Nottingham Varsity Futsal 2026 Preview

University of Nottingham vs Nottingham Trent University

The stage is set for one of the biggest fixtures in the UK futsal calendar as University of Nottingham Futsal take on Nottingham Trent University Futsal in the highly anticipated Nottingham Varsity Futsal 2026.

Taking place at the David Ross Sports Village, the match kicks off at 7pm on Tuesday 28th April, with an expected attendance of 800–1000 spectators.

From Humble Beginnings to the UK’s Biggest Event

First ever Varsity was played over two legs with hardly any spectators in 2013, and it is now the highest attended annual futsal event in the UK.

This event will attract between 800 and 1000 spectators this year, many of whom will be students from both universities. This will contribute to raising awareness of futsal, getting more people to understand the sport, and experience the atmosphere of a game.

This will be a competitive and high level match of futsal, and an entertaining spectacle with half-time shows from cheerleading and dance groups. This forms part of the wider Varsity series between the two universities, which features a number of sports and draws in massive crowds.

Club Growth and Development at UoN

University of Nottingham Futsal club consists of four teams competing in BUCS, with the second team earning promotion this season. There were many first year players in this team who joined after previously playing futsal elsewhere, illustrating the depth the club is building.

Futsal is also a very popular sport in JustPlay at UoN throughout term time. This involves any student being able to turn up with friends and try out the sport for fun, broadening futsal’s appeal and feeding into the competitive setup when suitable.

Expanding the Reach of Futsal

This Varsity event will have vast coverage across social media, aiming to expand futsal’s reach to different types of audiences. The match will be captured through engaging audiovisual content produced by professional videographers and photographers, who will be present at the match.

For more information and content about the event as well as updates about University of Nottingham Futsal’s preparation and squad announcement, visit the Instagram page: @uonfutsal

The Competitive Context

University of Nottingham Futsal’s first team participates in the National Futsal League (third tier of the men’s futsal national setup in England) while they are currently in the division below Nottingham Trent University Futsal in the BUCS setup, meaning the teams have not faced each other this season.

UoN have won the last four Varsity titles including:

• 2023: UoN were 5-1 down at half-time but came back to 6-6, and won on penalties
• 2024: 6-4 win to UoN
• 2025: UoN were 3-0 down at half-time, staged a second half comeback to win 4-3 with the winner scored with two minutes to play

Coaches

University of Nottingham:
Mohamed Elmaghrbi – took over the team in December and currently is a university lecturer. Previous player, who played in Varsity in the founding years of the club.

Nottingham Trent:
Jack Brumfield – new coach this season, and was captain/player in the Varsity squad last year.

University of Nottingham Squad

(Squad will be cut to 16 players)

Aaron Tecke
Ander Robles
Lucas Farren
Brandon Wise: previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, first year at the university
Andrew Dadson
Finn Lilwall: previously in youth setup at Oxford City Lions Futsal
Noah Hay (GK): current president of the club
Sam Bunce: previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, second year at the university and elected president for next year, scored winning goal in 2025 Varsity
Alex Levin: previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, first year at the university
Sam Wooldridge
Elijah Jaffe: previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, first year at the university
Sammy Gershon (GK): previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, first year at the university
Aryan Tyagi: previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, second year at the university
Luca Jason
Jojo Mills (captain): pivot scored two goals in comeback victory in 2025 Varsity
Dylan Meranda (GK): previously at Bloomsbury Futsal, final year at the university, selected for England Under 19s in 2023
Sami Phillips
Jack Armstrong
Olly Guntrip

Watch the Action

Catch previous editions of this fixture here:

• Futsal Varsity 2025 (second half of the live stream)
• Futsal Varsity 2013 (some footage)

With history, rivalry, and momentum all in play, Nottingham Varsity Futsal 2026 promises to deliver another unforgettable chapter in what has become the UK’s premier university futsal event.

Organ Donation

Futsal Focus is a supporter of Dáithí Mac Gabhann and his family’s campaign to raise awareness of Organ Donation. We encourage our readers to learn more about Organ Donation: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/

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