FIRST Tech Challenge UK Nationals 2025: Bigger, Better, and Into the Deep

in Experience

Last week, a group of us from Arm swapped our usual desks for hi-vis vests and headed to London’s Copper Box Arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Our mission? To spend a volunteer day supporting the 2025 FIRST Tech Challenge UK Nationals—and what a spectacle it was.

What Is FIRST Tech Challenge?

FIRST Tech Championship photo

FIRST is a charity that empowers students to design, build, and program robots, then pit them against one another in a series of escalating tournaments—regional events culminating in these Nationals. This season’s theme, “Into the Deep,” pushed teams to engineer robots capable of completing underwater-inspired tasks. The production value rivalled professional e-sports; every heat ran on time, and the atmosphere was electric.

My Role: Field Inspector / FTA

I returned as a Field Inspector / FTA, ensure that every team and their robot can successfully compete in a match and solve any technical issues with robots on the field.

Conversations That Matter

Between matches I always ask teams about life after school. It’s a stealth campaign to demystify apprenticeships and early-career routes in STEM. The answers this year were inspiring: aerospace dreams, biomedical ambitions, and quite a few budding roboticists. Their enthusiasm is contagious and a reminder of why volunteering matters.

Highlights of the Day

  • Flawless Logistics – FIRST Tech Challenge UK ran the entire program like clockwork—no small feat with dozens of teams and hundreds of parts.
  • Innovation on Display – From 3D-printed grippers to custom vision pipelines, the ingenuity level keeps rising.
  • Community Spirit – Spectators, mentors, and teams cheered each other on, proving competition and collaboration can coexist.

Why You Should Volunteer

If you’re considering giving back, FIRST events are a masterclass in real-world engineering, teamwork, and youthful creativity. One day of your expertise can keep a robot—and a student’s confidence—on track.

Final Thoughts

The 2025 Nationals weren’t just bigger; they set a benchmark for what student-led engineering can achieve when supported by a passionate community. I left the Copper Box exhausted, inspired, and already counting down to next season.

If you get the chance, jump in—it’s deeper than you think.