Xiaohongshu
More than 20,000 students have participated in our sports programmes this year, a major new milestone in the growth of our sporting offer at UCL.
Engagement in sport is one of the six themes of our ambitious Student Life strategy, with a target of 50% of all students (around 26,500) engaging in sport by 2028. We’re on course to meet that figure and create one of the most active campuses in the UK.
We know sport changes how student feel. So, we jumped at the chance to better understand why by supporting UCL's research. We've been working on the Active Minds project, one of UCL’s Grand Challenge funded projects. Together, we've been tracking physical activity, mental wellbeing and cognitive performance through wearable technology. The project found that small lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing and cognitive performance, which backs up what we see every day through our TeamUCL programmes.
Supporting student wellbeing through sport and physical activity is central to what Students’ Union UCL does.
Through our Student Life strategy, we've built a programme of mass participation events designed to make getting active as accessible as possible. From the UCL Campus Run, now in its third year and attracting more than 750 runners of all abilities, to our TeamUCL Leagues programme, the home of social sport at UCL.
There are many ways for students to participate in sport through us, including:
- Competitive club sport through TeamUCL – more than 75 different sports, competing weekly against universities across the UK.
- Elite Athlete training and support.
- Joining and regularly using the TeamUCL Gyms.
- Taking part in Project Active classes, our no experience necessary, no commitment physical activity programme.
- TeamUCL leagues, our intramural social sport programme.
- Mass participation events, like the UCL Campus Run and Swimathon.
From an increased sense of belonging, to improved physical and mental wellbeing, sport and physical activity enhances students’ lives in so many ways. I am thrilled that in UCL’s 200th year we have reached a milestone engagement figure of over 20,000 students. This wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of our fantastic team of staff, coaches, and incredible student leaders. UCL’s strong commitment to further develop this important area of student life is clear and we are excited to continue to bring the benefits of being active to the entire UCL community.
Katie Sykes, Head of Sport and Physical Activity, Students’ Union UCL
“Sport was transformative during my time as a student – I met my closest friends and developed a strong sense of belonging to UCL through the students’ union’s TeamUCL clubs. This became a platform for other forms of engagement, including leading a volunteering project at the UCL Academy school, teaching Cheerleading. The more students who have access to these kinds of experiences the better, and the Student Life strategy has put sport at the heart of many students’ lives.”
Ana Boikova, Activities & Engagement Officer, Students’ Union UCL