By Shane O'Hanlon, CDA British Universities GAA

This year's British Universities Men's Football Championships take place in Birmingham and the surrounding venues over the weekend of the 18th, 19th and 20th of February with the finals due to take place in Paric na hEiearnn on Sunday the 20th.

It marks the 20th anniversary of the British Universities Gaelic Football Championships and promises to be an action packed weekend. 2011 is expected to be the biggest tournament to date with 43 teams registering Mens Gaelic Football teams at Universities in the UK for 2010-2011, these along with University teams from New York and Rennes, France, plus the many different nationalities represented across the board on the UK based teams, give this tournament a truly international feel.

Last year's Division 3/Plate champions UEL will not be in attendance this year leaving the 20 plus teams in the "plate" competition wide open. The Plate will run all day on Saturday the 19th across three venues - Erdington (both pitches), Coventry and Rugby.

Division 2 is always keenly contested and this year's favourites among the 12 teams in this division will be last year's beaten finalists University of Liverpool along with University of Aberdeen, University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Bangor University. The 4 Division 2 venues on Friday 18th are Coventry, Leicester, Rugby and Corby and first games will throw in at 11.00am at all venues.

Favorites to win Division 1, and to go on and represent British Universities GAA in the Trench Cup in Ireland later this year, have to be 2010 champions Napier University from Edinburgh after showing fine league form all year. Napier have already won the BUGAA Hurling Championships this year and are keen to claim the double for the second year in a row. This won't be without challenge however, with last year's beaten finalists Liverpool Hope putting in some impressive victories of their own this year including a league final win over bitter rivals, and British Universities Champions from 2006 to 2009, Liverpool John Moores - who will also look to be in the shake up themselves.

Division 1 has adapted the Sigerson Cup format of straight knock out with full games the whole way through. The quarter finals take place in Erdington, Birmingham, from 10.00am on Friday 18th of Feb with the draw as follows:

- Liverpool John Moores University V Newcastle University

- Liverpool Hope University V St Marys, Strawberry Hill, London

- Robert Gordan University Aberdeen V University of Dundee

- Napier University Edinburgh V Northumbria University Newcastle

The Draws for division 1 semi finals, division 2 quarter finals and division 3 groups will take place at the British Universities Gaelic Games AGM at 7.00pm in Jurys Inn Broadstreet, Birmingham on Friday the 18th of February.

The Division 2 Draw and details of the Division 3 Draw are available, along with regular updates of Universities GAA activity, on the British Universities GAA facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/britishuniversitiesgaa Tweet

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