Student Health

The Importance of Sport at University

Ben Maples  · Feb 16th 2022

Sports are available at all universities, and It’s a chance to not only release a competitive streak held deep within, but also the chance for you to meet new people.

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Whether you have an interest in football, hockey, rugby, cheerleading or cricket, your university will no doubt have you covered. These sports don’t even have to be related to your course degree; you can just play recreationally if you like!

There are a number of things to remember when playing sport and studying, if you want to get the most out of them, such as:

  • The people that are playing with you are there for the same reason you are, to meet people and to enjoy themselves, or to release a competitive nature.
  • Sport at university is a great way of maintaining fitness and ensuring that you’re living a healthy lifestyle at university and can be an easier way to motivate yourself to get fit, you will also need to eat healthy at university or if you're studying the Certificate of Higher Education.
  • It will teach you how to stay committed; whether or not you’re playing for your university’s football team, you will soon learn how important it is to work as a team and to stay committed not just to the sport but to them as well.
  • Don’t worry, plenty of universities offer entry-level lessons to sports. If you’re new to the world of volleyball, your university will have a coach who will be more than happy to help you with your development.
  • You can also meet people who are new to the sport too, and it’s a good way to not only make friends when you first start your university degree, but it’s also a great way to encourage and motivate each other to learn more.

A student in a blue kit tries to knock the ball past two university students in a red kit.

The fitness element almost goes without saying. The idea of keeping yourself fit and healthy is a very large pull for people looking to do more in sport. Not only can you get yourself into shape, but you can also make your body a little less susceptible to injuries and fatigue as well.

An important part of the sport is knowing your limits as much as your weaknesses; there’s no shame in saying that enough is enough. Many professional athletes forget this and pay a heavy price for it. Many athletes in rugby, football are often quite injury-prone because they overwork themselves, make sure that you focus on your fitness and be aware of what you can and can’t do – and don’t forget the reason you’re there; to study at university, sport can also help with mental health at university, too.

Many of the people that are doing a degree in Sports Science are aware of the dangers of injuries and are often available for a chat if you need to learn more about this or the lecturers.

Sport also teaches people to learn, not just of other cultures, but other’s beliefs and orientations and their rights to hold them, this is also covered on most sport courses at university. Many sports such as football run a number of different incentives to promote diversity such as the much famed Rainbow Laces campaign, to kick homophobia out of football and the numerous anti-racism and tolerance campaigns that run throughout the various competitions and leagues that are run by the various footballing associations and governing bodies.

Sport at university gives you a chance to meet new people and discover new talents. Many university students go on to say that they learn more from their teammates than almost any other figure. It’s true – especially as you start reading more into your teammate’s ideas and their approach to things.

Most universities all compete in the British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) League, which means that students can compete against each other. You don’t have to be doing sport courses at Loughborough University or sport at Durham University in order to compete; as long as you play for your university team, you can play!! This is a great way to get to know other students and to compete against other universities.

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