In total 47 members fed back on the Rounders England proposal, with circa 90% of the respondents supporting the adoption of rounders as a third-party event for the 2024-25 season.
As the proposal moves to implementation, the step brings to a close a number of years work for Rounders England, delivering on their vision for the sport in the sector, whilst providing two years proof of concept that included regional competition, national championships, performance opportunities and workforce development.
Talking to the announcement, Natalie Justice-Dearn, Rounders England CEO said: "Being included as a BUCS sport is a significant milestone for rounders and a testament to the hard work and passion of everyone involved in the sport. It represents a fantastic opportunity to grow our sport and showcase the game to a wider audience among university students. This development is not just about increasing participation but also about cementing rounders as a dynamic and inclusive sport within the community."
For BUCS, the impact of rounders moving to implementation marks the first time in three years that we have seen a new sport move to being adopted. Will Roberts, BUCS CEO commented: "It is critical that the BUCS programme is vibrant and attractive to as many students as possible, so I am delighted that we are adding another sport following a period of working with the NGB to assess demand and confirm their ongoing support of delivery. The inclusive nature of rounders was critical to their confirmation in the programme, and we are looking forward to the additional opportunities provided to more and different students to compete in their sport for their university in a BUCS competition, something we know is held with great significance by students.”
Ed Nicholas, Independent Chair of the Sport Review Implementation Group also commented: "I'm delighted to see that rounders has moved to the next stage of the Sport Review process and credit to Rounders England and member institutions for the effort they've put into getting to this point. This is the first sport to go through the new framework and I'm very pleased to see that its robustness is being tested. My significant thanks to the member institutions on the Sports Review Group who have developed and tested this process and the BUCS staff for their diligence and hard work on Sports Review."
