TeamUCL Club Updates 2025/26

TeamUCL Presidents & Treasurers, 
Welcome to November’s edition of the TeamUCL Club Update, a hit of key information from the Sports Development Team. You can find previous instalments on the Sports Development Hub.  

Headlines:
- Make a splash and raise money for Movember! Take part in the UCL Charity Swimathon, and earn Club Development Points.  
- Welcome Taster Memberships have now ended. From this point, you should be transitioning taster members to paid memberships, and only allowing paid members to attend sessions.

-  Black History Month round up. Did your club do something for Black History Month? Reply to this email with photos and info of your efforts for our Campaigns Round Up Instagram post. Deadline is Sunday 16 November.  

- Take part in Disability History Month! See below for more information. 

Club Activity 
Welcome Taster Memberships have now ended 
Taster memberships for the Welcome period (22 Sept – 26 Oct) have now expired, and clubs need to transition Taster members on to Paid memberships. From this point, you should only allow full members to attend club activity. Please make every effort to support and encourage taster members to purchase full, paid memberships.  

Coach & Instructor Registrations 
Coaches and Instructors are currently being approved through our updated processes. The most common delay is at the referencing stage, when only one reference has been submitted. A reminder that we require two references per coach/instructor. If there is a delay with approvals, please check with your coach/instructor to make sure that both references have been submitted. 

Club Storage 
A reminder for all clubs with storage space in the Bloomsbury Theatre Building (including the Gym), please remember that cardboard boxes are not permitted to be stored. Storage space is not a guaranteed right, as we have many clubs requiring storage that we cannot currently accommodate, so clubs failing to keep their space tidy or retaining cardboard boxes may no longer be granted space. 

Finance:
Taster Grant Fund : If want to run some additional introductory sessions to encourage new members to join, but are struggling to fund it, the Taster Grant Fund is now open. Created by Ana, your Activities and Engagement Officer, the Fund help clubs offer additional chances for new members to try out a sport if they missed the Welcome Taster period. 

Equity and Inclusion 
Black History Month Round Up 
We want to spotlight your work during Black History Month 2025. Please send photos and a description of your activity to Tommy ([email protected]) by Sunday 16 November. 

Disability History Month
Disability History Month is running from 20 November to 20 December. Want to find out how to get involved? Come to the TeamUCL Disability History Month Campaign Workshop on Tuesday 11^th November. Sign up here!  For TeamUCL Against Hate clubs, this is a great opportunity to fill in an aim under Diversity.  

Presidents' Breakfast 
First one on 18 November! 
The first President' Breakfast is happening on 18 November - this is a chance to chat with other Club Presidents' about their experience to learn from, and provide inspiration to, each other to deliver a better experience for your members. On top of that, there will be some breakfast provided by the Students' Union for you. Register at https://studentsunionucl.org/whats-on/sport/teamucl-presidents-breakfast. 

Club Resources Committee & Sports Development Hubs 
Committee & Sports Development Hubs

- The Committee Hub contains everything you’ll need to run your club in one place, such as activity registration forms and risk assessments.  

- The Sports Development Hub contains TeamUCL specific information including club development, captains training and TeamUCL projects. 

TeamUCL Presidents & Treasurers, 
This is the third TeamUCL Club Update of 2025/26, a hit of key information from the Sports Development Team. You can find previous instalments on the Sports Development Hub.  

Headlines 
- Win £150 for your club with TeamUCL Gym’s club competition. See more details at the top of the Sports Development Hub.  
- First Aid Courses available for committee members that lead activities. Refer to the attached email for more information. 

Club Activity 
Welcome Week 
Thanks for all your incredible work across Welcome Week, including the TeamUCL and Welcome Fairs. At Welcome Fair we welcomed over 11,000 students to UCL East, and had more than 6,000 taster memberships purchased across the week. Without you, that would not have happened. 

Club Development Meetings
We are offering optional Development Meetings for club committees, to talk about goals, budgets, concerns, and support for the upcoming year. Any committee member is welcome to attend. Click here to book a Development Meeting. 

Grant funding application guidance
As clubs are starting to receive membership income, we know grant funding is on everyone’s mind. We expect clubs to consider the below before applying for grant funding.  
- Check if the activity can be covered by non-grant funds. If not, why? 
- Check if the cost of the activity can be reduced. 
- Check any areas of non-core spending that can be reduced to accommodate the activity. 
- Check if core spending is efficient. 
- Explore fundraising opportunities, e.g. a small charge to members for the activity or a fundraising drive. 
- Speak to your staff lead before applying for grant funding. 
In short, we expect clubs to review other sources of income or a reduction in expenditure, before applying for grant funding.
From this point, you should speak to your staff lead ahead of submitting any grant funding applications. Any applications submitted before speaking to your staff lead will be rejected.

Club memberships 
- The Welcome Taster period ends on Sunday 26 October, but it is at each club’s discretion how long you offer access through taster memberships up to that point. 
- BUCS and LUSL players must have a full membership to compete. Fixtures start on Wednesday 8^th October, so ensure that this is a priority. 

Equity and Inclusion 
Black History Month has started! 
See the attached email to learn more about TeamUCL programming for Black History Month. There’s still time to join the Black History Month Sports Pass! 

TeamUCL Against Hate 
Training for TeamUCL Against Hate has now finished, and please see the upcoming deadlines for the programme below.  
Inclusion Plan Drop-In Session – Thursday 9 October, 11:15. What’s On event. 
Pledge and draft Inclusion Plan submission – Sunday 19 October, 23:59. Submission webform. 
Find out more about the programme here. 

Club Resources 
Committee & Sports Development Hubs 
- The Committee Hub contains everything you’ll need to run your club in one place, such as activity registration forms and risk assessments.  
- The Sports Development Hub contains TeamUCL specific information including club development, captains training and TeamUCL projects. 

Club Staff Leads 
- Each club has a designated staff lead, acting as their point of contact. Your staff lead is available to any committee member, so please cascade this to your committees. You can find your staff lead here.  

TeamUCL Sports Clubs,

Thanks for attending a TeamUCL Against Hate workshop. We’re so excited about this programme, and the potential for equity and inclusion that it brings.

Please see below some key deadlines, key resources, and spotlights on the Black History Month Sports Pass and Gender Inclusion Hub.

Upcoming deadlines

Monday 9 October, 11:15 – 12:00 – Inclusion Plan Drop In Session (optional)

- In person, Conference Room, 2^nd Floor of the Bloomsbury Theatre building. Sign up using the What’s On event here.

- This is a chance to talk through your Inclusion Plan and find opportunities to share your ideas and collaborate with other groups. If you can’t attend, but still want some help, email or book a drop in meeting with your staff lead using this link.

Sunday 19October, 23:59 - Signed pledge and draft inclusion plan.

- We don’t need a fully formed inclusion plan at this stage. Submitting these documents shows your intent to take part in the programme, and allows us as a staff team to connect clubs with similar aims and hotspot support. Use this webform to submit the documents.

Appointing Reps

While we prefer that your Pride, Diversity and Zero Tolerance reps aren’t committee members, if you’re struggling to appoint people, a committee member can fill the role. To help with recruitment for these roles, I’ve noted some of the benefits.

- Contribute to your club’s impact in meaningful areas of equity work, supporting a more diverse and inclusive sports offer at UCL.

- Improve the accessibility of your club to the wider UCL community.

- Help gain development points, supporting your club’s push for bronze, silver, or gold club development awards.

- Support your club to gain members and increase the impact of sessions, socials, and competitions.

- Gain experience being part of a project team and delivering actions, initiatives, and events.

- Gain experience in committee-adjacent positions, learning from current committee members and putting yourself in a position to run for a role in the future.

Resources

Sports Development Hub

This is becoming a one stop shop for key club resources. Crucially, you can find information on your staff lead, highlights on upcoming events and equity and inclusion resources. Access the hub here.

TeamUCL Against Hate page

We’ve built a TeamUCL Against Hate landing page, which can be accessed through the Sports Development Hub. This page has the slide deck, pledge and inclusion plan templates, and links to the Club Development Reports from the last three years.

Spotlights

Black History Month Sports Pass

Running since 2022, the initiative has gone from strength to strength. With the Pass, Black students can attend designated sports club and Project Active sessions for free, offering a huge opportunity to address inequalities in access to sport.

How it works

- Students get the Sports Pass and a taster membership for each club they want to try.

- Clubs create password protected What’s On events, allocating some space at designated training sessions for Sports Pass holders. We don’t expect clubs to deliver new sessions for this, and instead allocate some space at their existing weekly training, taster or social sessions.

- Sports Pass holders attend, have a great time, and hopefully transition to a full membership after the Pass ends.

This year, the Sports Pass will run from Monday 20 October to Sunday 16 November. This will:

- Minimise clashes with the Welcome Taster period.

- Support Black students to gain further free access to sports clubs, beyond the Welcome Taster period.

- Encourage more students to get club taster memberships, and therefore join club mailing lists and connect more directly with clubs.

- Enable more clubs to take part, by allowing engagement at any point during a longer Sports Pass period. Is it better for your club to offer sessions at a certain point during the pass, e.g. the first or last few weeks? That’s fine! Any engagement is better than no engagement.

Would you like to join the Black History Month Sports Pass? Email Tommy to register your interest to take part – [email protected]

TeamUCL Gender Inclusion Hub

TeamUCL are developing a Trans* Inclusion Action Plan, and as part of this have created the TeamUCL Gender Inclusion Hub. The goal is to give Trans* students clear, up-to-date information on sport and fitness at UCL, giving them more confidence to find something for them.

- Please complete the Sports Club Self-Assessment for your club, which will be updated on the Hub. You must use your UCL Microsoft Account to access the document. Link here -  TeamUCL Trans Inclusion Self-Assessment.xlsx

- Some clubs have information completed already. This was a best guess, aiming to provide some examples of what to add in. If incorrect, please update.

- Engaging in this Self-Assessment will contribute to the TeamUCL Against Hate programme, and can be counted as an aim under ‘Pride’.

Dear TeamUCL Sports Clubs, 
Black History Month is running from 1^st to 30^th October. Here’s what TeamUCL is doing and how you can get involved.  

Why take part? 

Campaigns and community observations are an excellent showcase of your club’s commitment to equity and inclusion, and have real world impact at UCL. Here are some of the benefits to taking part in Black History Month. 

1. You will support Black students at UCL to feel more confident joining clubs and engaging in sport and fitness while studying. 

2. Your club will be featured on the Students’ Union’s Black History Month page, reaching a UCL wide audience, and supporting new students to engage in sport and exercise.  

3. Your club will showcase its commitment to inclusivity and could gain new members.

4. You can gain Club Development Points, contributing to the Club Development Awards. 

5. You can contribute to your TeamUCL Against Hate objectives, which again links into the Club Development Awards. 

I don’t know how to get involved. Where can I get ideas? 

Come to the TeamUCL Black History Month Campaign Workshop on Monday 22^nd September, 13:00-13:45. This is a space to ask questions, get ideas and collaborate with other clubs. You can register using the What’s On event here - https://studentsunionucl.org/whats-on/sport/teamucl-black-history-month-campaign-workshop-0 

How to take part 

1. Sharing student voice  

We want to keep adding to our Athlete Profiles for Black History Month, which elevate black students’ voices each year. 

Do your members have a story to tell? Do they have positive experiences to share, or challenges to highlight? Maybe there are sporting icons, UCL alumni or untold stories in sport that need a spotlight. Two sub-themes of BHM 2025 are pride in our roots and icons of influence. What does this mean to your Black members? 

Please share the Athlete Profiles with your members, and ask if they would consider writing one or share their thoughts in a different format. Ask any interested members to email Tommy – [email protected].  

2. Black History Month Sports Pass

A BUCS Cost of Living report finding that Black and Black British students are amongst the most likely groups to stop taking part in sport and physical activity due to financial concerns, and recent research from Women In Sport highlights why Black women and girls disengage from sport and exercise. The Black History Month Sports Pass is one of our responses to that. 

Running since 2022, the initiative has gone from strength to strength. With the Pass, Black students can attend designated sports club and Project Active sessions for free, offering a huge opportunity to address inequalities in access to sport.  

How it works 

- Students get the Sports Pass and a taster membership for each club they want to try. 

- Clubs create password protected What’s On events, allocating some space at designated training sessions for Sports Pass holders. We don’t expect clubs to deliver new sessions for this, and instead allocate some space at their existing weekly training sessions. 

- Sports Pass holders attend, have a great time, and hopefully transition to a full membership after the Pass ends. 

This year, the Sports Pass will run from Monday 20 October to Sunday 16 November. This will: 

- Minimise clashes with the Welcome Taster period. 

- Support Black students to gain further free access to sports clubs, beyond the Welcome Taster period. 

- Encourage more students to get club taster memberships, and therefore join club mailing lists and connect more directly with clubs. 

- Enable more clubs to take part, by allowing engagement at any point during a longer Sports Pass period. Is it better for your club to offer sessions at a certain point during the pass, e.g. the first or last few weeks? That’s fine! Any engagement is better than no engagement. 

Would you like to join the Black History Month Sports Pass? Email Tommy to register your interest to take part – [email protected]  

3. TeamUCL Against Hate 

Are you taking part in TeamUCL Against Hate? Use Black History Month for an aim in your Inclusion Plan! This is a great opportunity to have impact under Diversity, related to either visibility, education, or opportunity! Can you include your training sessions in the Sports Pass, fundraise for charity, or educate members on a key issue? 

4. Take inspiration from previous years 

Over the last few years, clubs have teamed with the African Caribbean Society and People of Colour Network to run taster sessions and events, fundraised for national and local charities, and used social media to highlight club leaders, members and Black athletes. Read our 2022-23 and 2023-24 Club Development Reports for more inspiration.  

Sharing your work 

Do you have anything planned for Black History Month, maybe some fundraising, a taster session, or an event? We will share your work through our newsletter and Instagram, and can even set up an Instagram takeover if you’re running an event.  

Email in to tell us what you’re doing, with key details, links, and photos, and we’ll help spread the word. 

Beyond UCL 

Have a look at the Black History Month website and the BHM Visit London page for London-wide events! 

Welcome Week is approaching! Are you ready?

This is the second TeamUCL Club Update of 2025/26, a hit of key information from the Sports Development Team. You can find previous instalments on the Sports Development Hub.

Headline Events

- TeamUCL Leaders Conference, UCL East, Friday 19^th September. Tickets and information here.

- TeamUCL Takeover Day, Gordon Square, Wednesday 24^th September. General information here (no ticket required for stall holders).

- Welcome Fair, UCL East, Thursday 25^th September. General information here (no ticket required for stall holders).

Equity and Inclusion

TeamUCL Against Hate

This programme harnesses the power of sports clubs to deliver impactful events, initiatives, and projects in three focus areas: LGBTQ+ inclusion (Pride in TeamUCL), inclusion of underserved groups (Diversity in TeamUCL), and eliminating gendered violence and abuse (Zero Tolerance of Sexual Harassment).  

Alongside the positive community impact, clubs can gain development points, reach new audiences and improve their members experience through this programme. 

Training sessions are being delivered through late September and early October, and are compulsory for Welfare Officers. Presidents and committee members with a focus on inclusion are encouraged to attend.

Find out more and register for training sessions here - https://studentsunionucl.org/teamucl-against-hate 

Trans* Inclusion and Sports Club Self-Assessment 

- TeamUCL are developing a Trans* Inclusion Action Plan, and as part of this have created the TeamUCL Gender Inclusion Hub. The goal is to give Trans* students clear, up-to-date information on sport and fitness at UCL, giving them more confidence to find something for them.  

- As part of this, please complete the Sports Club Self-Assessment for your club, which will be updated on the Hub. The deadline for this has been extended to Sunday 14^th September. The spreadsheet includes a guidance tab on how to complete it. You must use your UCL Microsoft Account to access the document. Link here -  TeamUCL Trans Inclusion Self-Assessment.xlsx

- Some clubs have information completed already. This was a best guess, aiming to provide some examples of what to add in. If incorrect, please update. 

- Engaging in this Self-Assessment will contribute to the TeamUCL Against Hate programme, and can be counted as an aim under ‘Pride’. 

Club Activity 

Captains Training 

- Compulsory training for BUCS & LUSL captains and fixture secretaries, containing crucial information for the upcoming season. BUCS Play access won't be granted without attendance. Register for sessions here - https://studentsunionucl.org/tags/sports-captains 

Club Resources 

Committee & Sports Development Hubs 

- The Committee Hub contains everything you’ll need to run your club in one place, such as activity registration forms and risk assessments. Please do familiarise yourself with the hub; if you have any questions that the hub doesn’t answer for you, please email us!  

- The Sports Development Hub (work in progress) contains TeamUCL specific information including captains training and travel reclaim guides. You may also find information relating to the high performance programme which may be relevant to your club. 

Club Staff Leads

- Each club will have a designated staff lead who will be your point of contact during your time in your role. You can find your staff lead here - https://studentsunionucl.org/teamucl-sports-development-staff-leads. 

- We recommend reaching out to your lead to set up an introductory development meeting before the beginning of the academic year.  

TeamUCL Presidents & Treasurers, 
We hope you’re having a great summer! 

Welcome to the first TeamUCL Club Update of 2025/26. This is a hit of key information from the Sports Development Team, such as upcoming events or information that you need to be aware of. 

TeamUCL Facility Timetable

- The TeamUCL Facility Timetable (live doc) can be found here, or on the Sports Development Hub –  SU Facility Timetable 2025-26 FINAL.xlsx. 

- This runs from Monday 29^th September 2025 to Friday 27^th March 2026. This is relevant for all clubs that use Somers Town and spaces in our gym (Mandela Studio, MPR, Squash Courts)

- There have been some changes from last year, so please ensure you know when your sessions are. Some further changes may be made, but we wanted to get this out early.

- Any additional sessions booked last year will need to be rebooked by following this How To guide - https://studentsunionucl.org/how-to/clubs-and-societies/booking-spaces-equipment 

- As ever, we have very limited space, and clubs have an ever-growing need for more. If the size and timing of your allocated spaces are not suitable, get in touch. 

Club Registration Documents 

- A reminder to submit your club constitution and risk assessments via this form if you haven’t already. If this isn’t done, your club risks being disbanded. 

Trans* Inclusion and Sports Club Self-Assessment 

- TeamUCL are developing a Trans* Inclusion Action Plan, and as part of this have created the TeamUCL Gender Inclusion Hub. The goal is to give Trans* students clear, up-to-date information on sport and exercise at UCL, giving them more confidence to find something for them. 

- As part of this, please complete the Sports Club Self-Assessment for your club, which will be updated on the Hub. The initial deadline for this is Friday 5^th September. The spreadsheet includes a guidance tab on how to complete it. You must use your UCL Microsoft Account to access the document. Link here -  TeamUCL Trans Inclusion Self-Assessment.xlsx

- Some clubs have information completed already. This was a best guess, aiming to provide some examples of what to add in. If incorrect, please update. 

- Engaging in this Self-Assessment will contribute to the TeamUCL Against Hate programme, and can be counted as an aim under ‘Pride’. 

Training & Competition Calendar

- Please ensure your training sessions are mapped our for the year as soon as possible, to allow for changes if venues aren’t available

- For those competing in BUCS leagues, schedules have now been released on BUCS Play. Attached is Appendix 2 which covers all key dates (e.g. league deadlines and cup weeks). 

- For those competing in BUCS events, dates and information on events can be found on the BUCS Events page. A reminder that this is always updating as events are finalised. 

Venue Bookings 

- Once you’ve completed all necessary training, please look to start booking your training facilities for the 25/26 season if possible. 

- Please do not sign contracts yourself! All contracts should be uploaded to the contract submission form and, following the signing, returned to the supplier. Please upload your invoice(s) to a purchase request form once received. 

- For bookings that require a card payment to be made (e.g. via SchoolHire), please submit a purchase request form with details of the required booking. Under ‘How should this purchase be made?’ select Online payment. 

Coaching Structure & Club Development Plans 

- The new coach registration form will be live imminently – please keep an eye out for an email regarding this! For now, please take time to consider your coach/instructor structure. 

- If you’ve attended the Running Your TeamUCL Club training, you’ll be aware of the club development plan. If you haven’t already, please set goals for the year before meeting with your designated staff lead.

Club Staff Leads

- Each club will have a designated staff lead who will be your point of contact during your time in your role. You can find your staff lead here - https://studentsunionucl.org/teamucl-sports-development-staff-leads. 

- We recommend reaching out to your lead to set up an introductory development meeting before the beginning of the academic year. During the summer, please cc [email protected] into any emails due to staff annual leave! 

Committee & Sports Development Hubs 

- The Committee Hub contains everything you’ll need to run your club in one place, such as activity registration forms and risk assessments. Please do familiarise yourself with the hub; if you have any questions that the hub doesn’t answer for you, please email us! 

- The Sports Development Hub (work in progress) contains TeamUCL specific information including captains training and travel reclaim guides. You may also find information relating to the high performance programme which may be relevant to your club. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We look forwards to seeing what you achieve in your role this year!