gair rhydd Monday October 03 2011 | freeword – Est. 1972 | Issue 957
Sports 1 - 0 Societies Sports club income 2010 - 2011
18%
29%
2010 - 2011
Societies memberships sold
Matt Jones News Editor Cardiff students are getting more interested in sport, but interest in societies seems to be dropping, according to new figures from the Athletic Union and Societies Fayre. Memberships to the AU increased by 10.5% from 2010, along with a 12.5% increase in the number of students joining clubs. However, the Societies Fayre appeared to have been far less successful. The number of memberships sold at the fair dropped 18%, with the total income gained from mem-
bership fees falling by almost 12%. The AU Fayre, along with the Societies and Healthcare Fayres, took place in the Great Hall of the Students’ Union over Freshers’ Week, giving students, at all stages of their degree, the opportunity to get involved with the non-academic side of university life. The events are some of the most important sources of advertisement for groups trying to encourage new members to join for the coming year. The great success of the AU Fayre will mean sports clubs will be particularly pleased, enjoying a huge increase in income, after tak-
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ing £10,000 more than the previous year. This is in addition to an extra £1350 going to the Athletic Union. But the results of the Societies Fayre are much more concerning. The large decrease in memberships on last year’s number could represent a significant drop in interest. So why have societies suffered whilst the AU has made such gains? The average price of joining a society has risen by 7.8%, although the price of joining a sports club has risen by almost double that, at 14.7%. One reason could be introduction of a £4 charge to join the Guild
of Societies, which had previously been free to join. This new policy had been brought in with the aim of providing additional funding support for smaller societies that otherwise might struggle to continue to run. Societies Officer, Harry Newman, appeared to subscribe to this explanation while taking a very positive view of the fayre, saying: “We’ve had a very good first week with new memberships to societies remaining largely the same as at the fayres last year, despite the introduction of the Guild of Societies membership fee.”
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The figures also showed that of the students who joined a society, an average of 85.5% had joined two or more societies. Information is not yet available for a comparison with last year. These figures may indicate that the introduction of the £4 Guild Fee has discouraged students from joining societies this year, raising concerns over potential low membership levels. However, Harry did add: “last year over two thirds of the total memberships to both AU Clubs and Societies were taken online, so we still have a lot to look forward to.”
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