University sports teams and elite sports

CONTENTS

1. Sports at university

2. Representative sports at university

3. Student-run sports at university

4. Student coaches

5. Sporting excellence

Sports at university

Team sports are great for keeping you motivated to stay fit, as well as being a great way to widen your circle of friends. There's also strong evidence to show that playing sport is good for your academic performance, too.

Universities give you a chance to excel at sport, perhaps in an activity you've never tried before. If university sport is important to you, you can use our Uniselect tool to find universities that offer sports that interest you – from cheerleading to climbing or football to fencing. This data is unique to the Complete University Guide and comes from our annual survey of university sports, partnering with BUCS. You can find out more about BUCS below.

Try out Uniselect to find the right sports at the right university for you.

Representative sports at university

If you want to play a competitive sport at a high level, nearly all UK universities play in sports leagues against other universities. The best-known of these is BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport). In Scotland you'll also find Scottish Student Sport (SSS).

Student teams are chosen to represent the university. As well as playing matches against other universities, students may also take part in local leagues and other competitions. If you're picked for a student team, you can expect to play a few matches each week. One match will be against another university, usually on Wednesday afternoons. The other may be against a local sports club. You'll also have at least one training and/or coaching session.

From taking part in these leagues, teams may also go on to compete at European or international level.

British Universities & Colleges Sports (BUCS)

BUCS is the UK’s national governing body for higher education sports. It has over 165 member institutions, including most universities.

BUCS leagues and events offer the chance to compete in more than 50 sports, with over 100,000 students taking part each year. This includes the BUCS Nationals, the UK's largest annual multi-sport event. Points from the results of these events contribute to the BUCS ranking. If you're looking for the top sports universities in the UK, this is a good place to start. Find the latest BUCS ranking on our university sports table.

Or if you're looking for the top sports university for a degree, check our sports science ranking.

BUCS also aims to help students get into sports. It works with its members to help get more students active – whether through competitive sport or activities to support wellbeing. It aims to influence decision-makers by collecting evidence of how sport helps students, especially in their studies. BUCS works with the Complete University Guide to gather information on university sport throughout the UK each year.

Scottish Student Sport (SSS)

Like BUCS, SSS is a membership organisation representing Scottish universities and colleges. It works with BUCS and other bodies including sportscotland to develop sports and get more students physically active. SSS runs sporting leagues and around 100 events per year across 28 sports. The largest annual event is the multi-sport Scottish Student Games.

International university sports competitions

In some sports, the top university teams in the BUCS competition go on to compete in European Universities Sports Association (EUSA) competitions. These are 'Champions League' competitions, giving teams the chance to compete against the best in Europe.

BUCS also selects the GB Students team for events such as the World University Games (WUGs), the second-biggest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympics.

Student-run sports at university

If you don't want the commitment of playing sport at a high level, there are also plenty of student-run sports available.

You can get involved in university sports through student sports clubs or intramural leagues where you compete against other teams within your university. The opportunities available to you will depend on your uni. They may include intramural leagues, social and recreational sports (where you can just drop in), and health and wellbeing or lifestyle activities.

Student sports clubs

These clubs are usually run by students for students, but some clubs may get support from permanent professional staff. Many universities have more than 40 student sports clubs. It's a great way to try out a new sport, and you could move from beginner to full international competitor in the few years it takes you to get a degree. Some sports may take part in BUCS leagues, others in intramural leagues.

Intramural leagues

Intramural leagues are where teams in a university compete against each other, usually playing a match per week during term time. These are great if you want to play team sports often but don't want to commit to serious training or university competitions.

Intramural competitions are available for men, women, and mixed teams in some sports (such as korfball or hockey). You may also find university staff or the occasional graduate playing on the team as well as students.

2025 sports survey (BUCS and the Complete University Guide)

Our 2025 survey collected responses from over 120 universities across the UK. It found that the most popular sports and activities, available at more than 100 of these institutions, were:

• Athletics
• Badminton
• Basketball
• Cheerleading
• Cricket
• Fitness or functional fitness classes
• Football
• Hockey
• Netball
• Rugby union
• Swimming
• Table tennis
• Tennis
• Volleyball
• Yoga/Pilates

Some more unusual activities were also easily available, offered by more than 50 universities:

• Archery
• Ballet dancing
• Equestrian
• Fencing
• Pickleball
• Ultimate frisbee

Search our university sports table by activity to find which institutions offer these sports. It includes activities ranging from motorsport to sailing, tap dancing to clay pigeon shooting.

Student coaches

If you'd like to train as a sports coach or referee, you may even get help from your university.

An increasing number of universities now use professional coaches (either full- or part-time) for teams that compete in BUCS leagues. The professionals are often supported by student members with coaching qualifications.

If you're interested in becoming a coach, the cost of getting a qualification – which looks great on your CV – may be subsidised by the club or sports union. The same goes for umpiring or refereeing.

Sporting excellence

If you excel at sport, university is a great opportunity to take it to the next level. Olympians who came up through university ranks include the Brownlee brothers (triathlon) and Heather Stanning (rowing). For those with real sporting ability and commitment, going to university isn't only a chance to get a degree; it may be the best way to develop your sporting talent. Universities may support sporting excellence by providing scholarships and world-class facilities.

Two of the UK's most famous Olympians learned to row at university. Heather Stanning MBE learned to row as part of the GB Rowing Team Start Programme at the University of Bath in 2005. She went on to win Gold at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics with her partner, Helen Glover. Dame Katherine Grainger, who has five Olympic medals, had never rowed before taking it up at the University of Edinburgh. She is now Chair of the British Olympic Association.

Sports scholarships

Many institutions offer university sports scholarships for promising athletes or students competing in BUCS teams. Sports scholarships are competitive and the number on offer may be limited. They usually give you access to support such as free membership of the sports centre, physiotherapy, strength and conditioning advice, or special coaching.

Some universities provide limited financial support to help students meet the cost of going to competitions. They may also permit some academic flexibility. In return, you’ll be expected to compete and represent the university in your sport, helping to build the university's sporting reputation.

Elite sports students may also have access to government-funded scholarships. In England and Wales, these include scholarships from TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship), and in Scotland from Winning Students.

Elite sports at university

The UK has an elite sports infrastructure, featuring a range of sports institutes and initiatives aimed at nurturing future talent. Often you'll find these facilities are at universities, as they can use the uni's expertise in sports science to hone athletes' talents.

Centres of sporting excellence may be sport-specific. Others are multi-sport facilities linked to sports institutes that promote national sporting excellence. In some cases, these facilities may host major regional or national competitions.

You can find out more about what universities offer (including sports scholarships) on our university profiles. Check the facilities section for details of sports facilities available.