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Anglia Ruskin University- Join the Herd.

‘Join the Herd’ specifically targets hard to reach groups with the aim of getting more students, who aren’t already physically active, involved in sport. The project aims to increase participation amongst the following groups; nursing students, international students, students with a limiting disability, students living in university accommodation and students studying at our Peterborough campus.

Classes in class rooms!

• These activities are targeted at nursing students whostudy in a building away from the main campus.

• Fitness classes, such as Pilates and Yoga, are delivered inclassroom space in the building where the nurses study.This building does not have any sports facilities on site.

• This has worked well as students have been able to comestraight out of lectures and into a class. It has meant thatthey haven’t had to travel anywhere to participate anddoesn’t require any waiting times. Due to the success ofthis class, another one will be introduced into theprogramme for semester 2.

• All marketing and communication has been directedsolely at Young Street. Lecturers have also been involvedin the promotion and the USAF project lead has visitedlectures. Face to face promotion has proved to be themost successful form of marketing.

Project contact details Verity Allen

[email protected] 698781

University of Bath – 3:Thirty Club (II)The 3:Thirty Club is a social opportunity for students to get involved in fun and non‐competitive activity.

A mixture of sessions delivered on campus and in the city centre ranging from fitness based sessions to team sports providingan option for all. These include Yoga, Dodgeball, Zumba, Table Tennis, Running which are selected and delivered based on student feedback.

3:Thirty Club Yoga• Who? The 3:Thirty Club’s aim is to target students who complete less than 30

minutes of exercise a week. The project has highlighted three main groups to target; postgraduate, international and female students. The Yoga session’s current participants includes a high majority of female students who would be classed as ‘inactive’.

• Delivery and Innovation: The session is delivered by a female yoga teacher in the city centre on Wednesdays, a day where there few lectures and seminars which allows a higher proportion of students to attend. It is aimed at beginner level to cater for the target audience and is free. To promote these sessions we had a Yoga yurt (shown in the pictures) on the parade which ran sessions for two weeks continuously to allow students to drop in, try yoga and gain free incentives.

• Success: The opportunity to host the ‘This Girl Can’ Yoga yurt from our local county sports partnership allowed us to raise the profile of yoga especially to female students. Positioning a bright pink tent in one of the busiest areas on campus engaged a lot of students and offering sessions every hour provided an opportunity for students to drop in and try yoga. Leading to students having an increase in awareness of the benefits of taking part in yoga and where and when future sessions are taking place.

• Marketing and Communication: A variety of marketing has been used to raise awareness of the yoga sessions including speaking to students at freshers’ fair, pop up events, social media, visiting halls of residence, emails, flyers and linking into the Yoga society that regularly deliver their sessions on campus. However the most successful form of marketing was ‘This Girl Can’ yoga yurt.

Testimonial

“I like 3:thirty because it enables us to have fun breaking away the study/research/writing up routine. It provides a common space for people with different abilities and from different departments.”

Patricia ReesePostgraduate Student.

Project contact details:

Name: Zoe AshmanE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01225 384106

Sport for Fun – Bucks Students’ Union Recreational Sporting Offer

The project will increase the participation and retention of students in sport by providing them with the opportunity to participate in fun recreational activity on a regular basis, without the commitment that comes with competitive sport.

“Being the ambassador for Badminton has been really enjoyable. It has allowed me to express myself and promote the sport as I wish. You’ve got to think and find a way of getting people along to your session who wouldn’t normally be motivated to. When I'm at the session I try and be as personable, happy and jokey as possible with everyone, making sure everyone feels included.”David Tungate ‐ Badminton Ambassador.

"Everyone is really welcoming and it's a great atmosphere at badminton, and the different music themes is a great aspect". Student participating in Badminton.

Name: Daniel Lawrence Email: [email protected]: 01494 601 600

Who’s involved:

• A strong focus on female participation is a major part of our initiative. We run a women's only Pilates session every week alongside Cheerleading where the majority of attendees are female.

• We ran a course specific intramural event for fresher’s on the sports courses. As a result of this we were able to engage these individuals early into our programme.

Getting people involved and engaging with everyone:

• Ambassadors at each session ensure that all students are involved in the session and engaging with different people. This makes sure that participants get enough playing time whilst getting to know new people outside of their original social group.

• Ambassador tops given at the start of the year help to recognise them so if anyone has any questions about sessions they are able to answer these on a daily basis.

Use of social media:

• A strong social media presence on different Facebook and Twitter accounts has helped promote the sessions and engage in a wider audience.

• A higher use of the Bucks Students’ Union website has improved the communication to more student

Fun sessions:

• All of our sessions are made fun so that it is not purely focused on physical activity or sport.

• At Badminton in particular, students are engaged by themed music being played each week, which brings different people. We are able to gain new participants as well as retain others on a weekly basis. Alongside Badminton England, we run a charity week for Macmillan in which we raised £50 with everyone attending wearing something green.

Lecture shoutouts:

• Visits into low participation lecture groups to explain what sport for fun is and how they can get involved has helped reach groups which we struggled to engage in the previous year.

• We are running a competition between 2 courses who had a low participation rate last year, to see which course can get the highest percentage of students participating in the sport for fun programme. These courses are Fashion Design and Textiles & Surface design , courses with a high female intake.

Canterbury Christ Church University ‐ PlaySportThe PlaySport project aims to give students and staff at Christ Church regular opportunities to play sport in a range of different ways including recreational sports leagues, casual turn up and play sessions as well as activities tailored to particular groups by breaking down the barriers to participation on a more local level.

• Students who commute from across the county

• PlaySport has a strand entitled ‘Local To You’ which focuses on providing activities for students who don’t necessarily live within a mile radius of the campuses. Partnerships are formed with facility providers and clubs across the whole of Kent allowing students discounted access to sport at flexible times meaning they can attend as and when they are available to as opposed to set session times.

• Swimming in particular has been very successful where we now have partnerships with eight swimming centres across Kent. Swimming was the most popular activity when we surveyed students about activity preference and the variety of places it can be accessed with large availability means lots of students are taking up the chance to start swimming again. This articulates well with other Christ Church Sport services such as our TrySport programme which offers swimming lessons as it gives those students opportunities to practice what they’ve learnt and continue beyond the block of lessons.

• We market the activities via an activity guide which features all Christ Church Sport activity each term alongside use of our website, email, student communications department and Students’ Union.

One of our student Sport Ambassadors who was instrumental in the launch and delivery of the project in its first year has since graduating been appointed as a Student Activities Coordinator in the Higher Education sector which demonstrates that not only is the project engaging students in activities, but it is also contributing to student employability.


Name: Aidan Ainsley – PlaySport CoordinatorE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01227 863506

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Students’ Union University of Greenwich – Get ActiveKey themes – try new sports and physical activities; student‐led and friendly; developing sports clubs to offer regular ongoing opportunities

Who are the students involved and how is the work being delivered?

Get Active is highly student‐led, with Student Sport Activators working alongside the Sports Participation Coordinator to plan regular sessions, encourage sports clubs to develop, and host awareness weeks to showcase different sporting opportunities.

Since Get Active has started we have increased the regular participation rates of some key demographics:• Mature students – currently 30% of our regular participants in sport are aged 21+, compared to 24% in 2013‐14;• Women – currently 48% of our regular participants in sport are female, compared to 40% in 2013‐14;• Postgraduate students, and students who undertake placements as part of their course (e.g. Paramedic Science, teaching,

nursing) – of our regular participants in sport, currently 12% are on courses involving placements, and 2.7% are postgraduates, compared to 9% and 1% respectively in 2013‐14.

We hope to continue the growth in these areas, as well as encouraging all students to get more involved in sport – our number of regular participants in all of our sports has grown by 40% since Get Active launched in September 2014.

What worked well and why?

We’re proud that the new sports introduced through our Get Active sessions are developing well into established sports clubs that take part in regular sessions and have student leadership. So far Ultimate Frisbee, Tennis, and Archery have been approved as clubs and have student leadership teams who came together through the Get Active sessions.

All of our sports clubs have used Get Active sessions as a way to attract new members, by offering taster sessions and non‐competitive memberships. For example:• Badminton run successful No Strings Badminton sessions alongside their competitive teams, and from the new influx of

members have a BUCS league team for the first time.• Mens and Womens Rugby both have development teams which encourage students who have never played rugby before

to come along and try the sport and take part in friendly matches and beginners tournaments.• CoppaFeel Society hosted a Christmas dodgeball tournament as part of their fundraising activities, as we don’t limit the

opportunity to host a Get Active session to just sport clubs.

How have we used marketing and communication?

We introduced a Get Active brand that covers all non‐competitive sport at Greenwich, with it’s own What’s On section on our website (http://www.suug.co.uk/giag/active/) as well as social media presence on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GetActiveGreenwich/) and twitter (https://twitter.com/getactivegre). All Get Active activities are included as part of the wider programmes of Students’ Union activities and events, ensuring that students don’t need to thinkthey’re interested in sport to be able to find out what’s on offer.

We’ve had the most success with engaging students when the promotion is heavily student‐led – our Sport Activators and club leadership teams get better response by talking to their fellow students, and encouraging societies and coursemates to come and try something different.

Impact story – Kaf Olaleye

Kaf is a 3rd year BA Primary Education student, and President of our new Ultimate Frisbee Club.

She’s been a reliable Get Active volunteer and participant since the project started, and at the end of last year took on presidency of the newly established Ultimate Frisbee Club.

Since the club was approved in Dec 2014, Kaf has worked hard to engage more students in the sport, and now the club plays regularly in the LUSL leagues and trains both as a club and alongside a local community Ultimate Frisbee club.

In the LUSL league they play in the Premier division, and are currently top of the league and unbeaten – pretty good for a team that didn’t exist at Greenwich just over a year ago!


Name: Ben PorterE‐mail address: [email protected] / [email protected] number: 0208 331 9403

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON ‐ IMPETUS

Key Themes – Get Active – No Hassle! Recreational sport in a fun, safe and enjoyable environment with something for everyone!

Impetus provides a range of activities from weekly drop‐in sessions, one‐off events and intramural sports. The programme is open to all students of any ability and is a great way to meet new people and try new sports.

IMPETUS UV DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

• Getting Students Involved – We thought this event was something a bit different andexciting so would appeal to the non‐sporty students and with it being delivered duringfresher's week it attracted mostly first year students. It was designed to engage new andinactive students into the Impetus programme and capture those students during the firstweek of term to sustain participation.

• New and Different – The Ultra Violent Dodgeball tournament was a brand new activityadded to the Impetus welcome week. This was the first UV sports tournament that we havedelivered and due to the success we are hoping this to be a regular event in the Impetuscalendar, adapting new sports each time.

• Welcoming and Fun – It was delivered by second/third year dodgeball club members sothey were able to build that rapport with the participants and also offer a pathway into theclub and regular participation. The environment was catered for students with music andUV paint and giveaways adding to the overall experience.

• Online Impact ‐ We created a Facebook event which had a huge online impact across avariety of social media sites and users, we found this the most effective way tocommunicate to the students that we were targeting, linking up with other fresher's pages,posting videos of the activity in action and working closely with the club allowed us toengage with a wider range of new students who were looking to try something new whenthey joined the College.

IMPACT STORY

“As a student, it is very expensive topractice a sport in London. However, Icould do any sport for free when I wasstudying in France before coming toImperial college. Therefore, it wasreally hard for me to be constrained bythe price when I wanted to play sports.Then I discovered Impetus, and havemade the most of it since. I try to playtennis and volleyball at least once aweek, and badminton when I havetime. I find this program a very goodopportunity either to learn a newsport, or to keep practicing a sport thatyou did in the past. Being able to relaxand do some sport while studying inLondon at such a low cost is justfantastic!” Imperial Student andImpetus Member

‐ Joel Henry


Name: Jenni PhillipsE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 0207 594 9069

King’s College London – BeActive

Q1) BeActive aim is to deliver a programme of recreational sport and activity that is inclusive, accessible and flexible. Sessions should entice those who are traditionally non‐sporty and have a social friendly atmosphere.

Q2) We introduced a sub‐progamme called ‘BeActive Halls.’ This was specifically created to engage residential students.

• Our total residential population is near 5000 students, the aim was to target these students with a bespoke programme

• We partnered with our residential services team to provide membership to BeActive to all students within our Halls of residence. The main priority was to break down the barriers to participation, so we used flexible spaces, such as common rooms to deliver activity. We chose facilities specifically near residences, for instance using the London Aquatics Centre for swim sessions as it was close to 1000+ students in Halls near by.

• Using flexible spaces within the Halls was important to its success, as it meant students could access sport and activity within a familiar and comfortable setting – this was very valuable at engaging inactive or non‐sporty students.

• To market the launch of BeActive Halls we ensured every student on moving in, received a welcome pack, this consisted of a membership card, a water bottle, lanyard and timetable including a map. This has been followed up with regular reminders and posters around Halls.

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Impact storyThe student wished to remain anonymous. But we worked closely with our disability advisory team. In one case they referred a student, with a mental health condition. She found participating in BeActive ‘Helped to lift her mood a lot more than counselling, and it was a good chance to meet other students.’


Name: Freddie DeanE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 02078487931

Kingston University – Active Lifestyles

Kingston University has improved the breadth of sporting and active lifestyle opportunities available to the student body, with the main focus being on those who had not previously engaged with the activities supplied by the Student Union or the University.

The programme of activities was shaped by an extensive consultation process with the student body, and is of a flexible multi‐sport nature. All activity is free of charge

How are activities being delivered differently…

• Activities are now mainly being student led with the appointment of new ‘sports activator’roles. The activators understand the needs and of their fellow students and are successfullyengaging with diverse groups in social areas around the University as well as using socialmedia.

What worked well…

• Our most attended activity was swimming and this was mainly due to a different approachthat made the session more accessible to all. We were able to offer a free swim during anypublic session that the pool offered over the week, including weekends. This coupled withthe simplicity of using their student ID to gain entry, with no booking required, seemed toprove popular.

Marketing push….

• Connecting our ‘active lifestyle’ programme to a far bigger campaign seemed to increasecoverage for us. We teamed up with the national ‘This Girl Can’ project and designed someposters to go up on all the mirrors and cubicle doors of the female toilets around theuniversity sites.

We are keeping the theme running and trying to connect our annual events to this campaign tokeep it in the headline stories of our internal press releases.

Impact Story

“I was having a hard time atUniversity and was in the processof changing courses. Taking upswimming really helped to getme back into a routine and torelax. I carried on because it is areally good form of exercise.”

‐ Tori Carr


Name: Ian JenningsE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 020 8417 2413

Active Lifestyles

LSESU Active LifeStylE gives you opportunities to play sport and get involved in physical activity during your time at LSE. From drop‐in sessions, beginner courses, inter‐hall leagues and one‐off events, we offer a wide range of activities for you to create your own Active Life. Whether you're looking for something competitive or recreational, something on‐off or regular, there are plenty of ways to get involved.

Aspects that make LSE Zumba innovative:

• It is taught by students themselves: both Maria and Ana have volunteered toteach Zumba (this highlights student involvement with Active Lifestyle, howwe are trying to promote that students can run Active Lifestyle in the future,etc.)

• All abilities

• Participants can also get involved in the teaching – for instance, a few studentsprepared a Bollywood choreography and taught it themselves to the class.

• What worked well: keeping the same timing & organisation created a routine;friendly organisation (both Maria and Ana always interact with students,asking them which songs they want, and try to include different types ofchoreographies that they like etc.)

• Marketing and communication: use of Facebook as a platform proved verysuccessful, especially at the beginning (with Facebook events) – also,organising Zumba at start of term also proved successful, for participant ratewas kept constant during the term

Impact Story

“Last year she was a new student in a foreign country. Active Lifestyle gave her a platform to stay active through her favourite activities such as Zumba.

Through repeat attendance and good contact with the Active Lifestyle staff, Ana developed the confidence to start taking the sessions.She has been doing this now for 3 terms and with help of Active Lifestyle has started to gain qualifications in Zumba.

On top of that she is very active in promoting the sessions and opening these out to a unengaged students (Post grad and PHd).”

‐ Ana


Luke Staples ‐ Prestonl.staples‐[email protected]

University of St Mark & St John – Marjon ActivateThe key theme of our Marjon Activate scheme is to get more students physically active, with particular focus on those who don’t currently engage in Sport/Physical Activity on a regular basis, with a particular focus on increasing female participation.

Marjon Activate has invested in the latest trend of Bubble Football to get students moreactive and engaging with new people from across the University.

• Who are the students involved?Female, Male, Halls of Residence, Courses of Study, Year Groups, Sports Teams, MatureStudents and Inactive Students.

• How is the activity / this work being delivered – what was different/innovative?This activity is free for students throughout the year, although this one off trial sessionwith the new Kit and Promotional Materials was specifically aimed at Female Students,the sessions are flexible to meet the requirements of the students in a place and time tosuit them. This steps away from the more traditional formats of Football and createsnew opportunities fort students to get involved with the game.

• What worked well and why?A specific day was spent focusing on engaging more females in Football, the BubbleFootball was used as an early engagement tool, with free t‐shirts to mark the event,along side other activities such as Beat the Bin, Cross Bar Challenge and small sidedgames. The sessions work well as there is no need for any skills and all levels of abilitycan be catered for, there is also opportunities for students to support the sessionwithout getting into a Bubble.

• How have you used marketing and communication?Marketing and Communication has been done through Social Media using differentavenues such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SRS, Student Union, Flyers and Posters.We have also communicated with Students through class reps and Team Captains.

Student Impact:

The project has impacted particularly onfemale students in the University whowouldn’t normally engage in Physical Activitydue to a wide variety of issues which wereexplored through conversation with thefemale students.

It identified for many that if Sport was putinto a fun activity where no skill was neededthey would feel more comfortable and ableto overcome their barriers.

Project contact details:Name: Carrie KingE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 07557 332570

MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY – MOVE ITThree strands ‐ women only; inclusive activity – targeted to students with disabilities but accessible to all providing an inclusive welcoming approach ‐ Activities specifically targeted at ethnic group

societies in collaboration with the student union

Wheelchair basketball – A totally inclusive, inviting and welcoming activity played on an outdoor single end basketball social‐area with good accessibility and high

visibility to students, staff and local community in/around the University.

• All students regardless of ability/gender – there is no segregation of disabled students from able bodied students this is a truly inclusive session lead by an activator with a disability – a level playing field for all

• The session is normally played indoors or on a formal basketball court, however, it is delivered as an urban type event ‘free for all’ vying to score in the one basket. The session is relaxed, no formalised rules but still highly competitive between participants each reaching their own personal goals. No pressure to be perfect, overly skilled, show‐boating technique it is a social gathering of equals participating in a fun, energetic, interactive session.

• The passion and enthusiasm that the leader has and his desire to encourage everyone to take part has had a hugely positive impact on everyone: raising awareness from able bodied students about the needs and the vast capabilities of the disabled students; enabling more socialisation of the various groups and true integration of all Middlesex students.

• Fliers/social media initially advertised, now the participants have developed a whatsapp group and there is constant chatter between all and every time a new student joins the session they are immediately added and encouraged to get involved socially as well as physically. The session being so highly visual in a high traffic area on campus allows more active interaction with casual spectators and passers‐by.

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Impact story

Improvement for the integration of disability into mainstream activities is always necessary in any environment. The wheelchair basketball session is allowing me to play a game I love in a street setting and developing relationships with different types of students and staff. It is the highlight of my week and I don’t care that it is outside, or whether the weather is good……… I now have numerous new friends, different opportunities ….. It has been amazing……

RonitMiddlesex University Student Wheelchair user


Name: Nicholas ScottE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 02084115218

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Oxford Brookes University – Brookes Active

KEY THEMES: Providing accessible opportunities for students to make physical activity a sustainable part of their lifestyle , innovative delivery of conventional and alternative sports in non‐traditional settings, and removing significant barriers to participation, particularly among female students.

HALLS YOGASince October 2015, Brookes Active Yoga sessions have run in communal spaces in selected off‐campus Halls of Residence. The Halls were selected for their high postgraduate and international student populations. Both groups are typically under‐represented across the rest of the project; a fact which drove this session.

What did we do?

• Became the first University department to utilise the communal spaces in both Residences to provide regular, weekly, organised activity to students

• Utilised central spaces (for access and promotion) that can be closed off during the session so that participants could exercise without being ‘seen’

• Removed facility restrictions on time, cost and perception – you had a Yoga session ‘at home’, for £2 (or free for members) at the most convenient time

• Worked very closely with student Wardens (who attend sessions) as trusted sources of promotion that ‘look like me’ and understand students motivation

• Messaging to a more homogenous target market has been more effective, with better access to these groups in areas they use every day of the week

IMPACT STORY

Oscar, 2nd Year Student, first started fencing and playing table tennis last year through Brookes Active. By September, he was on the club committee for Fencing and running our weekly Pongathon sessions.

Through Brookes Active, Oscar has found new sports he’d never tried before and made them central to his experience at Uni. As well as a more active lifestyle, this has given him greater confidence and an ability to gain skills that make him more employable.

Project Contact Details:

Zach [email protected]

01865 484119

Two female students in action at our first ‘Learn to Sail’ taster session run in Sept ‘15

Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union – Get Active

Get Active is QMSU’s fun, flexible low cost recreational sport programme that gives students the chance to access a range of sporting opportunities in a format that is convenient for them.

To engage students who are less likely to take part in sport regularly we have beenutilising non‐traditional sporting locations on campus to take sport to wherestudents are and to take away the intimidation factor that some may feel inentering a sporting venue.

• Sessions have been run in our Students Union Hub, Students’ Union Bars,cafes and social spaces. We have also introduced outdoor ‘pop‐up’ sessions inthe square located outside of the university library.

• Sessions have targeted inactive students and those who are unlikely to visitour sporting facilities on campus. By introducing students to sport in acomfortable environment for them we have been able to create a positive firstimpressions and promote our Get Active programme as a whole to a wideraudience.

• As sessions are taking place in locations where students are anyway, we havenot had to utilise much in the way of resources for marketing andcommunication in order for the sessions to be successful.

• Our Student Activators who lead the sessions have used Whatsapp andSnapchat to help in creating a community feel to the sessions and encouragerepeat attendance.

Impact Story

‘Some sports that I play now I used to playwhen I was younger but I lost touch withduring high school. It’s also given me thechance to cool down, chill out and take abreather from university work’ (Manveer,Table Tennis participant)

‘My experience of Get Active has beenvery positive. It gives me something to dooutside classes, it helps to distract me butalso focus me on my coursework’ (Rachel,Postgrad Student)

‘We ran a Sports Day at the beginning ofthe year, there were three lads that camealong, they’d never met each other beforebut now I see them at sessions, they’recoming together and they appear to bereally good friends. It’s great to know thatGet Active has helped to make long lastingfriendships.

‐Stephan, Student ActivatorProject contact details:

Name: Andrew ParkinsonE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 020 7882 6656

• Cricket falls under the flexible Campus Club, including pop‐up activities that are open to all.• The structure of these sessions is innovative in that although they are coach led, they are informalwith an emphasis on participation and game‐play rather than competition.

• Students play a mixture of games and drills rather than full cricket matches. However, there isinterest amongst students who have more experience and attend regularly in a more formal structureand competition, which it is hoped will lead into an established University cricket club in the future.

• The relaxed structure makes this club accessible to traditionally ‘non‐sporty’ students. The central on‐campus location also attracts students who are passing by and seeing others taking part.

• These sessions are innovative as they are not run as a traditional cricket club, rather students use avariety of equipment, e.g. lighter bats and windball cricket balls. This has made the club moreaccessible for less experienced players and female students.

• Cricket tends to attract an even mix of male and female students with varying experience of thesport. It appeals to students who are living off‐campus who have got free time between lectures/overlunch time, which was a time suggested through student consultation. Students who attend regularlyare from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds.

•As well as being advertised on flyers and social media, students attending sessions have broughtfriends and peers along. Word‐of‐mouth advertising has been successful in attracting new students.Students who have been passing by have also frequently taken part.

Impact Story

Asia is a 3rd year student living off‐campus. She has been a recreational member of the University tennis club prior to being involved with the USAF project this academic year.

Asia is heavily involved with social sport at Roehampton, taking part in activities such as cricket, pop‐up tennis and Women Only Workouts as well as being an ambassador for Sport Roehampton.

Asia promotes recreational participation, female participation and supports the development of the University cricket club. Activities provided as part of the USAF programme have allowed students like Asia to participate regularly in a variety of sports.

Try it, love it, live it

University of Roehampton – URS For Life

Cricket ‐ The aim of the USAF project is to increase participation at a social and recreational level amongst students who are not currently involved in sport within the University. We are particularly focusing on traditionally ‘non‐sporty’ students, underrepresented groups and females.


Name: Ellie WareE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 0208 392 3376

University of Roehampton – URS For LifeTable Tennis‐ The aim of the USAF project is to increase participation at a social and recreational level amongst students who are not currently involved in sport within the University. We are particularly focusing on traditionally ‘non‐sporty‐ students, underrepresented groups and females. ‐ Table tennis is run on campus as a turn‐up and play session and is free for all students.



Name: Ellie WareE‐mail address: [email protected] number:0208 392 3376

Impact Story

James applied to be a sportsambassador having had a negativeexperience of competitive sport inhis first year at University.

James now runs the table tennis clubas well as playing several othersports at a social level includingsquash, badminton and cricket.

James is doing a table tenniscoaching course in order to helpdevelop the table tennis club overthe next year. He is generally heavilyinvolved with Sport Roehampton andis an excellent ambassador for sportand participation.

• Table tennis has been offered as a recreational and non‐competitive campus club activity aspart of the USAF project. Sessions are student‐led and take place on campus in a centrallocation, so attract good numbers of students who are passing by the students union andfinishing lectures.

• As a less competitive but engaging activity, table tennis has attracted a wide variety of studentswho do not take part in any other kind of sport or exercise at University, offering somethingmore accessible to traditionally ‘non‐sporty’ students and acting as a route into to sport.

• Sessions are informal and sociable, led by a student sport ambassador. The emphasis is onparticipation in a social setting, creating a good experience for students.

• The time and location of table tennis sessions has worked well, attracting a large number ofpassers by as well as many students who attend every week.

• We have marketed sessions with posters and flyers. We have also advertised sessions byspeaking to students and through our ambassador James who is approachable and able torelate to many of his student peers.

• During good weather we have offered pop‐up table tennis outdoors, in canteens, in thestudents union bar and in other social spaces. This has in turn led to increased participation atthe regular weekly sessions.

University of Roehampton – URS For Life Futsal‐ The aim of the USAF project is to increase participation at a social and recreational level amongst students who are not currently involved in sport within the University. We are particularly focusing on traditionally ‘non‐sporty’ students, underrepresented groups and females. ‐ Futsal is run as a turn‐up and play session and is free for all students, engaging students from a diverse range of backgrounds.

Impact Story

Tom is a second year Sports & Exercise Science student and has become a sports ambassador, working with Sport Roehampton to promote participation in futsal.

Tom will be doing a futsal level 1 coaching course in 2016.

Futsal has allowed Tom to meet new people and play recreational football in a different format.

In December the futsal team played and won their first friendly, with more games with other local Universities lined up for the New Year.


Name: Ellie WareE‐mail address: [email protected] number:0208 392 3376


• These sessions have attracted students who do not play football for a University team aswell as a large proportion of international students. Although these sessions are offeredwith casual participation, the majority of students are regularly attending.

• Futsal has been offered as a flexible and free activity with no commitment, allowingstudents to take part when they are free without pressure.

• Sessions take place near Whitelands College campus, so are convenient and haveattracted students studying further away from the main University campus.

• The men’s futsal session has been hugely successful and has led to friendly competitionswith other local Universities and significant interest amongst Roehampton students.

• The women’s session was less successful this term. However, we have changed the timeof the women’s session and hope for more success and participation next term.

• The success of these sessions is due to them being at a convenient time and location.They also follow an informal format, and whilst they are coached the focus is on gameplay.

• Futsal is also a route into University sport. It offers an opportunity for students who havenot joined a competitive football team to get involved and build the skills, confidenceand friendships to play in the future.

• We have marketed sessions with posters, flyers and social media, but the success ofthese sessions is likely as a result of word‐of‐mouth advertising and regular participantstelling friends and bringing others along.

Royal Holloway University of London – ‘be.active on the go’

Our aim was to engage new and existing students in the Welcome Week of term with our recreational programme through creating portable and accessible events all over campus. The main idea was to ‘bring sport to students’ overcoming current barriers such as price, location, awareness etc. This helped to raise awareness of what we do in a pop‐up style atmosphere to get across our values behind Recreational Sport; active, fun and social.

‘be.active on the go’• The students targeted through this event were first year students to the

University to raise their knowledge and awareness of the Sport offer oncampus as the event took place in our Welcome Week.

• How this event was innovative was that we took our offer ‘on the go’through portable sports kits all over the campus including off‐campus hallsof residence. This was different as we delivered to the student where theywere or where was popular for students to spend time on campus insteadof expecting them to come to us. We offered ‘pitch up’ events in all oursports on offer but with incentives to get involved (giveaways) and a ticketto obtain a further free interaction.

• Having our student volunteers run all sessions worked very well as it madethe events more relatable and personal to new/current students as well asan opportunity to ask questions. All student leaders were extremelyenthusiastic and helpful throughout the week. Events at the beginning ofthe week were highly populated and especially areas which didn’t havemuch Welcome Week activity such as our off‐campus Halls of Residence.The intake of unique users to our programme in the subsequent weeksbecause of this programme to raise awareness and also the knowledge,with many students wearing their free be.active top on Student night out.

• To market the event we created posters that went up all over campus, wemade a Royal Holloway Sport video which was on our student portable andsent to all students, we utilised the student magazine to get a poster andarticle in it, we gave out free t‐shirts and session tickets with our brandingon and we also used our social media channels to promote what was goingon especially with the help of videography.

be.active on the go

Impact story

“I was encouraged to do the be.active on the go sessionby my friends from my football club as they had just beenand said it was fun and something slightly different. Tworepresentatives from Reading futsal club were there andthey taught me the basics even in the taster session!Their professional yet friendly nature was appealing tome because it meant I'd get a lot of help learning thisnew sport but wasn't worried about whether I was anygood at it. I chose to get involved because it was achallenge and rewarding learning a new sport but as Ialready played football it was still enjoyable. It did helpme know more about be.active, as originally I didn'trealise be.active provided coaching elements to theirsessions as well as an opportunity to play recreationally.

I chose to join be.active futsal due to an ankle injury lastyear which meant I was unable to to play women'sfootball 4 times a week as part of the university's clubbut could still do something fun once a week without thecommitment.

Be.active is a great platform as futsal is a growing sportin the UK and many people haven't played before, butthis project provides the opportunity for beginners tolearn the skills and play at a non‐competitive level.Therefore, in the long term, it would be great if be.activefutsal could encourage the development of an actualcompetitive university team whilst still having a be.activeteam, as it has proved to be a very popular sport!

Finally, I really appreciate that it's mixed gender futsal asit provides a bigger challenge for me and promotesequality in football. I've never played futsal beforebe.active, but it's been so enjoyable that I intend to lookfor a local futsal team when I graduate.”

‐Kristina Rimola, 3rd year Student


Name: Sophie HarrisonE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 07827954888

Southampton Solent University – Don’t Be Shy Give Sport A Try

Give Sport A Try gives Students, Staff and the local community the opportunity to get back in to or try a new sport, with no commitment, no required ability and with the sessions based around fun.

Don’t Be Shy, Give Basketball A Try.

• The target groups for DBS Basketball are those who are inactive students and/or those not on sports courses.

• DBS Basketball is delivered straight after the Men’s BUCS training session, participants are encouraged to come and watch the Men’s practice as an incentive for those who would like to strive to make the squad and also for some seeing our over‐sea’s scholars is an inspiration.

• Sessions have minimal format, students decide what they would like to do in the sessions, creating a ‘family feel’ to the session and group.

• As the participants are predominantly from non sports courses, the are unable to participate in BUCS, and after speaking to the participants we have managed to schedule in some friendly fixtures against other local universities.

• To market the session we have followed our usual methods of Social Media (Facebook,Twitter), University Newsletters, emails and The Half Time Arena, but a key success of this session has been getting the message out to those who are not studying a sports course and also having a student activator from a non sports course


Name: Ross StringerE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 023 8201 3157

“The Give Sport A Try sessions have allowed me to get back into basketball as I didn’t make it into the Basketball squad and wouldn’t of been able to play BUCS due to my course. The sessions are a good laugh with all the boys that come down”

F.C‐P

St Mary’s University – SIMMSactiveKey Themes – Inclusivity, Enjoyment and changing the culture of sport within St

Mary’s University and creating a clear participation pathway.

Impact StoryMatt Russell – Senior Rugby Activator Matt Russell began volunteering withSIMMSactive in his 2nd Year of University. He ispassionate about rugby and has been a keydriver in raising participation in 02 TouchRugby. Through SIMMSactive Matt has gainedhis Level 1 Coaching badge, attended severaldevelopment workshops with the RFU, is goingon to do his Level 2 Badge courtesy of the RFUand is now working with the NGB on a weeklybasis. Matt has also been offered a full timerole with the RFU once he graduated.

Matt has boosted participation so much that StMary’s are now the leading 02 Touch Centre inthe Country for participation and retention.This achievement was acknowledge d by theRFU and St Mary’s was presented with apersonally signed Johnny Wilkinson jersey as athanks for “growing the game”.


Name: Tatum ColcloughE‐mail address: [email protected] number:0208240 2345

Social 5‐a‐side Football LeagueOur project introduced a successful 5‐a‐side football league in January 2015 due to feedback we gained back from students turning up to the weekly ‘just play’ football sessions. The sporting offer at St Mary’s did not include any leagues and it was clear that there was a demand for a competitive 5 a side league for students

who did not make the football team after trials. Working with the FA & BUCS we chose to deliver Team Twenty Three at our University.

Format of League: 12 teams entered the league and each team played one another over a period of 12 weeks. The first week was an introduction to the league and friendlies where individuals had the chance to practice a little as a team. Each team had 1 match a week lasting 30 mins and matches took place every Friday between 5 and 7pm. Team who came top of the table won team kits and the trophy.

Students Involved: 119 students. 73% of the students who participated in the Social Football League were less sporty individuals who were not part of a University team or outside club. Some students went on to play for the University Football Team after this league as it gave them confidence in their ability and liked the more competitive and structured nature of this activity.

WorkForce: The League was delivered by ‘Activators’. One student was responsible for the league co‐ordination and 3 activators were recruited as referees. These activators became familiar faces of the league and students knew who to direct league enquiries to.

Incentive: In order to encourage sustained participation and retention we added an incentive to participating in the the league. If the participant signed up to the football league and attended at least 10 out of 12 of their games, they would get the ‘Bubble Football Experience’ for free. This was an event we held at the end of year 1. This caught the students’ attention from the moment it was advertised and we reached our maximum capacity for teams very quickly. As a result of the incentive, over 80% of students were eligible to participate in the Bubble football as they had sustained their participation throughout.

Marketing & Communication: Mass text messages were sent weekly to remind students where they can find the information about their next game and see where they are on the league table. League tables/ Fixtures were uploaded on Facebook & Twitter regularly which increased the amount of followers/ likes on our page instantly. We also gave prizes such as ‘team of the month’ to encourage teams to continue to turn up and showed that it was not all about winning the league but also about commitment, good attitude and fair play.

What was a success in year 1?

Arts Active Campaign ‐ Shake It Off

‐ Aimed at our Fashion, Drama and Studio based Art Students that are underhuge pressure to spend all their free time working to build their portfolios andexhibit in order to “make it” in the industry.

‐ Sessions and marketing have a focus on the wellbeing and “de‐stress” value ofactivities.

‐ Course leaders are being briefed about the benefits of physical activity in orderto change the culture and pressure of no extracurricular activities. Studentsrespect, listen and ultimately aspire to be as successful as these leaders so theirendorsement is a powerful tool.

‐ Our offer include sessions deliberately scattered around the day and locatedacross all our 14 sites to make attendance to at least one a week as easy aspossible. Their “drop in, drop out” nature allows students to attend any sessionon any given week.

‐ Activities such as Fencing, Archery, Krav Maga, Fitness Yoga, Parkour and Zumbaall allow our students to express themselves artistically. These tend to beindividual activities as these relate well to the type of careers art students willlead in the future.

‐ Keeping opportunities cheaper than the London competition is key

‐ The opportunity to network and socialise is vital in the art industry and thesessions are a platform for this.

Impact story:

“Arts Active meant a lot to me. It was an opportunity to meet people from all different colleges and courses at UAL in a relaxed and friendly environment.

And it was a chance to be active and de‐stress around my studies.”

‐Lily Branfield3rd Year BA Contour Fashion

Sessions attended: Kung Fu, Fencing and Archery


Name:Nick YorkEmail address: [email protected] number: 02075146270

University of the Arts London – Arts ActiveWe aim to provide specifically tailored sport and wellbeing offers to each of our 14 sites across London. This provides ultimate flexibility and variation to allow art students to fit sessions around their contact heavy timetables. We currently offer the Gym+Class and Play Passes, that compliment our Club pass.

University Campus Suffolk – Most Active Students

Our Most Active Students project is at the centre of UCS Union’s ambition to get more students living an active and healthy lifestyle, particularly those who do little or no sport at all. We have over 20 hours worth of recreational and social sports & physical activities each week.

Most Active Students• Radiography Students & Lecturers (Level 4, 5 & 6). Male & Female.

High % of the year spent on placement so unable to attend a lot ofour regular sessions.

• Progressive running sessions worked around their course rather thanjust weekly slots. Building up to taking part in a 5 or 10K run tosupport a local charity.

• Having lecturers lead the idea gave ownership to them and thestudents have jumped at the opportunity, especially as it has beenbuilt around their course.

• We will be creating updates on their progress and are training one ofthe students as a leader in running fitness so she can help her classmates and also write reports from the inside / start a blog!

Impact story

“A student came to theStudents’ Union to use ouradvice centre struggling withUniversity life and thinkingabout dropping out. Theyencouraged / accompaniedher to our sessions and sinceshe has flourished and evenbought more people along tothe sessions she enjoyedthem so much!We rewarded her with apromotional hoodie!”


Name: Sarah DooleyE‐mail: [email protected] number: 01473 338156

University of Bedfordshire – Get Into Sport

Get into Sport is the University of Bedfordshire's sport participation programme which aims to get more students and staff involved in sport and physical activity whilst they are at the University. Get into Sport offers FREE membership which allows access to any session on our timetable throughout the academic year. All the sessions are aimed at being non‐competitive, in a fun, social and welcoming environment.

Get Into Sport Tournaments & Competitions

• Free competitions and tournaments organised each term for staff and students.

• Wheelchair Basketball Competition organised December 2015.

• In line with the newly developed Disability Hub and encourages increasedengagement/awareness for disability sport.

• Friendly, accessible competition with focus on being inclusive to all individuals.

• Promoted via social media and through staff network.

• Very successful with 4 teams entering and enjoying round robin competition withpromotional items throughout.

• Encouraged individuals who had not taken part in any Get Into Sport sessions totry something different.

• We are continuing to develop sport specific competitions as well as nonconventional competitions to increase the engagement with the project.

• Off the back of this competition we are looking to develop regular WheelchairBasketball sessions throughout the academic year.

Impact story

“‘Get into Sport’ is an exciting sportprogramme for both staff andstudents at the university. I havebeen a member for over two yearsand currently a sports activator. Theprogramme has given me theopportunity to be confident that Ican be active in sports.

Get into Sports is very rewarding; asit has helped me build friendshipnetworks, develop team work skillsand also made my university journeyfun and exciting. In addition, it hasmotivated me to get the Badmintoncoach training and start a badmintonclub in my home country when Igraduate.”

‐ Okelewey Dabere3rd Year Biomedical Science


Name: Sarah WebberE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01582 489608

University of Brighton Parklife ProgrammeDeveloping effective recreational sport and activity programmes, engaging students in social, interactive and innovative activities across the University.

Parklife Colour Run. A fun 3k run including 5 ‘colour stations’,covering participants head‐to‐toe in powder, followed by a colour partyas they cross the finish line. The event was designed to attract thosewho would not previously engage in the programme (especiallyfemales), and who are seeking new innovative experiences at university.

Over 50% of the 250 participants were new to Parklife, and 74.6% ofrunners were female.

Engaging non‐sporty students in your programme; a few tips!

• Be creative – Run something that students would not have triedbefore, and don’t be afraid to find out what other Universities haverun successfully.

• Be Fun – Take the focus away from competition; we didn’t even timeour event!

• Be Social – Run something people can do with their friends; engagewith a few and the rest will follow!

• Be Attractive – Promotion reflected the event; colourful andexciting. The run entry also included a branded t‐shirts andsunglasses, stunning!

• Be Organised – Give yourself plenty of time to promote and buildthe event; get the word out early and go from there.

Impact Story:

“It was the first colour run I had done and absolutely loved it as it was a great way of exercising with friends and bringing everyone together. I have since tried some new Parklife sessions and cannot wait for the Colour Run this year.”

‐ Abi Whiffin

Name: Mike FisherE‐mail: [email protected]: 01273 642871

University of Bristol/Bristol SU – Get ActiveGet Active offers something social, fun and a bit sporty! Creating sporting opportunities for three under‐represented groups ‐international students, post‐graduate students and lapsed participants. The project goes beyond participation, developing volunteering and employability too. Learning the lessons from Active Universities we have greater emphasis on consultation with students, student‐led activity and working with non‐sport partners to access these 'hard to reach' groups.

We try our best at Bristol to create a strong foundation between sport clubs andthe Get Active programme. The sport clubs involved lead on the activity basedsessions as a way to create more interest for the activity, coaching and as a filterinto clubs if it is something they wish to progress in.

Get Active’s big success story has been the craze around Yoga. We offer at leasttwo yoga classes a week to students here, in which both classes are reaching fullcapacity at 60 participants or close to. Yoga has really helped us target studentsin our highlighted target groups, at a time and location that suits their lifestyle.

Get Active ‐ Year 2:• We have an enthusiastic workforce of 7 Sport Activators leading on project

activities• We offer a range of different activities to our students, with 17 sessions

taking place throughout the week & we are always adding more.• After a recent change of brand, Get Active is now used as a consistent brand

for numerous programmes, consistent with Intramural, Fit & Fabulous(programme targeting women), Sports in Residences, Sportivate projects &This BUCS Girl Can.

• This BUCS Girl Can was a great success last term, where we used specific GetActive sessions to help get more females taking part in activity. Thisspecifically helped with the marketing of our sessions under the This BUCSGirl Can iconic brand. Our main event saw 83 participants attend.

Creating Opportunities for Students ‐Meet Alex

Alex is a 2nd year student who was a regular attendee to badminton and football Get Active classes in his first year. Having really enjoyed the sessions in year 1 he applied for a Sport Activator role.

His passion and enthusiasm towards Get Active has been fantastic and a great addition to the programme’s delivery. Working on it seems as enjoyable as being a participant!


Lisa Daley (Sports Participation Coordinator)ubu‐[email protected] // Twitter: get_active1 // Facebook: getactive15

University of Chichester – GetMoreActive

GetMoreActive aims to bridge the gap between performance and recreational play by introducing a semi competitive structure within our over subscribed sports.As well as this GetMoreActive acts as a building block for new clubs and activities aiming to enhance the level of participation both internally and through the local community.

Mixed Gender Leagues & Tournaments• Who's Involved? ……………..Absolutely everybody!

GetMoreActive Sports Officers: Ashley Krueger & Natalie Douthwaite

GetMoreActive Assistant Officers: Elisha Hill & Hassan Zahid

GetMoreActive Officials x 6

• Many of the teams enter via their academic subjects which all typically contain bothmale and female students. University staff members also enter teams which adds to theoverall excitement of the programme – it’s been a commonality for students to relishplaying against the staff in an informal manner.

• Students and staff have been extremely receptive to the leagues being mixed genderand this has helped break the barrier of participation within the female population ofstudents at Chichester.

• The league systems are structured so teams can play at a time which is mutuallybeneficial for both (as long as the facility is free and a referee is available to officiate).

• Each league does have a block booking in which most fixtures are played, however weappreciate that it can be tricky to fulfil allocated time slots during exam periodstherefore the flexi‐booking system works very well.

• Photos and short video clips are often posted on social media – it has been acommonality for participants to favourite photos and use as profile pics with theGetMoreActive logo as a signature towards the bottom.

Impact Story

Ashley is the one of our lead GetMoreActive officers at the University and has been instrumental in establishing a structured and sustainable programme here at Chichester.In his own words….

‘I came to the University of Chichester looking to play Football but unfortunately the BUCS teams were not accessible to me due to my football ability. Finding some friends, I was able to play at a good level consistently with both males and females.

Through this I became a football activator at the University and have since become responsible for the development of non BUCS football. The fact that both male and female players can participate in the same team has been a real selling point for people like myself who have both genders in my close friendship group’

‐Ashley KruegerProject contact details:

Name: Perry NortheastE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01243 793522

GetMoreActiveMore Fun, More Social, More Active

Participating in sport on your terms ...

University of East Anglia – ueactive ‘ueactive’ is a wide-ranging, fun and affordable programme of sporting, social and health-promoting activities for students and staff.

Comprising of free taster sessions, drop-in sport & group exercise classes, social leagues & tournaments; the aim is to develop a healthy lifestyle and promote a sporting habit for life.

The Ziggurat Challenge

As part of the ueactive programme, the Ziggurat challenge has been designed to promote enjoyable participation in the spirit of sporting competition as well as encourage friendly rivalry between academic schools and departments.

The challenge is a series of 25 different tournaments, including archery, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, badminton, korfball, lacrosse, zorb football and wheelchair basketball to name but a few! Each tournament has a unique identity but is also regarded as a series of events with an accumulative points structure. No matter how limited a student’s experience of

sport is, they can still give it a go and be in with a chance of winning valuable points for their academic department. The challenge has a welcoming and friendly feel and it gives the players the opportunity to try different sports, at no cost, and

to meet with other participants from across the entire University community.

Who are the students involved and how is the activity being delivered?

Participants compete for their academic school of study and the challenge is open to all students, alumni, staff and faculty of the University. It is free to take part, and the mixed gender teams comprise of both students and staff.

To help promote and deliver our project we have recruited a volunteer cohort of 80+ student ‘Academic Activators’ from across the 20 academic schools sitting within four faculties at UEA. Each academic school has 4 students whose role is to promote the project to their peers in that school’s year group. The events are run by the activators but supported in an

officiating capacity by members of the relevant UEA sports clubs (as it gives the club a chance to promote their activity to the wider university community and opportunities to be involved in hosting & organising tournaments).

Many of the activators are not involved in the sports club or BUCS programme and are more focussed on the social/participation level of sport, which makes them ideal ambassadors for the ueactive programme. They are also

already heavily involved with their academic departments and are keen to get their cohort participating in events on campus.


It works well because the programme is so varied and takes place at a time convenient for both students and staff. The participants require no specific kit or equipment, no previous knowledge of the sport and there is no charge therefore it facilitates spontaneous participation. It is open to everyone, all staff and students, and has a flexible playing structure,

therefore no pre-booking required and everyone who turns can be accommodated. Spectators are rewarded and there is strong evidence to suggest that they quickly convert to participants the following week.

We have worked very hard to develop contacts within the academic staff structure at the University, and have forged links with the 4 Deans of faculty, 20 Heads of School and many of the academic staff. Having the support at this level has made a significant difference, the impact of which has been that the Heads of Schools are also now involved in the recruitment

process, with both volunteers and participants, but also play regularly in many of the events.

How have you used marketing and communication?

The Ziggurat challenge is promoted through the uea+sport brand which has continued to grow, and since the start of the project we have had an increasing number of ‘new likes’ and ‘follows’ on the social media pages. We have a number of

leaflets & posters which are spread throughout campus by our 80+ volunteers and academic staff.

Please tell us about how your project has impacted on an individual student

Feedback from a 4th Year Medic has stated the following: “The Ziggurat challenge provides a

unique way to meet people from outside your own academic school. It provides a great way to try new sports, or just to take part with out the

financial outlay of the sports clubs or the commitment to the rigorous training involved.

It brings together schools that are often divided by timetables, exams and placements and allows us to meet and enjoy organised competition against

other students. This is especially welcomed by students like me who have a very busy academic

timetable.

I personally see it as an essential feature of sporting life here, and it is an example of how UEA goes that extra mile in ensuring its students have

an enjoyable and memorable sporting experience. It is great to take part in the Ziggurat with staff as

it makes them more approachable and I feel students really appreciate their contribution and it ultimately improves relationships all round. It was fantastic to see the Vice-Chancellor playing table

tennis with the Dean of BIO.

Being a sports activator has helped me gain confidence in many areas and has developed skills

in leadership and communication that has only served to enhance and complement skills acquired on my degree course. I have also learnt the rules of lots of different sports! It welcomed me into

student life in the first year and I know that when I leave I will take with me some fantastic memories.


Rachel Tomes – Assistant Director -Student Sport

Becky Wilkinson – Sport Coordinator Joe Skeet – Sport Coordinator

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 01603 593567

University of East London – My UELSports

My UELSports aims to increase the participation levels of inactive students at UEL through the introduction of new intramural sports leagues. The project aims to create a social and competitive environment that gives students the opportunity to compete in sport that is flexible around their studies.

My UELSports Halls Competition Project

• Who are the students involved The halls completion is specifically aimed at students that live in halls of residence

on our Docklands campus. This includes inactive, international and mature students.

• How is the activity being delivered – what was different The difference with this project is that the competition is not just centred around

sports competitions. Students can gain points for their halls in both sporting andnon sporting competitions such as pub quizzes and video games tournaments.

• What worked well and why It is still a fairly new concept, but the joint up approach from UELSports, Student Life

and Resident Services has made the dialog between staff and students much moreefficient and effective. This has enabled us to create a programme that fits moreclosely to what students want due to the increased communication channels opento students for feedback.

• How have you used marketing and communication We have focused our marketing on face to face promotion using the projects Sports

Reps, as well and Residence Services’ student halls reps. We have also usedtraditional methods such as flyers, posters, plasma screens, social media and emailmail outs.

Impact Story

Through her voluntary role as a Sports Rep in the My UELSports programme Ellie, along with a handful of students have taken it upon themselves to develop the wheelchair basketball provision at UEL.

In a year Ellie has helped change the sport from having 2‐ 8 people turning up to drop in sessions each week, to 20‐30 students turning up to what is now an established UEL sports clubs that will compete in the university championships this year.

Ellie has also taken on the role of Higher Education Wheelchair Basketball Officer (HEWBO) and is keen to work at British Wheelchair Basketball when she graduates.

‐Ellie Clark,Year 2, Studying Sport, PE and DevelopmentProject contact details:

Name: James KildenE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 0208 223 4528

UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX – JUST PLAYJust Play is our social sport programme based around our motto of Getting Active, Making Friends and Having Fun. We have over 40 weekly drop-in sessions, leagues & tournaments – all available to staff and students at the university, regardless of ability or previous experience.

Although the Just Play programme is accessible for all staff and students to get involvedwith, we want to make sure everyone knows about it and are encouraged to get involved.We of course want to get as many inactive people to become active, even if it is just takingup one new session per week.

We are currently looking to improve our relationship with these 5 groups, and make what weoffer more suitable for them to engage with: Females – We have added several Women’s only sessions as part of our weekly

timetable, including Women’s Football & Basketball. These sessions have had a goodregular attendance ranging between 6-18 attendees each week, and have beenenjoyed by those attending. We now also have our Women’s only Learn To Swim courseand will look to add more female only sessions as the demand increases.

International Students – With such a multi-cultural campus, this year we have workedclosely with our Vice-President International at the Students’ Union to engage moreinternational students in the Just Play programme. This has ranged from putting onadditional Just Play sessions over the Winter Break, to working with the VP Internationalfor our One World Essex month, celebrating all the different cultures we have oncampus. We will be operating a ‘mini Olympics’ event that links in with our current JustPlay sessions to increase participation by international students that month, buthopefully providing them with a good experience that they continue taking part infuture.

Mature & Part-Time Students – we have amended the times of certain sessions to suit theneeds of our Mature & Part-Time students (e.g. adding more lunch time sessions). Wehave also got lots more promotional materials targeting them specifically, includingtimetables and flyers in their common room.

Disabled Students – we will be working with our Disabled Students Officer at theStudents’ Union to increase the provision we offer for disabled students. Although we doencourage disabled students to engage in the programme and accommodate themat all of our sessions, we currently don’t offer any well-known disability sports. Discussionshas started for a Disability sport steering group, and we’ll be looking at initially puttingon some one-off sessions of Disability sports we can accommodate straight away e.g.Goalball, Blind Football.

Staff – currently over 95% of participants in the Just Play programme are students, andwe would like more staff to know they are welcome. We are now targeting themdirectly with promotion and have since seen a slight increase in the number that attendand engage with the programme, including taking part in our Learn To Swim classesthat may not have had the chance to do when they were younger – proving it’s nevertoo late to learn!


Name: Dominic KingE-mail address: [email protected] number: 01206 863211

Impact Story

“The JustPlay+ swimmingprogramme helped me to learnand develop an important survivalskill. I always enjoyed spendingtime at the sea-side, but sadly I didnot know how to swim.

Joining the programme helped megain confidence and feelcomfortable in the water, but alsotaught me invaluable swimmingtechniques. The classes and ouramazing trainer made meunderstand swimming is anextremely enjoyable andchallenging sport that has helpedme manage the anxiety and stressof university.

I continue to practice my newswimming skills regularly and aim toimprove as much as possible.”

-Raluca – Final Year Student

Learning to Swim with Just PlayAs part of our programme expansion, we haveintroduced JustPlay+ Learn To courses. We runthese in several sports, but our 8 week Learn ToSwim course has been our most popular. Weinitially started this with 1 class per week in Year1 of our project, but have since expanded thisto 2 weekly classes in Year 2. 1 of these classeswas an all-female group, as requested bysome of our female students who felt muchmore comfortable learning this way.

The course ran fantastically last term, with 16people learning to swim for just £10 per person(which would cost approx. £56 at a localleisure provider) and we have already had all16 of this terms places booked up.

University of Gloucestershire‐ UNIversal Sport 2.0

‐ Increasing sports participation through the creation of sustainable sporting pathways within Higher Education via alternative coach or activator led delivery.‐ Continued partnership work and asset sharing for mutual benefit to both partner and the University. ‐ Repackaging what sport looks like , how its sold and is perceived. Offering a ‘one stop shop’ with an offer that is recognisable and can be enjoyed by all.

UNIversal continues to grow a workforce that understands the necessity for UNIversal through an evolving support cycle. The complexity of the demographic of students and the barriers that exist that can prevent participation and engagement in sport continue to be ‘chipped away’ at through continued partnership work with the SU, student services, course reps, lecturers and faculty administrators to identify the best activity, location and time for delivery of sport that can be accessed by all.

• Who are the students involved: Female, international and postgraduate students across various faculties at the University that seek guidance in engaging with a sporting offer at the University.

• How is the activity / this work being delivered – what was different/innovativeTo deliver an offer that is shaped around the needs of the participant who struggle to engage in sport, and who may need that additional motivational kick. UNIversal has worked closely with student services to ensure the enrichment of the student experience. Growth in the ‘Health and Wellbeing department’ has provided support in this and opportunity to target specific populations identifying the sporting offers available. (See impact story provided).

• What worked well and whyWork conducted 12 months in advance at applicant days allows us to survey incoming students to identify expressed demand in sport and shape the delivery (the offer) of particular sports. The departments we work with allow us to support the engagement on arrival and to remove barriers that can prevent engagement in our offer. This works because al of this is student/participant centred and this is driven by our coaching and activation team through the training we provide.

• How have you used marketing and communication: Through the realignment of our social media outputs including both Facebook and Twitter, it has allowed us to embed the UNIversal offer into one holistic offer of sport at the University (University of Gloucestershire Sport – TEAM Glos). Through the production of several viral images (JPEG’s attached) we have segmented the student population and (using insight) have highlighted the key messages from ‘characters’ to overcome the barriers that exist within there respective population and how UNIversal and sport can/has enriched the student experience.Additional campaigns have support this work in particular in how we listen to our students example provided with the ‘I participate in sport and physical activity with UNIversal Sport because…)

Impact story: Ben Mason

Studying at FCH Campus, Cheltenham Benhas Asperger's, and in his weekly meetingwith the disability advisor identified wantedto participate in Tennis. After re‐assurancethat no previous experience or equipmentwas required Ben now attends every Mini‐Tennis session and is the only male in agroup of 10 other females that make up the

group.

Project contact details:Name: Gary McLean (UNIversal Sport Co‐ordinatorE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01242 714453

Grace & Annabelle Graphic Design UndergraduatesContinued Insight Capture: “I participate in sport and physical activity with UNIversal Sport because…” A sample of 100 students from various sporting activities were asked to complete the thought bubble and answer the question.

University of Hertfordshire – Big HErts (Active Students)

A collaborative project between the Herts Sports Partnership, University of Hertfordshire and Royal Veterinary College to target our least active students to become more engaged in sport and physical activity. Through workforce development, sustainable opportunities and contribution to wider health and wellbeing objectives, we will create a sporting legacy throughout both institutions and enhance the overall student experience.

Who are the students involved?

Students with Asperger’s Group

How is the activity / this work being delivered – what was different/innovative?

o Collaboration with the University’s Student Wellbeing department identified that this group of students are inactive.

o Considered consultation showed that students wanted to take part in sport but there were several barriers to participation.

o By partnering with the Herts Sports Disability Hub (based 3 miles away from university campus), sessions are being carefully planned to cater for the students’ needs. Staff at the Hub are experts at working with people with disabilities and offer de‐sensitisation videos and coffee ahead of participating in activities thereby allowing students to become familiar with surroundings.

o Participation in sport by this group of students has not been achieved before and has led to several students expressing interest in participating more frequently and joining a club.

o This initiative is in the early stages and there are plans to offer additional activities including golf, fencing, outdoor adventure‐based activities and water‐based activities in summer months.


o Planned with student consultation which resulted in excellent participant numbers and feedback.

o The whole experience from point of consultation through to delivery considered the students’ needs and removed barriers that have previously prevented participation.

o Collaborative working with the University’s student‐facing services to improve student experience of a hard‐to‐reach group which has not been achieved previously.

How have you used marketing and communication?

• Communication around this session was mainly through the member of staff at Student Wellbeing who leads the group and who students know and trust.

• Mainstream communication methods would not have been effective in promoting to this group due to the small target audience.

Impact Story

Mark is in his 3rd year at University of Hertfordshire.Mark is quiet and always walks looking at his feet toavoid eye‐contact. Mark has only attended onemeeting with the Asperger's Group and has notparticipated in any other extra‐curricular or socialactivity in his time at university.

Due to the rapport and trust between Mark andEmma (the member of staff at Student Wellbeingwho leads the group) he came along to the archerysession. The refreshments on arrival helped him toget to know his surroundings and he felt relaxedenough to take part in the session. Not only didMark enjoy the activities, he won the minicompetition at the end of the session.

Mark has never participated in sport outside PElessons at school and has never won anythingbefore.The sense of achievement he experienced and smileon Mark’s face had not been seen before thearchery session. He would like to do archery againand is keen to try other activities in future.“I’ve really enjoyed tonight, more than I thought Iwould. I’m really proud that I won the competitionand would like to have a go again soon”.


Name: Rhian HollyerE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01707 281005

The University of Kent – Let’s Play Let’s Play emphasises the need to lead a healthy lifestyle by targeting inactive students. It encourages them to take part in recreational activities within an organised and social environment with friends. It has identified many barriers to participation and is slowly breaking these down.

• The funding has enabled us to set up college based activities on campustargeting residential students. We have 6 colleges on campus each withbookable spaces during the week. Let’s Play is able to deliver 2 classesweekday evenings in each college.

• These sessions attract all undergrad and postgrad students as although it ispredominantly only 1st years & postgraduate students who haveaccommodation on campus, all students are affiliated to a college so there isan allegiance from the very first day at the University

• The sessions all take place on campus in one of the six colleges, whether this isin a communal space or a lecture hall. All our college sessions are classes ledby a qualified instructor and range from self‐defence to boxfit (classes arereviewed on a termly basis and adapted according to popularity). Thesesessions are different from anything else Kent Sport does as they do not takeplace within Kent Sport facilities and thus breakdown one of the main barriersto participation.

• Putting on classes in the University colleges has proven to be successful as it isperceived as a non‐threatening environment compared to the sports facilities.This means that it is far more likely to attract inactive people. Additionally as itis held in the colleges it is very close to the lecture theatres andaccommodation. This makes it very accessible for the students that study andlive in that college. The classes are also smaller which makes them appearmore intimate and personal.

• We market these events by the use of flyers and a student promotions team tophysically go and promote the events and talk to students. For those whoprefer a less personal approach we also utilise social media to promote ourevents. Each college has a sports officer who is responsible for promoting allphysical activities on campus – from participation through to the BUCS teams.These students are great to work with as they offer peer to peer conversationand are able to communicate better with the student body.

Impact story

“I am a 35 years old PhD student. When I was a child, one of my most important dreams was learning to swim. Previously, I couldn’t do it because of various reasons. The Let's Play program helped me to reach my dream after all these years. Of course I am not a perfect swimmer now but at least I can enter the water without being scared.” – Mokhtar, Swimming Lessons

“Let’s Play is the best way to do some sport whenever you want, you can book and cancel the activity very easily thanks to the website. I can practice my favorite sports and discover new ones as well. I think that the unlimited card is a really good option, I can do sport without thinking about money, especially when I want to try new activities that I am not sure I will like at the beginning. What I prefer with Let’s Play is that I can do any sport without worrying about what people may think. Nobody will judge you at Let’s Play, even if you are a total beginner.”

– Cecilia, Cycling


Name: Mel ClewlowE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01227 827673

Student Nurse Fitcamp Weekly park based sessions specifically for Nursing students, involving fitnessbased challenges and team games such as rounders/netball.

• Fitting activity into lives by offering flexibility around nursing placements.

• Making the sessions fun, inclusive and supportive.

• Sessions led by a professional, knowledgeable and personable instructor.

• Student led Social media marketing; twitter linking to #PUNC (PlymouthUniversity Nursing Cohorts), Facebook group run by volunteer student nurse.

• Marketing message ‐ social activity and way to meet other nursing students(coffee after the session), stress release, help to get fit in order to cope withthe demands of the job, being health role models etc.

• 21 student nurses engaged for 6 weeks of fitness sessions.

• Over 50% attended 5 out of the 6 sessions.

• Groups engaged: Females (95%),Non‐Active (65%), Nursing students (100%), Students with a disability (25%).

Impact Story

‘I can already see my fitnessimproving a lot. I wouldn't ofbeen able to even run for my lifebefore this and I've nowmanaged 2 endurance runs.

It has challenged me but alsomade sure I've worked to myown fitness levels without feelingleft out or pushed too hard. Ihave so much more motivationto get even better. and theweight loss helps too! I reallylook forward to a Tuesday now,not only for the fitness but I havealso met some lovely people’.

‐ Jade, 1st Year Nursing Student


Name: Sarah WinnE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01752 587858

Motivate Generate Activate (MGA)

UPSU’s unique initiative which offers FREE and DISCOUNTED accessible activity to help you balance the demands of University with a happy and healthy lifestyle. Make the most of the wide range of opportunities available; take on a challenge, do something fun with friends, stay fit, explore the Plymouth landscape or learn a new skill.

Key themes: making ‘sport’ more appealing, relevant, accessible and inclusive.

University of Portsmouth ‐ ‘Get Active, Stay Active’Over 50+ drop‐in sessions, learn to lessons and social leagues targeted to get students participating at least 1 x 30 minutes per week. From student consultation and year one evidence, we are now focusing on three target groups ‐first years, international students and females.

‘Opportunities Week’ delivered in partnership with the students union aiming to give studentsthe chance to try something and meet people when they first arrived at UoP. The programmeconsisted of free sport, society and fitness taster sessions.

• Who are the students involved ‐ all students (specific target at first year students)

• How is the activity / this work being delivered – what was different/innovative ‐ free tastersessions organised in partnership with AU/Society club committees as well as other internaland external partners. Delivered by student activators and club coaches. Innovative as thepartnership brought together university sport which allowed new students to try all sportsat any level and see what best suited their needs. Gave every participant, regardless ofability, an opportunity to participate in a sport.

• What worked well and why ‐ Having student activators and club coaches at sessions as wellas everyone working together to promote and engage during the freshers period.Activators/Coaches gave tasters a more relaxed peer‐to‐peer feel. Marketing as oneenabled a massive impact on the number of new participants.

• How have you used marketing and communication ‐ Facebook event which was pushed byall (activators, clubs and departments) involved gave social media presence. Email sent toall 24,000 students before arriving at university for the new academic year. One flyer withall taster information used by all clubs sent a clear message that everyone could be cateredfor. Having our chancellor, Sandi Toksvig, and vice‐chancellor participate in one of thetasters gave the whole week a large media coverage (see image).

Opportunities Week Report attached to email – to see full operational information and impact.

Student Impact:

Our Futsal taster gave onestudent the perfectopportunity to get back intosport after dropping out offootball four years ago. Wewere so intrigued that weincluded a few snippets of hisinterview in our promotionalvideo(https://vimeo.com/114996361)

where he states he ‘wanted toget back into football butdidn’t want to do anything toocompetitive’ and now hedoesn’t want to miss a sessionand it helps that it is so cheap.

Project contact details:Name: Alex coleE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 02392 843539

University of Sussex – Active USActive US & the Buddy Scheme. The Aim of this project is to work closely with the university buddy scheme to gain feedback and put events on which are cratered to this target group.

One of our key partners within the Active US project is Sussex University Students’ Union Buddy Scheme. The scheme pairs students who are in their first year with returning students to aid in getting them settled at University and making friends. Within the Buddy scheme there is a high number students within our target groups as a project (international, PG, First Generation Scholars and mature students) 1) Feedback ‐ Since all of the students involved with the buddy scheme are our

low participation target students we can use this as feedback to design our whole program.

2) Freedom of choice – We let the student decide what activity the want to do and as long as it is on the list of approved sports we try and accommodate it the best we can.

3) Media ‐We try and take photos for the students doing the sports as they want to have memories they make at the events with their new found friends. They also like to use the photographs on their social media profiles and we use them to promote future events.

4) Relaxed – The relaxed atmosphere at the sports really engage students who do not normally take part in sport. The removal of any competition and creating a social environment for students to get to know their buddies better.

5) Creating sporting habits – Our focus is to make sure students continue sports after doing a one off event and this will help to keep them active. We do this by signposting them to other sporting opportunities that we offer or are available within the same sport they took part in.

Impact story – Lucy Marsh

“The Active US trips this year have been a great way of getting to know people on the buddy scheme and doing things I've never done before. The group is always really chilled and welcoming, and it's nice to take a break from uni work to do something a bit different”


Name: Marc SloweyE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 01273872879

‘The 'Couch to 5k' coursehelped me become confidentin running and improved myfitness level week by week.Also, running in a groupmeant that there was a lot ofsupport and personal goalswhich made it fun to run. I'vecontinued to run to improvemy fitness ‐ my next aim is tocomplete a 10k runcomfortably’.

Couch to 5k participant, who has now also become a qualified Run Leader.


Name: Kelly HowardE‐mail address: [email protected] number: 0117 328 7731

University of the West of England: Off The Wall – Something For AllKey Themes: Fun, partnership, community, experience and inclusivity.Off The Wall offers students the chance to engage in sport, leisure and recreational activities in a fun, social and relaxed atmosphere, with no prior experience or knowledge necessary, and no gym or sports club membership required. The programme focuses on ‘non‐traditional sports’ that students may not have had the opportunity to engage with previously.

At the start of the academic year during Freshers Week we hold a mass participation GlowGames event through which to launch the Off The Wall programme, and to engage studentsinto getting active in a fun, and non‐traditional way. Working closely with theAccommodation Services Department we target 1st year students into attending this event sothat they can see the opportunity the programme offers, and look to keep those studentsengaged through their time at University. This event also tends to attract large numbers ofInternational students who engage in the event as it tends to be something different forthem to try, and they then have the opportunity to find out more about the programme.

• The students involved are mainly 1st year students, and International students, however allstudents were welcome and encouraged to attend.

• The mass participation ‘launch’ event to kick off the year and to promote the programmeworked incredibly well to engage and retain students into the programme that mayotherwise have passed it by. By grabbing the attention from the start, by using a ‘quirky’and ‘alternative’ event, it has resulted in a huge increase in numbers taking part in theprogramme and remaining engaged by creating a sense of community, with new studentsforming friendships at the kick‐off event that they have then kept through mutual interestin the programme.

• The engagement and retention of students from this event was a major success. The eventacted as a Launchpad for the programme, and meant that students were engaged fromthe very start of term. Following on from the event, we had our Freshers Fair, and had anoverwhelming level of interest in the programme from those that had attended the event,as well as those that had just heard about it and wanted to find out more.

• Targeted marketing to 1st year students in campus accommodation, as well as workingclosely with Accommodation Services and the International Office. Piggybacking on theback of Freshers Week, and embedding promotion into all Freshers content so thatbecoming involved in the programme is seen as the ‘norm’ along with all of the otherevents taking place.

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