More than 46,000 university students have got
involved in sport in the first year of Sport England’s Active
Universities campaign.
The results from 40 funded projects across 49
universities show:
- 2,424 students in 39 universities have taken
up lacrosse through Active Universities
- 2,341 students got involved at Brighton
University where organisers used fun sporting challenges in
canteens and reception areas to recruit participants
- 812 students have joined in at Staffordshire
University where new ‘friendly’ leagues have been set up with local
Further Education colleges.
Sport England is investing over £8 million of
National Lottery funding over three years through Active
Universities to get more students playing sport. It is part of the
work to tackle the issue of drop-off in sports participation that
sees many young people giving up sport in their late teens and
early twenties.
Recognising the strong tradition of high-level
competitive sport within universities, Active Universities
projects have been focusing on the need for more informal and
social sporting opportunities.
Sport England’s Director of Community Sport,
Mike Diaper, said: “It’s fantastic that so many students are taking
the opportunity to make sport a regular part of their lives. In the
past too many students who didn’t make it onto university teams had
been lost to sport altogether. Young adults who are still playing
sport when they leave university are likely to stick with it for
life, so this is a good investment in the future.”
Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson MP said: “We
want to leave a lasting sports legacy from the Games and projects
like Active Universities will help us do that - encouraging young
people to have a sporting habit for life. It has made a promising
start and I am sure the Games will have motivated more students to
get involved in sport over this coming year.”
Alternative sports such as paddleboarding and
softball have been among the popular choices with students.
Katherine Clarke from the Coventry University project, where
korfball was among the sports on offer, said: “Generally the
participants in alternative sports have been more committed and
attended more regularly. We feel this is down to more committed
participants of traditional sports already playing the sport in a
more structured environment, such as the university sports
clubs.”
Despite the encouraging numbers, Sport England
is urging projects to do more to attract women students after the
results showed that 60 per cent of participants were men.
Canterbury Christchurch University has bucked
this trend with women making up 67 per cent of particpiants. Amy
Jones, who’s studying American Studies at the university said: "The
informal and relaxed atmosphere at the trysport sessions really
helps as it makes the scheme more accessible to everyone. It wasn't
a scary competitive session where everyone is judging you, which is
great. I met lots of new people who I hadn't seen on campus before
and it gave me the confidence to try new things. I'm now an
ambassador for the scheme and volunteer each week to encourage
others to get involved in the project.”
The first-year results for Active Universities
was welcomed by Karen Rothery, Chief Executive of British
Universities and Colleges Sport, who said: “These results are
really encouraging, and show that a focused approach, with a real
understanding of what students want and the creativity that student
involvement brings to sport delivery can make a significant impact
on the numbers taking part in sport, and therefore the impact of
sport on the university experience.”