The UK’s top university tennis teams headed to London’s National Tennis Centre last week for the second and decisive Super Weekend of the season.
The 2025/26 BUCS Tennis National League season delivered another year of high-level university team competition across the UK, with the strongest programmes competing for titles in the men’s and women’s Premier National divisions.
Organised by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), the National League represents the top tier of university tennis, bringing together the leading performance environments and most competitive student-athletes in the country.
Across the season, the six teams in both men’s and women’s divisions competed through a mix of weekly fixtures and centralised showcase events, building league tables that ultimately determined the national champions.
The Structure of Premier National League Tennis
UK university tennis is structured as a performance pyramid, with leagues organised into national and regional tiers that reflect team standard and results across the season.
At the top sits the Premier National division, which represents the highest level of university team tennis in the country and features the strongest men’s and women’s programmes.
Directly below this level are the Premier North and Premier South divisions, which act as the next highest standard and feed into the national tier through promotion and relegation. Beneath the Premier regional divisions, the structure breaks down further into geographic conferences — Midlands, Northern, South Eastern, Western, and Scottish — each containing multiple numbered tiers, with Tier 1 being the strongest in that region and additional tiers extending downward based on depth of competition.
This layered system allows universities of all standards to compete appropriately while still maintaining a clear pathway for teams to progress toward the top level of UK university tennis.
Premier National League and Super Weekend Format Explained
With qualification restricted to six men’s and six women’s teams, the Premier National division maintains a high standard of competition, with ties contested through singles and doubles rubbers that determine league table points.
While most fixtures take place on the scheduled BUCS competition day throughout the academic year, typically on Wednesdays, the National League tennis calendar includes two Super Weekends, where all Premier teams compete at the same venue.
What is a Super Weekend?
Two Super Weekend events are scheduled within each season for Premier National fixtures only.
The opening Super Weekend features the first round of National League matchups across both divisions while the second Super Weekend hosts the concluding fixtures, where league champions are officially decided.
2025/26 Men’s Premier National League
The men’s Premier National League title race produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the season.
Starting the closing weekend in second place, Stirling overtook defending champions Nottingham with a crucial head-to-head victory in the final round of matches to claim the National Title.
Their late surge secured top spot with an unbeaten overall record and eight wins from ten fixtures.
2025/26 Men’s Final Standings
| Position | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Stirling | 8 | 2 | 0 | 26 |
| 2nd | Nottingham | 8 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 3rd | Loughborough | 5 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| 4th | Durham | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| 5th | Bath | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 |
| 6th | Leeds Beckett | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 |
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Stirling | 26 |
| 2nd | Nottingham | 24 |
| 3rd | Loughborough | 17 |
| 4th | Durham | 13 |
| 5th | Bath | 4 |
| 6th | Leeds Beckett | 2 |
2025/26 Women’s Premier National League
This year’s women’s Premier National League produced a clear champion through a season-long display of control and consistency.
Delivering a flawless campaign, Loughborough won all ten of their matches to finish on maximum points and secure the national title.
Last year’s champions, University of Bath, were unable to repeat their previous title-winning performance and finished lower in this year’s standings, highlighting the year-to-year competitiveness of the league.
2025/26 Women’s Final Standings
| Position | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champions | Loughborough | 10 | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| 2th | Stirling | 8 | 0 | 2 | 24 |
| 3th | Leeds Beckett | 5 | 1 | 4 | 16 |
| 4th | Nottingham | 4 | 1 | 5 | 13 |
| 5th | Bath | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| 6th | Durham | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Position | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Champions | Loughborough | 30 |
| 2th | Stirling | 24 |
| 3th | Leeds Beckett | 16 |
| 4th | Nottingham | 13 |
| 5th | Bath | 6 |
| 6th | Durham | 0 |
Moments from Super Weekend 2 (14th-15th February 2026)
A Season That Showcased the Standard of UK University Tennis
UK university tennis offers genuine competitive depth, with structured leagues that allow players to balance academic study with regular, meaningful match play throughout the season.
At the top end, the Premier National division showcases the strongest university programmes and the highest standard of team tennis in the student game, as highlighted throughout this season review.
At the same time, the wider BUCS league system provides multiple regional tiers and cup competitions, ensuring that players across a broad range of standards can represent their university and compete consistently. This layered structure means student-athletes can find the right performance environment for their current level while still having a clear pathway to progress.
From entry-level university teams through to the Premier National stage, UK university tennis remains one of the most accessible and competitive dual-career pathways available to international student-athletes.
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