailing Club & Ice Club run weekly sessions that are aimed at beginners to their respective sports to encourage club growth throughout the year.

Several clubs engage with the Alumni Games in Term 3, including American Football, Boat Club, Hockey (Women's), Cheerleading & Lacrosse to name just a few.

Muay Thai, Hockey (Women's), Rugby (Men's), Golf, Jiu Jitsu all utilise social media platforms, including Facebook and WhatsApp, to keep alumni regularly up to date with the clubs activities. These are just a few of a wide range of clubs that regularly engage with alumni!

Muay Thai actively engage with their alumni, bringing back former club members as coaches, including former Sports Personality of the Year, Bella Gilbert, to lead their women's only sessions.

Welfare has been a key strength across TeamUCL this year, with many clubs embedding wellbeing into their core culture and delivery.

Boat Club was a standout example, introducing weekly “welfare hours” where members could drop in for support or informal conversations, alongside inclusive initiatives such as dedicated group chats and regular engagement activities.

Netball (RUMS) introduced bi-weekly welfare check-ins via WhatsApp, alongside separate committee check-ins to ensure leaders felt supported in their roles.

Clubs such as Muay Thai tailored welfare provision to their sport, delivering mandatory pre-fight welfare sessions to educate members on safe practices, while also running regular welfare drop-ins and partnering with charities such as Mind.

Across multiple clubs, including American Football, Hockey, and Running, Athletics & Cross Country, welfare campaigns linked to Movember, mental health awareness, and disability history month helped to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

In addition to these targeted initiatives, a large proportion of clubs have ensured that welfare is consistently embedded through:

• Regular welfare officer-led activity and events
• Clear signposting of Students’ Union wellbeing services and support resources
• Dedicated welfare roles within committee structures

Clubs such as Football (Women’s), Water Polo, Kendo, and Polo further demonstrated this through a combination of welfare events, charity partnerships, and proactive communication to members.

This year’s work highlights a move towards proactive, preventative and sport-specific welfare provision, with clubs increasingly integrating wellbeing into everyday operations, leadership structures, and member experience.

For TeamUCL Against Hate, over 20 clubs completing training on how they can provide an inclusive environment for all sports club members. Focusing on the three areas of Diversity in TeamUCL, Pride in TeamUCL & Zero Tolerance in TeamUCL, the work that clubs put together in these areas was fantastic to see. Our clubs have led panel events; fundraisers; social media campaigns; fixtures against community teams; themed socials and training sessions; policy updates and workshops, to celebrate and champion inclusive practices in their sports. You can see the full breakdown of the clubs that received Accreditations below.

Gold

Boat Club (RUMS)

Running Athletics and Cross Country

Football Club (Women's)

Cheerleading Club

Hockey Club (RUMS Women's)

Hockey Club (Men's)

Hockey Club (RUMS Men's)

Silver

Hockey Club (Women's)

Kendo Club

Rugby Club (Men's)

Football Club (RUMS Women's)

Golf Club

Jiu Jitsu Club

Parkour Club

Water Polo Club

Bronze

American Football

Mauy Thai Club

Netball Club

The All Jokes Aside campaign continued this year with the aim to support male-identifying students at UCL to meaningfully engage in activities to support their mental health and wellbeing. The campaign has been a fantastic initiative to get male-identifying students talking about their mental health and the support on offer, through men's health active and talk club sessions. The Men's Health Active programme encourages using sport and physical activity to look after mental health, including a Walk and Talk group and weekly fitness classes.

Read more about All Jokes Aside.