Xiaohongshu
The UCL African Caribbean Society (ACS) provides a wide range of opportunities for its members and the wider community. They aim to educate, empower, entertain and engage their members - and now they're looking to get even more people involved.
University is about more than lectures and late-night study sessions - it's also where you find your people. Getting involved in sport is one of the best ways to build friendships and feel part of something bigger. There's a place for everyone - no experience needed.
Black History Month Sports Pass
The Black History Month Sports Pass is part of an initiative for Black History Month, launching Monday 20 October. If you are a Black student at UCL, this pass entitles you to access all designated Sports Club and Project Active open sessions between Monday 20 October and Sunday 16 November.
Finding your community through sport
With ACS, sport is not just about competition - it's about the community you find, the positive effects it has on your wellbeing, and the cultural pride it celebrates. ACS are building on the successes they've found through participating in sport last year, and this year will be expanding the scope of what their society offers. Looking forward, they're excited to see how sport will bring together even more students from across UCL this year.
We caught up with Deji (Male Sports Officer at ACS) and Rimarna (Femal Sports Officer at ACS) to find out their plans for expanding their reach this year and bringing more students together through sport.
What sport activities do ACS organise?
- Football: We run weekly training sessions and enter ACS teams into TeamUCL leagues and tournaments
- Netball: We host regular sessions that are open to all abilities and also enter TeamUCL competitions.
- Running: This year we’re also expanding beyond traditional team sports by launching a brand-new ACS Run Club (Pacers). This will be open to everyone to join, and is available to people of all running levels - from complete beginners to those with more experience
What value do your members get from participating in sports within ACS?
When it comes to participating in sports within ACS, we find they provide a space for members to build community, make friends, and stay active outside of academic life.
For many students, joining ACS sports has been their first time connecting with a consistent group at UCL.
What have been some of your highlights from ACS' involvement in TeamUCL Leagues?
Our biggest achievement so far has been winning the TeamUCL World Cup, a major football tournament where societies across campus compete (students can enter as a team and represent a country of their choice). The victory was not only a sporting highlight, but also a proud moment for the society, showcasing our teamwork, talent, as well as the strength of our community.
TeamUCL Leagues is the Students' Union's programme of social, semi-competitive sport - no trials, no training, just matches. Weekly matches are close to campus, affordable and a great way to get active with your friends. We have lots of societies already involved (from big cultural groups to academic and departmental societies) and we do all of the fixture admin and organising - you just have to get a team together!
What's next?
This year, we're really excited to launch Pacers, the first-ever ACS Run Club. This will involve weekly social runs started at the beginning of October , and we'd love as many people to get involved as possible - the run club is open to all students, not just ACS members.
We're encouraging people of all abilities to join the club - from complete beginners to experiences runners.
This is a huge step for us, as it broadens what ACS sports can offer and creates a more inclusive activity for students who may not be into traditional team sports.
How can UCL students get involved in sport at ACS?
We encourage students to get involved by:
- Joining our football or netball sessions (information is shared on our social media and group chats, which you can find out more about here)
- Coming along to Pacers Run Club on Wednesdays. Sign up via a google form sign-up, then just turn up ready to run!
- Joining ACS sports groupchats, where we regularly announce sports opportunities.
We encourage all students (ACS members or not) to take part in our sports events, as our goal is to make sport as inclusive and welcoming as possible.