University of Nottingham may have two sides in the men’s and women’s Premier Divisions, but women’s coach Matt Taylor believes that with student sides getting stronger, it’s easier to progress to the top flight as non-university clubs get weaker.
This season there are two university-based teams in the men’s top flight – Cardiff & Met and University of Nottingham – and four women’s sides in the 12-strong Premier Division: Isca & University of Exeter, Loughborough, Birmingham and Nottingham.
“From the university standpoint the development of players for the future is strong,” said Taylor, who has overseen the rapid rise of the women’s programme.
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To be fair, Cardiff and Met is the result of a merger between Cardiff HC and the Cardiff Metropolitan University. A minority of the squad are current students.
Isca /Exeter Uni are also a merger and the team is made up of students and senior players.
Isca & University is a mixture but the last few years has seen far more students in the top sides. It now has more students in squads 1-4 out of 7 teams and is every changing. It’s important that students have a positive experience at University and then they will hopefully stay in the game for life and after over 20 years as a partnership that certainly appears to be the case .