Hindu Society: Sports Officer

Hindu Soc has genuinely been one of the most meaningful parts of my university experience. It gave me a strong group of friends, a real sense of community, and many great memories. I’d love the opportunity to pass on those same positive vibes to next year’s freshers. 

Outside university, I volunteered at my local Sai Centre where I attended sessions exploring the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and how they apply to real-life challenges and decisions. Learning from two amazing mentors helped me see how Hinduism can guide everyday life, and I’d love to support events that continue bringing awareness to these teachings within the society. Since I was young, I’ve played a variety of sports, training in badminton and playing football, basketball, and cricket for local teams. At university I currently play for RUMS and Main CC, and I plan to return to football in Year 2. Sport has always been a big part of my life and is a great way to bring people together so I will aim to run sports sessions regularly.

This year I competed in the Dharmic Games regionals and nationals in football and kho kho. It was an amazing experience and showed me how much potential there is to grow traditional Hindu sports within UCL. As Sports Officer, I want to build on this momentum by organising regular sports sessions, strengthening teams, and expanding traditional sports like kho kho and kabaddi to make sports accessible, fun, and competitive for everyone in Hindu Soc.

Hindu society represents more than just a society to me – it is a community built on unity, shared culture and strong friendships. These values were clearly highlighted through my first experience at the games night, where members from all backgrounds were able to connect and build new friendships in a welcoming environment.

I am interested in the role of Sports Officer because of the large role that sport has played in my upbringing. Having primarily played cricket since a young age, I understand the commitment, teamwork and organisation required to run successful sporting events, while also valuing the importance of making sport inclusive and accessible for all abilities. Having played several other sports such as badminton and swimming, in addition to traditional sports like Kho-Kho, I am keen to develop Hindu Soc’s sporting activities and create an environment where people can come together through sport.

Having completed a Young Leaders program, I have gotten valuable experience in leadership, organisation and communication which I believe are essential in order to complete the following:

• Structure weekly sessions (taster or training)
• Organise inter-university matches
• Social events post training sessions (with social sec)

Overall, I am highly motivated to bring enthusiasm, organisation and commitment to the role, and I am excited about the opportunity to help grow Hindu Soc sport while creating an environment where members can compete, connect and enjoy sport together. 

I'm standing for sports officer because sports has always been a big part of my life: from being a competitive swimmer and social badminton player to playing for the women's lse kabaddi team as an external. I'd love to bring that same energy that I've seen in different sports into hindu society. Being part of a team has made me understand the teamwork, commitment and management that goes into running competitive sports. I'd love to create stronger sports representation for UCL within Hindu society, whether that's through entering championships, organising inter-uni matches or encouraging more members to get involved in different sports. But for me, this role isn't just about competition - it's about community and being able to organise more socials as committee. I've been brought up learning about hinduism and regularly going to temples, I really admire the friendly and welcoming vibe of the committee, I'd love to be part of something like that and contribute in a meaningful way. 

Sports have always been a huge aspect of my life. I've played cricket for almost a decade, represented my borough, and have experience in the coaching of young cricketers. 

If elected, I will introduce regular mixed cricket sessions that are the perfect blend of "training" and messing about (which I think is essential in any sport).

My top priority will be inclusiveness, which I learned to value as president of the gym society at 6th form. I aim to organise training sessions that are accessible to everyone of all skill levels. As someone new to sports such as Kho Kho, badminton, or football, I understand how daunting it can be for newcomers when trying a new sport, which I used to feel, but this year's HSOC sports have allowed me to overcome those thoughts. I'm willing to continue playing sports outside of cricket to encourage efforts in joining new sports.

With regards to nationals, I have helped to coordinate events such as proms, disco dandiyas and large get-togethers in ticketing and hospitality, ensuring I will be able to manage such events

My vision for next year's sports is for them to be competitive for those who want them to be, but also casual for others, promote sports as a means of fun, fitness, and connection through things such as post-training socials and funny forfeits. Nonetheless, having participated in nationals this year, I built connections with many talented individuals within UCLHSOC who I know will help train and develop the coming talent next year.

Sport has always been a big part of my life. I currently play county level badminton and previously played district cricket for Staffordshire, which has taught me discipline, teamwork and commitment. I also have vast experience organising events. At my previous school I was Deputy School Captain, where I helped plan and run activities for students. One highlight was organising our school’s Diwali Week, where I hosted fun events including cricket, cultural music performances ( like rangeela) and decorations to bring people together.

At university, some of my closest friendships have come through Hindu Society events, especially playing badminton together. These events create such a welcoming and fun environment, and they played a big role in helping me feel part of the community. As Sports Officer, I would love to organise similar events and give back to the same community that helped me make some of my closest friends.

Hi I'm Jayden and I'd love to be your next HSoc Sports Officer!

Sport has always been a huge part of my life and, alongside my experience within Hindu Societies, I’m confident I can bring energy, organisation and ambition to this role and to the committee overall.

Having participated in 3 NHSF Dharmic Games as Kho-Kho captain before university, I understand how these events run and what it takes to prepare teams properly. With this advantage, I plan to make Dharmic Games a bigger priority next year through earlier trials consistent training and stronger coordination across all sports.

I’ve already begun taking initiative by helping run our weekly Kho sessions and building connections with Hindu Societies at other London universities. We're currently planning collaborative training sessions across the city to strengthen preparation and expand our community beyond UCL. As Sports Officer I want to bring that same drive and collaboration to every sport within HSOC.

I really value the social side of sport and the community it creates. Next year, I’d love to run more sports events and bring back favourites like the 5-a-side football tournament.

I was also the Events Coordinator for Trafford Hindu Society, helping to deliver our annual event and coordinating over 100 performers. Organising something on that scale taught me a lot about planning and communication. With this experience, I know I can play a big role on committee and help elevate HSOC sport both competitively and socially!

I’m applying for Sports Officer because I think sport is another powerful way to build unity within our community. Hinduism in my life has always been tied to togetherness whether through temple visits, festival celebrations or community events and sport can create that same sense of shared energy and connection. I’d love to help organise tournaments like the NHSF dharmic games and casual matches that bring members together in a relaxed and inclusive ways such as Koko games. University can sometimes feel overwhelming, and having that supportive community through both faith and sport can make a huge difference. For me, this role would be about strengthening bonds and building a cohesive, active Hindu Soc community.