University Sports Facilities

To support all this activity most universities have a good range of high quality sports facilities – and the range is getting better by the day.

• Current planned investment in sport over the next three years will exceed £200 million across the sector.
• There'll almost certainly be a sports centre with at least a sports hall and other dry sports facilities including a fitness gym with modern cardio-vascular and resistance machines, one or more exercise studios and facilities such as squash courts.
• Many also have a pool and specialist facilities such as climbing walls.
• Outdoors, there'll probably be a number of grass pitches for different sports – generally of a very high quality – at least one floodlit artificial turf pitch and possibly an athletics track and/or a boat house.
• Some universities also own or have access to outdoor centres for activities such as water sports, climbing and hill walking.
• Very few have their own golf course, but many have come to an arrangement with one or more local clubs which allow students to use their courses at a reduced charge.

Universities are active supporters of student sport – at all levels – because of the range of benefits it brings to campus life: exercise for students, a chance to let off steam and make friends, not to mention good publicity and 'town and gown' relationships for the university.

• Universities provide and subsidise facilities, they fund professional staff to manage facilities, provide activity programmes (such as recreation classes) and services (such as physiotherapy), and they support student clubs in a range of ways.
• They also try – with varying degrees of commitment – to ensure that Wednesday afternoons are free from teaching so that students can take part in sport.
• Many open days have sport sessions where you can ask questions to staff and students about facilities, training and competition.

Next page: BUCS University Sports Table