With the new term starting Sport Brighton has plenty of new sporting opportunities for you to get involved. Under the banner of Parklife the new programme looks to provide fun, recreational and cheap sporting opportunities. This term’s programme runs between the 9th of January and the 23rd March across all campuses. Parklife is bigger than ever encompassing its normal programme, Active8 and the Olympics inspired ‘Be a Champion’ project. Apart from the league sports all sessions are drop in and play so there is no need to book ahead, just turn up and enjoy. Below is more information about the programmes.So look through the many choices that are available and give it a try.
Parklife
Parklife’s core programme offers all students and staff at the University of Brighton easy ways to get into recreational sport. The programme is partly funded by the Students’ Union as well as Sport Brighton. Through Parklife you can attend a number of activities at all campuses for a nominal fee or in some cases completely free. Check out the many different choices and the times there are by clicking here, core Parklife activities are highlighted in green. With so many options there is something for everyone whether it’s taking up a sport you had a passion for when growing up or you fancy taking up a brand new sport you may have never tried before. A new addition to the programme is Rush Hockey. Rush hockey is a faster version of hockey with new rules and would be perfect for someone looking for a new sport altogether or is already a fan of hockey, and would like to see how they have adapted it. Other new sports include street cricket and lacrosse.
Active8
Project Active8 is a lottery funded initiative and has been set up at the University of Brighton this year and is re-starting on the 9th of January until the 23rd of March. Active8 activities are taking place at all campuses and are open to both students and staff. Active8 is part of Sport England’s £10million Active Universities fund, which is looking to help more students get into an active lifestyle, for more information on Sport England check out their website . As an incentive to attend more sessions you are given a loyalty card, after you attend 10 Active8 sessions and get the card stamped each time you are rewarded with a free Sport Brighton standard class or a Sport Brighton water bottle. Active8 sessions also cost £1 or in some cases are free. With 8 sports to choose from you will be sure to find one which is right for you. Click the link to find out times and locations, Active8 session are highlighted in orange, also click here for the Active8 section of the website. Active8 will also soon be running sessions at the Plumpton site.
Be a Champion
Be a Champion sets a challenge every month for students to see how well they can do at different activities, it’s inspired by Olympic events and is a way to capture the enthusiasm for Olympic events as well as keeping healthy. January’s Olympic sport is cycling; people will be able to time themselves over 4 km. This gives students an opportunity to challenge themselves, have friendly competition with their friends while also giving more of an insight to just how hard Olympic athletes really have to train! February will be for table tennis, which is great for students on the go as it requires no change of kit and can be played anytime. It’s a sport that anyone can get involved in and is a more relaxed activity that is perfect for passing the time between lectures. During March the challenge will be sitting volleyball which is a Paralympic event, the game is the similar to volleyball but players sit on the floor and the net is lower. The game is just as fast paced as volleyball but because the players have to remain with a minimum level of contact with the floor it brings a new element to the game and setting a new challenge.
This year’s Parklife programme is its biggest in the University of Brighton’s history, with so many activities on your doorstop there is little excuse but not to get involved. Studies show that a lot of people in their late teens and early twenties start to care less about being active and exercise which can affect overall health and wellbeing. Regular exercise also helps with self confidence, reduces stress and keeps the mind focused, which is always handy during the build up to deadlines! So if you want to start your new year with a new mind-set that balances your studies with keeping healthy then joining in with Parklife is your easiest, cheapest and most accessible way of achieving it.