If you don’t feel ready to commit heaps of time, want to try a new sport, or just fancy playing it friendly this year then Newcastle’s programme of intramural sports may be right up your street.
Whilst you have to trial for many of Newcastle’s competitive sports teams, intramural is open to players of all abilities. As the name suggests, these are sports restricted to play within the university - so if you want to play, then you’ll be up against other Newcastle students only.
Entering a sport can often seem intimidating, especially if you haven't played for a while and are a little rusty, or if you've never given a certain game a go before. Intramural sport bridges this gap between wanting to start playing and starting to play competitively; it's fun and friendly and lacks a rigid training schedule that accompanies club sport.
Depending on your chosen sport, Newcastle offers league games or weekly coaching - which means it’s an easy way to stay active (and meet new people) with a minimum time commitment. Currently intramural sports run term time and Football (Men’s and Women’s leagues), Basketball (weekly coaching), Netball (leagues), Mixed Hockey (leagues), Rugby Union (leagues), and Squash (leagues / coaching) are on offer.
Often societies will enter teams into league games, so it’s a great way to continue your participation within societies and spend more time with like-minded people. Similarly, you can enter teams of your friends or mates from halls. Or if you don’t fancy getting competitive, some sports (including Basketball and Squash) offer coaching sessions where you can develop your skills.
The programme proves popular with students, with over 3,200 students participating each year. For more information, head on over to the NCL Sport website.