University of Staffordshire’s student futsal team has been promoted to the BUCS premier league after winning the playoff finals
It feels unbelievable to have won the league! It is the perfect way to end my time at university.
After an impressive performance against an undefeated Newcastle side, Staffordshire’s men’s team clinched victory with a 5-2 win and will move up to the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) top tier for the 2025-26 season.
The team has won Varsity three years running, claimed two successive league titles, and won ‘Team of the Year’ at University of Staffordshire’s recent Sports Awards.
One of the team’s captains, Ethan Gough, was also named ‘Scholar of the Year’ at the ceremony. The final year Sports Journalism student said: “It feels unbelievable to have won the league! It is the perfect way to end my time at university.
“To win the playoff final and ‘Team of the Year’ within the space of a few days is a real fairytale ending. It is thanks to each member of the team that we have been so successful. They are a great group of lads.”
The 22-year-old from Bicester has a background in football and earned a place in University of Staffordshire’s High Performance Academy, which provides personalised support for talented athletes during their studies.
After “falling out of love” with football, Ethan found a new passion for futsal – a fast-paced form of football, which is played indoors, with smaller teams and shorter games.
“After trying futsal I have never looked back. I love the pace of the game which means as a goalkeeper I can be more involved,” Ethan explained.
“Through the High Performance Academy I have had weekly personal trainer sessions, with workshops on nutrition and psychology. We also get to take part in training days at St George’s Park a couple of times a year. The set-up there is brilliant!
“It has definitely helped to improve my performance and helped me to develop as a player.”
After graduating, Ethan has ambitions to go into sports broadcasting but is keen to continue playing futsal at elite level.
He added: “I’m really proud of what the team has achieved over the past three years and there are some good locals teams that I have me eye on. Futsal is a really fun game and I’m glad that I discovered it at university. I’d definitely encourage more people to give it a go!”