Cheerleading Club

UCL Lightning is a cheerleading club involved in stunts, jumps, tumbles, and dance. We offer weekly training, and we are open to people of all abilities. Cheerleading suits all members regardless of availability or experience; everyone is welcome to join! If you've bought a membership, follow our Instagram page and join our Whatsapp group chat to receive all the necessary information and updates.

To view our full information and welcome pack 2025-2026, click HERE!

We have many different membership options, so you can find the membership that suits you!

Our competitive teams compete at University Nationals, with our Level 3 team being back-to-back-to-back National Champions! As a team sport, attendance at every practice is key, and absences affect the whole team as it means a stunt may not be able to be executed safely. Please be aware that we operate a 3-strike policy. If you are placed on a competitive team and do not attend multiple training sessions without warning, you could be removed from the team at the coaches' discretion. If you expect to have lots of absences throughout the term, a competitive membership would not be the best option for you (see alternatives below)!

All Competitive and Performance members will be expected to pay for their individual uniforms (expected £110).

All Competitive and Performance members also gain access to recreational sessions for free, and all members will have access to our exciting socials throughout the year!

Competitive Membership (Level 2 & 3) - Bolt & Strike:

Our competitive teams compete at university national competitions, and we’ve previously won 4 national titles, with Strike being back-to-back-to-back national champions in the past three years. For the 2025-2026 academic year, we will enter our level 2 and 3 teams into two competitions and showcase. We plan for Bolt (L2) and Strike (L3) to train 4 hours weekly, by qualified coaches. There will be occasional additional training sessions on weekends before competitions.

For 2025-2026, our Level 2 and 3 Competitive Membership will cost £150. This will cover coaching fees, external venue hire, and competition entry fees.

Members will be expected to pay for their individual uniforms and transport to external venues.

While cheerleading can be an expensive sport, please keep in mind that these fees are spread out throughout the year - and with 4 hours of training per week, multiple extra training sessions and two national competitions, it works out as good value!

Competitive Membership (Level 1) - Spark & Flash:

For the 2025-2026 academic year, our level 1 competitive teams will be entered into two competitions and showcase. Our level 1 teams placed 2nd and 3rd at Regionals and Nationals last year! This year, Spark & Flash (L1) will train twice every week!

The cost of our level 1 membership is £145. This includes all training and competition fees. Similarly to the level 2 and 3 teams, attendance at every practice is key to performing a routine that the whole team can be proud of.

Members will be expected to pay for their individual uniforms and transport to external venues.

While cheerleading can be an expensive sport, please keep in mind that these fees are spread out throughout the year - and with 3.5 hours of training per week, multiple extra training sessions and two national competitions, it works out as good value!

Performance Membership - Charge:

Our performance team is ideal for beginners or those who can only commit to once-a-week training. Charge, our performance team, prepares a level 1 routine to perform at showcase and Varsity gamedays!

For the 2025-2026 season, our performance membership will cost £90. This includes 2 hours of weekly training, training at external venues, and performance and showcase fees.

Please note that members will be expected to pay for their individual uniforms and transport to external venues.

Recreational Membership:

Recreational (or social) training involves weekly sessions led by qualified coaches for those interested in trying out cheerleading and picking up skills without the commitment! Sessions will be catered towards stunting, tumbling and flexibility.

For the 2025-26 season, the cost of social membership will be £30. This includes 1.5 hours of weekly training and the opportunity to perform at Varsity.

Socials:

We are a very social club and have many socials planned for the year to suit everyone. This includes our Meet the Teams Social, Cheermas (our black-tie Christmas ball), and our highly anticipated Cheer Tour in the summer! Besides team bonding events being held frequently, the club attends Sports Night on Wednesdays, as well as non-alcoholic daytime socials, so you can make friends with the rest of the club and not worry about missing out. Check out the What's On Calendar or 'Events' section of this page to stay up-to-date on what we've got planned! If you wish to attend any of our socials, you will need to hold a paid membership.

Outreach:

We pride ourselves on being a highly inclusive club, annually participating in events such as This Girl Can and Pride Week. We also volunteer and fundraise for the community. In 2018, we raised £3,000 for Cancer Research in a sponsored run, and in June 2020, our members raised £600 for Black Lives Matter by holding an online bow raffle. We've also hosted a donation drive for Ukraine, and we include themed trainings throughout the year to raise awareness on illnesses such as Breast Cancer. This year, we plan to continue raising awareness for the community through our club's activities.