More than 46,000 university students have got involved in sport in the first year of Sport England’s Active Universities campaign with the University of Brighton contributing 2,341 of these national figures. The university came out in the top three for participation from the 40 universities across England which received funding. Brighton's Lottery funded programme called Parklife has been getting students active across the campuses. From £1 swims to 'have a go' fencing sessions. The programme is already looking to exceed these numbers in the second year of the three year project. The emphasis is on providing a fun, cheap and social way to get active. This has included partnering up with local sports providers such as Brighton and Hove Council, Hastings Borough Council and Freedom Leisure to offer great student deals on sports activities locally.
Sport Brighton's Activator Mike Fisher who runs the project said 'it has been a great opportunity to get students participating; both taking part and volunteering to run sessions. We have enjoyed getting students and staff active across all the campuses from Grand Parade to Hastings.'
Sport England is investing over £8 million of National Lottery funding over three years through Active Universities to get more students playing sport. It is part of the work to tackle the issue of drop-off in sports participation that sees many young people giving up sport in their late teens and early twenties.
Recognising the strong tradition of high-level competitive sport within universities, Active Universities projects have been focusing on the need for more informal and social sporting opportunities.
Sport England’s Director of Community Sport, Mike Diaper, said: “It’s fantastic that so many students are taking the opportunity to make sport a regular part of their lives. In the past too many students who didn’t make it onto university teams had been lost to sport altogether. Young adults who are still playing sport when they leave university are likely to stick with it for life, so this is a good investment in the future.”
Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson MP said: “We want to leave a lasting sports legacy from the Games and projects like Active Universities will help us do that - encouraging young people to have a sporting habit for life. It has made a promising start and I am sure the Games will have motivated more students to get involved in sport over this coming year.”
Alternative sports such as paddleboarding and softball have been among the popular choices with students. Katherine Clarke from the Coventry University project, where korfball was among the sports on offer, said: “Generally the participants in alternative sports have been more committed and attended more regularly. We feel this is down to more committed participants of traditional sports already playing the sport in a more structured environment, such as the university sports clubs.”
Despite the encouraging numbers, Sport England is urging projects to do more to attract women students after the results showed that 60 per cent of participants were men.
Canterbury Christchurch University has bucked this trend with women making up 67 per cent of particpiants. Amy Jones, 
who’s studying American Studies at the university said: "The informal and relaxed atmosphere at the trysport sessions really helps as it makes the scheme more accessible to everyone. It wasn't a scary competitive session where everyone is judging you, which is great. I met lots of new people who I hadn't seen on campus before and it gave me the confidence to try new things. I'm now an ambassador for the scheme and volunteer each week to encourage others to get involved in the project.”
The first-year results for Active Universities was welcomed by Karen Rothery, Chief Executive of British Universities and Colleges Sport, who said: “These results are really encouraging, and show that a focused approach, with a real understanding of what students want and the creativity that student involvement brings to sport delivery can make a significant impact on the numbers taking part in sport, and therefore the impact of sport on the university experience.”
To get involved in our latest programme then see our latest timetables here.