My York Sport Experience – Playing for fun

The University of York has amazing sports facilities and it’s really easy to get involved in plenty of different sports and not have to pay a lot either! With a basic sports centre membership, you get access to all the courts and gym and can even take your friends along for just a £2 guest fee. The gym membership might seem a little heavy for a student budget but if you play regularly it’s cheaper than paying to hire a court each time you go, so membership is worth splashing out on.

In my second year at York, I started playing squash and badminton each week, fitting in playing around my timetable and when my friends were free. You can simply ring the sports centre to book a time slot, lasting usually about an hour, to suit you – simple!

And you don’t even need to worry about kit – the sports centre has rackets and balls, and even trainers, available for hire at a small cost so you can just turn up in your gym stuff and get started. So there’s no excuse not to try something just because you don’t have the right equipment!

A lot of people like playing competitive sports but I’m not one of those, so this more relaxed approach is perfect for me. I can play when I like and don’t have to go to intense training sessions outside in the cold! For me, it’s more about enjoying my sport and keeping fit in a fun way that I enjoy.

The university’s sports centre, down near James College, has three sports halls and five squash courts, so there are plenty of things to get involved with. Take your pick from squash, volleyball and badminton, or even try tennis, football or use the gym, all for free with a gym membership.

If you do find that you try a sport and come to love it, there’s nothing stopping you joining a club or society and getting involved more competitively. Clubs and societies welcome members throughout the year, so if you find a sport you wish to take further, you can.

Obviously, playing sports just for fun lacks the social aspect that joining a club or society offers but for me this meant avoiding a messy initiation night (which some people seem to really enjoy…) and spending more time with the friends I’ve already made, so I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything. There’s nothing better than beating my friends, which doesn’t happen very often, but knowing I’m not being judged or watched to see if I make it onto next week’s team sheet is a great thing for me.

For more information on the university’s sports centre, visit their website.

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