Taking part in university sports is a great way to make friends and boost your health, and this is true even if you’ve never really been the sporty type. The sports clubs and events at university cater to all levels and abilities, including complete beginners as well as those more athletically inclined.
Even if you haven’t participated in any sport since the mandatory PE lessons in school, it will be worthwhile getting involved with a sport at university to broaden your social horizons and make exercise a fun part of your life. There is also usually a wide range of sporting activities you can partake in, depending on the facilities available at each university. These include the usual suspects like football and athletics, but can often include more bespoke activities like clay pigeon shooting, fencing, martial arts and orienteering.
Joining in such activities will absolutely enhance your university experience, so let’s look at how joining a sports club or team will benefit you.
Meet New People
Taking part in university sports will introduce a lot of new people into your life and social circle. You will make friends with people you play with and compete against, and will form good relationships with people you would otherwise have not even met. Also, remember that university sports clubs usually have their own social events beyond playing the sport itself, so there will be even more opportunities for you to socialise and build close friendships.
Improve Health and Reduce Stress
These two benefits go hand in hand as exercise is known to be a powerful stress reliever while improving your overall health in general. Physical activity releases endorphins which relieve stress and calm the nerves, so it can be especially beneficial for university students. And remember, to maximise the health benefits of sport, try to maintain a healthy diet!
Sports Give You Soft Skills
Soft skills include the likes of effective communication and time management, and playing sport will provide you with a variety of excellent soft skills experience. Team sports like lacrosse or volleyball obviously require a group of people to coordinate together, and this experience will help you in the future when working professionally.
Solo sports like archery or judo require you to focus and motivate yourself to improve and execute your game plan effectively. Again, developing these kinds of soft skills will greatly improve your professional capabilities after university.
The Pure Enjoyment
Even those of us who haven’t ever been sporty or into sports at all will have loads of fun while taking part in university sports. You might need to try a couple of different sports to find the one that suits you best, but once you do you will see how much fun you have taking part.
Who knows, maybe you’ll discover that you’re the next Mo Farah or Paula Radcliffe, or the next Mary Earps or Ronnie O’Sullivan! Even if you’re not that good at it, taking part in a sport will still be an excellent way to take a break from the pressure of your studies and let loose for a while.
If you are a student or recent graduate looking for a short term placement, internship or full-time permanent position, then get in touch with Step Recruitment today to access a diverse and inclusive outcome-focused range of internships and placements, as well as graduate jobs across a range of industries!