SOCIETIES AND SPORT CLUBS

Student Officers Evelyn Sweeney and Ross Sharman reveal the importance of making the most of your time at uni.

niversity can give students an opportunity to branch out and reinvent themselves. A great way to do so is by getting involved in extra-curricular activities. The Student Union is home to tons of societies and sports teams, each with their own benefits. To get an idea of what societies and sports can boost your university experience, we speak to the Student Officers representing the Students’ Union. U

Societies Development Officer Eve Sweeney, explains how she feels inspired in her role because socities completely transformed her experience: “If I didn’t have societies, I honestly might have dropped out of university. Having that support system is really nice, and I want to carry that on for students.”

During her time as a student, Sweeney was part of the Rock Society, Gamers Society and the Vague Society. This year she will support new socities including the Chess Society, the E-Sports Society and the Musical Theatre Society.

Sweeney wants to encourage new and returning students to head to the Union and find out what’s on offer: “I went to Fresher’s Fair and I had no idea what I wanted to join, but I went along and got into it. It was a nice way of chatting to people. But if you can’t make it to a Fair, there’s also a lot of information online.”

Sports Officer Ross Sharman, reveals that the sport offer is just as jam-packed too: “We have our mainstream ones, like football, basketball, rugby. We have ones that people may never have tried or heard of before, like lacrosse, American football and all sorts of martial arts. Currently we offer 40 sports, so we really do have most things covered.”

“If I didn’t have societies, I honestly might have dropped out of university. Having that support system is really nice, and I want to carry that on for students.”

“We have sport on a competitive level if you

want to join a team, but we have options on a recreational level as well. You can join Active Campus, which is basically an open session where you can go and try a sport every week.”

“It’s fantastic and a lot more welcoming. A lot

of our sports teams have become like families, which is great. Our teams are moving away from ‘that culture’ and they’re understanding that sports is for everyone, regardless of whether you’ve done it before or what type of person you are.

“There’s a huge amount of people who

probably don’t even know what’s on offer. It’s really important we emphasise what’s on offer, whether you’ve done it before or not. You can start something from scratch and give it a go!”

Sharman is aware that for some students, sports may carry a stigma from the days of high school. He adds that this is something the sports team are actively working to rectify.