The ‘Non-BUCS Team of the Year’ award is granted to the team that has performed exceptionally in their competition; a team that has represented the University exceptionally well and furthered the reputation of Aberystwyth University. This award is for a club which does not compete in British University & College Sports (BUCS) League.
The Handball Club are the deserving winners of this year’s ‘Non-BUCS Team of the Year’ award. They were a brand-new club at the start of this academic year and demonstrated themselves to be a formidable team right from the get-go. They hosted tournaments and found other competitive opportunities to demonstrate the skill and cohesiveness that the team had developed in such a short space of time. Their nominations outlined the excellent leadership within the club, outstanding performance given the brief time of existence and the efforts put into the foundation of this constantly growing student group, to ensure its sustainability and development going forwards.
‘We have won a whole tournament in Bangor. We played against 5 other teams and we won all of the matches. We also played a game against York, that we won.’ – Anonymous Nominator
Moreover, the club has developed massively in the space of a year, initially starting out as a Women’s club, and developing to have both a Men’s and Women’s squad by the end of the academic year. They show a great deal of energy and are very supportive in developing newer players and evolving into an outstanding team together. The committee showed a great deal of energy throughout the year, organising trainings, preparing their members for unfamiliar competitive environments, and finding opportunities in which the team could compete. The club have demonstrated a lot of resilience and drive to not only set up a new club but compete and win national competitions within the space of a year! An incredible achievement, especially considering many members are completely new to the sport.
It is with great pleasure that the panellists present this award to such a promising club, which excelled in their sport after only few months of existence. The nominations revealed the great atmosphere that the club has created both on and off the pitch, the welcoming approach to all interested in joining, and their ability to adapt and overcome struggles a new club face.
A very inclusive club, trying to make everyone feel welcome. – Anonymous Nominator
Congratulations to the Handball Club, for their exceptional work and dedication. This year BUCS have added a standalone Handball tournament event, for the 20/21 season, in which Universities can compete against each other at a national level. The panel is looking forward to seeing the development of this promising club at the upcoming event, and in the years to come.
