Last week was Varsity, where we saw 8 days of sport with 45 overall fixtures, 29 different sports, taking place at 22 locations throughout London. Varsity is absolutely my favourite time of the year, and I loved working behind the scenes (including extending Varsity, making the schedule work so students can go to as many games as possible, and creating fun merch) to make sure that this year’s was the biggest and best yet.
Spectatorship and community at Varsity
Even though we came away with the win (for the third year in a row!), what made the week so incredible was the atmosphere. It felt so special to be able to celebrate with the UCL community – cheering on our amazing athletes, who brought their all to every game and absolutely smashed it.
I want to say a HUGE thank you to them for making it all possible, but also to everyone who showed up and cheered for TeamUCL – whether that was by attending a game, cheering at one of our watch parties, or supporting from home. Seeing everybody come together was incredible, and definitely a highlight of my role.
Making Varsity more inclusive
This year’s Varsity had five brand new sports – gaming, water polo, futsal, karting and kendo. It was brilliant to get so many new sports involved – our biggest Varsity yet! We finished the competition with Women’s and Men’s rugby games in Richmond. Both teams performed brilliantly, the stands were full of people cheering, and we got to experience the iconic trophy lift for the 3rd year in a row.
Varsity has always been on of my favourite time of the year. This year it was incredible to be part of the team working on Varsity and then see it happen. I am so proud of all our students who put on an absolutely brilliant performance and made London bleed purple once again
My work to uphold sports at UCL
A huge part of my role as Activities and Engagement Officer is working with UCL to understand the needs of students engaging in sport. I’ve been working behind the scenes to ensure that the policy on not teaching past 12.50pm on Wednesday afternoons is upheld, so that you have the opportunity to take part in sports (and other extracurricular activities) as part of your overall UCL experience.
I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to amplify the student voice through the Student Partnership Committees, as I know these activities are key to enhancing wellbeing and upholding a strong sense of community and belonging at UCL. With Wednesday afternoons dedicated to field sports, students can engage in these activities without affecting their academic progress. Any decision to hold classes on Wednesday afternoons must be approved by the Faculty Education Leadership and also discussed and agreed with all students involved.