London 2012

Active universities

Published 16 July 2012

Along with 40 other projects, Project Active8 at the University of Brighton is being backed by Sport England’s £10 million Active Universities fund to get more university students playing sport, as part of the mass participation legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Project Active8 is a loyalty card programme that rewards students attending sport sessions. The programme covers eight different sports, including netball, squash, table tennis and volleyball. Students will get a loyalty card when they sign up for one of the eight sports; once they’ve attended the target number of sessions, they will get discounts to the university’s other sports facilities, such as the swimming pool or fitness suite.

Chosen by students themselves, the eight sports delivered at different times and in different venues across the university’s five campuses to encourage more fun and sociable participation in sport. The project is also linking into existing student clubs and helping to establish new clubs, allowing students the chance to progress from a social to a competitive level.

Hugh Robertson MP, minister for sport and the Olympics said: “This funding for 41 different sport projects across the country is exactly what our Olympic legacy promise is all about – offering more opportunities for people to get involved. This will boost university sport and encourage students to continue playing once their studies are over.”