Shorts: BUCS, Scottish Rugby, ICONS Series

British University and Colleges Sport (BUCS) has announced the launch of Women’s BUCS Super Rugby for the next season, indicating the evolution of the previous Women’s National League (WNL).

This league will match the top level of Men’s rugby union as BUCS’ second ‘Super’ level of competition, providing an enhanced platform to assist female players at institutions in England, Scotland, and Wales to develop their sporting abilities whilst pursuing higher education.

Each fixture will include an increased access to live stream coverage and resources to add additional profiling on institutions and players.

The competition has worked closely with England Rugby, Scottish Rugby, and Welsh Rugby Union to curate the programme, which aims to add to the already 26 players who have progressed to senior international rugby after competing in the WNL.

Cardiff University, Cardiff Met University, Durham University, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Exeter, Hartpury University and Loughborough University will compete in the inaugural season.

Will Roberts, BUCS CEO said, “This has been the realisation of years of hard work to create a competition which attracts some of the best young rugby talent to take part in university sport and is in line with our strategic theme of driving participation through high-quality, co-designed and inclusive competitions.”

Paul Flanagan, Dairy Sector Director at AHDB, added, “We are strong supporters of women’s sport and are delighted that Milk Every Moment is helping to facilitate this move to a higher-level competition.”

The Women’s BUCS Super Rugby competition starts on 13 September with a fixture between Edinburgh and defending champions Hartpury at The Hive, Murrayfield.

BUCS will stream the fixture for free through a new BSR focussed YouTube channel.

Scottish Rugby and BBC ALBA have agreed a broadcasting deal for the 2024/25 season.

This partnership sees 11 Arnold Clark Premiership matches, including the men’s and the women’s finals, broadcast live on the Scottish Gaelic-language channel for the first time.

The domestic league matches in Scotland will be played on free-to-air television alongside being available live and on demand on BBC iPlayer. International viewers will be able to access the games via the Scottish Rugby website.

Five men’s and three women’s league matches will be covered within this broadcast deal, with the inclusion of one of the men’s play off matches and both the men and women’s finals.

The opening weekend sees Ayr RFC host reigning Men’s Premiership Champions Currie Chieftain at Millbrae on 31 August.

Gav Scott, Scottish Rugby Director of Rugby Development, said, “This really is a groundbreaking deal. It’s something we hope to build on and want to deliver a successful season to put us in a strong position to discuss a similar deal in the future, which could include more teams.”

Eilidh Collins, a player from Heriot, added, “At Heriot’s we want to play an exciting brand of rugby that attracts fans and is enjoyable to watch, so I think having the opportunity for our game to be televised will bring an extra level to that. We’re excited for this to be a great showcase of women’s rugby in Scotland.”

ICONS series has announced the football stars joining this year’s event.

In March 2025, Bangkok is set to host the Reignwood Icons of Football event, where some of the most celebrated footballers in the world will take to the golf course.

The event, scheduled for the first two day in March will feature Team England and Team World, competing head-to-head for the 2025 Icons Trophy at Reignwood Park.

Paul Scholes, Robbie Folwer, Dwight York and Peter Schmeichel will all be involved in this year’s competition.

Broadcasted globally, fans can watch all the action of this intense event live on multiple platforms that are soon to be revealed. With hospitality and general admission available, the venue will host thousands of spectators from around the world in grandstands and behind the ropes. 

Lee Westwood, Team England Captain, said, “As a massive football fan, I’m thrilled to be back to captain Team England for a second Icons Series event. I captained Team England to victory back in 2017 and I’m coming to take the trophy home again. We’ve picked a strong England team, full of composed and talented sports stars that all play great golf.”

Sergio Garcia, Captain of Team World, added, “This is a serious competition and we’ll be doing everything we can to win. The rivalries have already started and I’m excited to take on Lee Westwood and Team England – a bit like Spain did in the Euro’s final this summer.”

Camden Town WFC has announced a new partnership with Adobe.

The deal sees Adobe become the lead partner for independent club, Camden Town Women’ Football Club.

As part of the relationship, Adobe has joined forces with Creative Director Hattier Crowther to re-design the club’s kit for the 2025 season and has also reconfigured the crest design.

As a result of the close collaboration with the players, the new kit features innovative designs which include ventilation panels and space under the shirts for sports bras, which the existing football apparel did not accommodate for.

The design also features keywords that embody the club’s philosophy such as ‘Sisterhood, Belonging, Home, Unity, Culture, Creativity, and Progress, which also reflect the teams’ core value of togetherness.’ 

Camden Town WFC debuted its new kit in the first qualifying round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup.

Alessia Russio, Adobe Women’s FA Cup Ambassador, said, “For too long, women have had to play in kits that are not designed for their body types and do not suit their needs. By boosting support across all levels, clubs and players will be able to thrive and women’s football will grow to new heights.” 

In the 2024/25 season, 514 teams will compete in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, a 70% increase compared to 2019

Supporting Camden Town WFC further, Adobe has provided the club with additional financial investment to help with operational and running costs, as well as free access to Adobe Express Premium Plans and training throughout the partnership.

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