University News Last updated 27 June 2014
Students at Birmingham City University are being given more opportunity to get active and play sport thanks to £250,000 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s University Sport Activation Fund.
The University is one of 54 universities to benefit from nearly £10 million of funding to encourage new and current university students to enjoy sport.
A number of exciting initiatives will be launched from this September aiming to involve 10,000 students over three years. Activities will include encouraging students to organise and lead games and tournaments, utilising ‘Staff Champions’ to encourage students taking up sport and organising more activities on Wednesday afternoons as part of the Students’ Union’s ‘Keep Wednesday Afternoons Free’ campaign.
There is also the intention to use the new City Park in Eastside, adjacent to the University’s new City Centre Campus, for ‘pop-up’ style games, as well as plans to foster closer links with local sports clubs.
Birmingham City University Student’s’ Union (BCUSU) hope this funding will ultimately change the culture of students engaging in physical activity, after consulting over 1000 students.
Leanne Westcott, elected Student Development representative at BCUSU said: “Engaging a very diverse body of students at multiple campuses across the City has proven challenging over recent years so this funding will be crucial to building new opportunities and removing barriers for students to access sport, leading to an active lifestyle.
“We firmly believe this programme will improve the health and well-being of our students, foster deeper engagement within the student community and create a greater sense of belonging. Ultimately we hope to change our students’ habits to where physical activity at the university is the norm.”
Mike Draper, Sport England Director of Community Sport, added: “We know universities play a vital role in maintaining and growing a students’ love of sport. They can encourage them to continue playing once they’ve left school or help those less sporty discover a new sport. By investing in Birmingham City University we’re helping students develop a lifelong sporting habit while they study.”
The latest funding for university sport builds on Sport England’s highly successful three year ‘Active Universities’ programme which delivering a two per cent rise in the number of students playing sport regularly at the 41 university projects we invested in.