Abbreviation LUCA Location London
United Kingdom Chairman Arthur Wadsworth | Founded 2015 President James L. Findon | |
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Sport University Athletics in London, UK | ||
London Universities and Colleges Athletics (LUCA) is the representative and governing body for university athletics in London.
Contents
- History
- Mission and Role
- Competitions
- London Colleges League
- Indoor Championships
- Outdoor Series
- Members
- References
LUCA was formed in June 2015 following a merger of the London Colleges League (LCL) and the London Colleges Athletics Series (LCAS) competitions. LUCA is responsible for organising all competitions exclusive to university athletics clubs in London. This includes the United Hospitals Athletics Shield. LUCA also organises development and volunteering programs.
LUCA is a membership organisation open to clubs of higher education establishments in London. The University of Reading and the University of Bedfordshire are the only universities outside London permitted to join LUCA. Only members of LUCA can score points in LUCA competitions but guests can often compete.
LUCA won the England Athletics, London region award for 'Best Project' in 2016.
History
LUCA was established by a merger of the organising committees of LCAS and LCL in July, 2015 in London. A constitutional committee consisting of LCL secretary, Jonny Laybourn (University College London), LCAS chairman, James Findon (King's College London) and AYAG chair, Jacob Hood (University of East London) was immediately established to draft the LUCA constitution.
Mission and Role
According to the LUCA constitution, the objectives of LUCA are:
a) To improve the sport of athletics and promote it within the higher education sector in London in light of its unifying, educational, cultural and health values.
b) To organise its own competitions in London and strive to cover all disciplines of athletics
Competitions
Included in its constitution is the duty to keep records. LUCA also organizes many athletics competitions, including:
London Colleges League
The London Colleges League (LCL) is the long-standing cross country league for higher education institutions in London to compete in. From 2017 it will be known exclusively as 'LUCA Cross-Country'. The league is normally made up of five or six races held across two terms. Each race is hosted by a different university/college. Traditionally, the first race is hosted by UCL at Parliament Hill and the final is hosted by St Mary's University, Twickenham at Bushy Park.
Athletes are awarded points at each race. The athlete with the most points at the end of the league wins the championship. Points are also counted towards team totals. Starting in the 2016/17 season, a new trophy will be awarded to the team with the most points across men's and women's races. This trophy has been named the 'Mike Baggs' Trophy in recognition of the late secretary of the league.
Indoor Championships
The Indoor Championships is an indoor track and field event established in 2015 for higher education institutions in London. It replaced the University of London Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships ('ULU Indoors') as London's indoor fixture for university track and field. The event includes three separate championships that are run together; The LUCA Championships (David Morgan Cup), the University of London Intercollegiate Track and Field Championships and the United Hospitals Athletics Shield.
Outdoor Series
The Outdoor Series (formally, 'London College Athletics Series' (LCAS)) is a track and field series established in 2015 for higher education institutions in London to compete in. The inaugural series was won be King's College London. UCL won the series in 2016.
Members
Joined in 2015:
King's College London
Imperial College London
Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry
University College London
University of East London
University of Greenwich
Goldsmiths, University of London
Brunel University
Roehampton University