Often when people talk about University the main advice given is to get involved; joining a sports club or society is a great way to immerse yourself in the university experience. As Newcastle is such a large Russell Group university, students here are spoilt for choice with the number of options on offer.
Societies and sports clubs
I have personally been involved in a few societies and sports teams during my time at Newcastle. I was part of the Accounting and Finance Society, and my housemate was the Society’s social secretary. If you are joining Newcastle to do Business Accounting and Finance, the Accounting and Finance Society may be a good one to consider in first year as most of your lectures will be integrated with the accounting and finance course. You will also have the infamous BAF socials to get to know your peers from your specific year, and the older years.
I have also partaken in intramural women’s football and economics intramural netball, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. I still play economics netball every Saturday when I’m in Newcastle and will continue to play next year.
A big bonus to being involved with a sports team is the Wednesday sports nights. Each sports club will usually pick a theme for these Wednesday’s. Previous themes have been magic mike, dress as your type, anything but clothes and so much more! Wednesday is the most popular night of the week in Newcastle and a great opportunity to have fun and meet new friends.
During the first few weeks of University, Newcastle University hosts an annual fresher’s fair. This is a good opportunity to scout out which societies / sports teams that interest you. Examples of societies on offer include:
- Board Games Society
- book club
- chess
- DJ
- debating, and
- 20-Minute Society
A full list can be found here.
I have a couple friends at Newcastle who are members of the 20-minute society, where members are alerted and given 20 minutes to reach a specified destination, from which they attend an activity. Previous activities have included axe throwing, visiting the dog cafe, and an escape room. If you’re looking for something a little more niche that Newcastle don’t already offer, it could even be a fun venture to start your own society.
Get sporty
Newcastle also offers a vast array of sporting options for all abilities. The Newcastle sports centre facilitates members having multiple interests with their range of membership options.
The past three years I have enjoyed being a sport and fitness member of the University. This provides gym access, all intramural /performance sports and discounted sports treatments.
The latter I have taken advantage of a couple times and the treatment provided for the price is outstanding.
Access to the gym also includes access to fitness classes, which I also love to attend. The University gym offers the following classes:
- Yoga
- Body pump
- HIIT
- Spin
- Zumba
- Body combat
- Pilates
- Strength and core
My personal favourites are body pump and Pilates.
The Newcastle sports centre opened in February 2021 so is extremely modern and high-tech. The spin class is also a personal favourite due to the studio kitted out with colourful LEDs and a great sound system.
Benefits of getting involved
Many other benefits come with being involved in societies and sports teams. Having a scheduled break in which your mind can relax elsewhere can be invaluable to your study time.
Playing sport and hanging out with friends are a great way to relieve stress and make friends for life.
Sports teams and societies also offer various leadership roles to those interested, such as social secretary, president and treasury. Taking on a role related to your course or the career you’re looking to go into, (ie. accounting and finance, taking on the role of treasurer) will give you helpful experience and would be great to include in your CV.
To round off, my advice would be to bite the bullet early on. Attend as many taster sessions as possible to find a fit right for you, as during Freshers everyone is very keen to make friends. However, it’s never a bad time to try a new sport or hobby!