New Sports and Fresh Faces: Your ‘Big Week of Sport’ Roundup

Following the success of Sports Fair, Big Week of Sport (BWOS) returned between 28 September and 8 October, allowing students to take part in taster sessions and squad selections for all Northumbria University sport clubs.

Firstly, we would like to express our excitement surrounding our all-new Women’s Rugby League team! With over 100 signups at Sports Fair, and 42 attendees at the BWOS taster session, we are really proud of the initial startup and look forward to seeing how the team grows in its first year on the programme.

Football proved to be our most popular sport on offer, with over 600 Sports Fair signups (500 men and 100 women). With the aim to include as many students as possible, an additional Men’s BUCS team has been introduced, ensuring the University’s football teams continue to go from strength to strength.

Away from BUCS, Swimming, MMA and Athletics proved to be three of our other most popular sport clubs, with spaces selling out swiftly during BWOS.

Another new sport introduced this year is Gaelic Football. The sport has not featured for a few years but has returned for 2023/24, and already boasts 24 members following successful BWOS taster sessions.

Finally, we are thrilled to welcome Hockey back to Coach Lane Campus! Following the completion of the brand-new pitch, Hockey enjoyed a number of taster sessions and squad selection events back at Coach Lane. With six BUCS teams this year, there are now also additional opportunities to get involved in the form of a ‘TRAIN membership’ option or Just PLAY sessions.

We would like to thank everyone who attended sessions during BWOS, we hope you have found the sport right for you – be it through BUCS competition or ‘Just PLAY’ing when you can. We can’t wait for the season to start and see how all our athletes get on!

Missed Big Week of Sport but still want to get involved in Northumbria Sport? You’re in luck, as there are so many ways you can do just that. Here are five great ways you can get involved with sport at University:

• Just PLAY programme – no cost, no equipment or experience needed, students can simply book on to one of our sessions and ‘Just PLAY’ any of our 12 sports on offer.
• Just TRY programme – aimed at beginners who want to try a sport but don’t want to commit to a full membership, ‘Just TRY’ offers the opportunity to purchase a six-week block of sessions for just £20, with a selection of six sports to choose from.
• Volunteering and internship opportunities – This award-winning scheme offers students the opportunity to enhance their employability through working alongside industry professionals and gain valuable experience of the workplace.
• Fitness memberships – With full access to our gym, swimming pool, group exercise classes, steam room and sauna, a fitness membership provides opportunity to stay active at University for just £18 per month.
• Supporting Northumbria teams in weekly fixtures – with the BUCS season having just kicked off, why not head down to Sport Central or Coach Lane Sports Ground to get behind one of our teams and experience some high-quality competition.

For more information on any of the opportunities listed above, please visit the NU Sport app or search the rest of our website.