COACHES INFORMATION HUB

Sports Club coaches need to submit a monthly invoice to suinvoices@essex.ac.uk and blades@essex.ac.uk addressed to the University of Essex Students’ Union. Here is an invoice template for coaches that can used. The Club President and Treasurer must be copied into the email to confirm the club are happy with the amount being charged.

The Students’ Union Activities Department have a travel budget to work within and will always try to source the most cost-effective means of transportation for our teams. The most cost-effective form of transport is car and the most expensive forms of transport are minibus followed by coach. If we have multiple teams travelling to the same away venue on the same date, we will look to get them travelling on mass together usually on coaches and/or mixture of coaches and minibuses. If a team has been selected to travel by minibus or coach, they will be informed no later than 17:00 on a Monday before a Wednesday fixture. We cover costs for all such transport and train fares too. If a team travels to an away fixture by car, we cover petrol expenses at 25p per mile. All petrol expenses, toll/congestion/low emission zone charges and parking costs can be reclaimed through the club expenses typeform at:  https://essexsu.typeform.com/to/FlL4CZnY?typeform-source=www.essexstudent.com For train tickets, we will send out an email to team captains on a Thursday morning, before the following week’s fixtures, asking if their team requires any train tickets* for players and coach(es) if applicable. The team captains will need to reply to this email by 17:30 on the Thursday, notifying us of the number of train tickets which need purchasing. A confirmation will then be sent to the captains confirming the order and how to collect the tickets.

*We have a Trainline account which we use to purchase group saver train tickets.

If your team hasn’t been selected to travel by minibus/coach, the cost of travelling by either means will ultimately come out of the relevant club’s finances. If you have a squad of 9 and under and hold a full UK driving license, you can hire and drive a 9-seater minibus which will work out cheaper than paying for a company to provide you with a minibus and driver. If this is an option you’d like to explore, please contact blades@essex.ac.uk and we can hire a minibus on your behalf and take the cost for its hire from your club’s budget. If you wish to travel by coach, you can sell travel tickets to supporters who wish to travel with your team and support them at an away fixture. Again, we can book in the coach for you and set up tickets for supporters to purchase through your club’s webpage. Any money raised will go straight into your club’s account and can then go towards paying for coach transportation.

The below regulations for league, knockout competitions and playoff fixtures are applicable unless indicated otherwise in sport specific regulations.

League and Playoff (REG 13.7.5.1 and REG 13.7.5.3)

1. One walkover – loss of three league points and half of BUCS Points attained through final league position.
2. Two walkovers – further loss of three league points and all BUCS points attained through final league position. (For Tier 1, ineligible for progression to, or automatic withdrawal from, the knockout competition through an involuntary walkover. For premier, automatically relegated following season regardless of final league position, and not eligible to progress to knockout competition.)
3. Three or more walkovers – further loss of three league points per occurrence, an automatic £100 fine, increased by an additional £50 per subsequent concession. (For Tier 1, not eligible for promotion. For Tier 2 and below, not eligible for promotion, and ineligible for progression to, or automatic withdrawal from, the knockout competition through an involuntary walkover.)
4. Playoff walkovers – an automatic £300 fine.

Knockout Competitions (REG 13.7.5.2)

1. Conference Cup/ Trophy/Shield fixtures – an automatic £250 fine and loss of all BUCS Points allocated to the knockout competition.
2. National Trophy – an automatic £500 fine and loss of all BUCS Points allocated to the knockout competition.

REG 12.1 If a team feels, upon arrival or during a fixture, that the conditions do not adhere to those outlined in the BUCS rules and regulations, they should complete a BUCS Playing Under Protest Form (Appendix 8) as soon as the grievance is noted. Captains will have a copy of this document in their captain’s pack. The form must be fully completed, including the name and signature of the opposition captain, as well as the time of signing (they cannot refuse to sign the form, note REG 12.3.2). Teams are advised to also gather evidence to support any grievances raised on a Playing Under Protest form, for example time and date stamped photographs or videos, or written statements from match officials (REG 12.4). If the opposition captain refuses to sign the form, contact the SU Activities Team immediately. A Playing Under Protest form must be completed before the fixture, however, if information comes to light after a fixture has been completed, that amounts to a breach of regulations, then a match appeal can be submitted without a Playing Under Protest form.

REG 14.1.1 Postponed matches are matches called off up to and including the day of the match, due to:

• Bad weather
• Unforeseeable facility issues
• Force majeure
• Positive COVID-19 tests or required isolation being the primary reason leading to a team not being able to field the minimum number of individuals required. This supersedes REG 11.1.3.1 (and any equivalent sport specific regulations) and so the team are not obliged to pull-up individuals from lower ranked teams (where applicable) in this scenario, with the fixture being considered ‘postponed’ and no longer ‘scheduled’. The opposition are expected to accept this in good faith and without asking for more specific details and/or evidence (REG 14.1.2)
• Any UK government, devolved administration, or local authority legislation and/or guidance in relation to COVID-19 in place at the time that prevents a team’s involvement in the fixture.
• Any National Governing Body protocols and guidance in relation to COVID-19 in place at the time that prevents a team’s involvement in the fixture.
• Any national, regional, or local Public Health guidance in place at the time which advises against a team’s involvement in the fixture.

REG 14.1.5 Should a match have to be postponed, this match shall be rearranged at the venue of the first named (home) team, except in cases of a late postponement (within 48 hours, outside of weekends and bank holidays, of the fixture start time) where the opposition (away) team has started their journey prior to being notified of the postponement. In such cases the fixture shall be replayed at the venue of the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity.

REG 9.8 Where a team arrives late to a fixture every effort should be made for the fixture to be played in full. If the match cannot be played to a full conclusion, it should be played to 75%. Where the team arrives too late for a minimum of 75% of the fixture to be played, if the lateness of the team was caused through no fault of the team the fixture should be rearranged in line with REG 14. The venue of the rearranged match will be determined in line with REG 14.2, unless an alternative is agreed between the institutions/Playing Entities concerned. Where the lateness was caused by the team, or one its members, that team shall concede a walkover.

REG 14.3.5 Should the institutions/Playing Entities agree there are substantiated reasons why no rearrangement of a fixture can be made (such as no free dates remain in calendar) and there has been no contravention of regulations, they may apply to the BUCS Executive to have the match declared a void fixture. Consideration will be on a case-by-case basis.

REG 11.1.3.1 Where a Playing Entity has more than one fixture scheduled across its teams in a Championships on a given day, priority must be given to the highest ranked team and then in descending order through their teams should the Playing Entity be unable to fulfil all scheduled fixtures. Matches played in contravention of this regulation will be awarded to the opposition, or in certain circumstances, be voided. For example, an institution/Playing Entity may NOT concede a walkover at second team level, while continuing to field a lower ranked team on the same day.

REG 11.1.3 Where a Playing Entity has more than one team in a Championships (for example Men’s Football), teams must be selected as if all teams are playing on a given day, at the same time, and in a match of equal importance. It would be expected that the first team would always be the strongest team available to represent that Playing Entity, with consideration to establishment of ‘normality’. For example, if the first team does not have a match but the second team do, players who would normally* represent the first team are NOT eligible to play for the second team.

*Normally is defined by an individual establishing 'normality' by being listed on the team sheets for a majority (more than 50%) of a particular team's total league fixtures. In the rare case that an individual has been listed on the team sheets for multiple higher ranked teams, then the totals of these will be combined and counted against the lowest of these teams' total league fixtures to identify if they are eligible to represent any lower ranked team. 'Normality'/majority is established through league fixtures only, however this regulation still applies to knockout competition fixtures unless specifically stated otherwise.

REG 11.2.5.1 If either captain has concerns over the eligibility individuals on the opposition team, they should complete a Playing Under Protest Form (REG 12) detailing this grievance and ‘dispute’ the team sheet on BUCS Play. Verification should then be sought post-fixture with the appropriate Athletic Union (or equivalent) representative(s).

A number of racquet sports: tennis, squash and table tennis have a ranking system in place which affects which teams, players can play in.

Tennis

TEN 9.6.5 Teams for a fixture day (across all leagues, knockout competitions and/or playoffs) must be selected in rank order. This applies across all teams, e.g. A player ranked number 8 cannot play in the 1^st team if the player ranked number 7 is playing for a lower team's match that day.

TEN 9.6.6 No player ranked (as per the published squad ranking list at the time) at number 4 or above shall be eligible to play below the 1^st team (including league, playoff and knockout competition matches). No player ranked (as per the published squad ranking list at the time) at number 8 or above shall be eligible to play below the 2^nd team, and so on throughout a Playing Entity’s teams.

Squash

SQU 7.6.5 Teams for a fixture day (across all leagues, knockout competitions and/or playoffs) must be selected in rank order and teams must be selected as if all teams were playing that day. This applies across all teams, e.g. A player ranked number 8 cannot play in the 1^st team if the player ranked number 7 is playing for a lower team's match that day, or a player ranked number 1 should not play for the 2^nd team because the 1^st team do not have a match that day.

Table tennis

TAB 7.6.5 Teams for a fixture day (across all leagues, knockout competitions and/or playoffs) must be selected in rank order. This applies across all teams, e.g. A player ranked number 8 cannot play in the 1^st team if the player ranked number 7 is playing for a lower team's match that day.

TAB 7.6.6.1 Men’s No player ranked (as per the published squad ranking list at the time) at number 4 or above shall be eligible to play below the 1^st team (including league, playoff and knockout competition matches). No player ranked (as per the published squad ranking list at the time) at number 8 or above shall be eligible to play below the 2^nd team, and so on throughout a Playing Entity’s teams.

TAB 7.6.6.2 Women’s No player ranked (as per the published squad ranking list at the time) at number 2 or above shall be eligible to play below the 1^st team (including league, playoff and knockout competition matches). No player ranked (as per the published squad ranking list at the time) at number 4 or above shall be eligible to play below the 2^nd team, and so on throughout a Playing Entity’s teams.

Captains are usually selected by a club coach, however, in the absence of a coach, they will be selected amongst the squad and large teams may wish to select a vice-captain to assist them. To become a captain of a BUCS team, they must sign the captain’s agreement form. A full list of the responsibilities of a BUCS captain can be found in the agreement. All captains will be invited to captain’s training offered on two occasions at the start of term, and it is compulsory that they attend one of these training sessions.

The core roles of a club committee include a president, vice-president, treasurer, and welfare officer. It is a president’s role to oversee all club activities and officers, act as a liaison between club members and the Sports Federation, ensure other committee members carry out their duties, complete all club documentation on time, and look for ways to improve the club and their performance in the future. It is a vice-president’s role to help the president to complete their duties and fill in for the president if they are ever absent. It is a treasurer’s responsibility to complete the club budget on time and correctly, manage in goings and outgoings into the clubs account, and organise kit (hoodies etc.) for members to buy. It is a welfare officer’s role to maintain the welfare and support provided within the club, offered to all club members. Club Exec members are given training at the start of the season. These include core officer training that all execs must attend, finance training that presidents and treasurers must attend, and welfare training that welfare officers must attend. There are other exec committee positions which are not compulsory, for example, fundraising officer, volunteering officer, communications officer, social secretary, and alumni officer. 

A more affordable way to provide coaching for your Sports Club members is to pay for 1 or more members of the club to take a coaching course, and they then coach for free in return. If you are happy to pay for this out of your club account, please email blades@essex.ac.uk and dsking@essex.ac.uk.

Alternatively, the SU Activities Team will look into covering the cost of coaching courses, on the basis that the student would then coach for free for a number of sessions before they can begin to charge for their sessions (dependant on cost of course and student’s year of study). If you are interested in completing a coaching course, please complete this typeform.

Students can submit a notified absence from teaching which will be directed to the SU Activities Team to approve. The SU Activities Team will only authorise absences for BUCS games and any competitions, not for attending training sessions. Participation in a BUCS match will be checked against physical team sheets and the BUCS play team sheet. Once an absence is approved, the notified absence from teaching is sent to the student’s academic department to be marked as authorised.

Students can be signposted to their club welfare officer, the Essex Blades Exec welfare officer, and VP Welfare of the Students’ Union. For professional advice and guidance, you can signpost students to SU Advice who can provide free, confidential, independent and impartial advice on lots of problems and queries. They offer drop-in sessions on zoom twice a week and students can also book their own appointments at any other convenient time for them. Students can also be signposted to the University’s Student Wellbeing and Inclusivity Service (SWIS) seeks to provide a professional and proactive guidance service for students, providing free and confidential emotional and mental wellbeing support.