Why playing sport at UoL is the best decision you’ll make

AU nights may be gone but the teams certainly aren’t

4 years ago

If you walk past university accommodation this October listening extra carefully, you might just be able to hear the tiny patter of tears hitting laptops followed by the cries of freshers pleading “Please God, not another bloody Zoom quiz!” I mean, how else are they meant to meet fellow Freshers? With basically everywhere shutting at 10 pm thanks to this pandemic making socialising (understandably) impossible, it almost makes you wonder what even is the point in joining a sports club this year?

I’m pretty sure you’ve seen the posts moaning about sports teams here in Liverpool, and in fairness, I completely understand where they’re coming from. If I signed up to the Chess society as a Fresher, I too would be bitter about mental sports players. Here’s the thing: Us sporty people want the best for you. We want to make sure that you don’t end up as one of those bitter individuals drinking alone at home on a Wednesday night mindlessly swiping on Tinder while we’re all out having fun and making questionable decisions in Level.

For those of you sitting on the fence wondering whether or not to join a sport at Liverpool this year, here’s why you need to grow up and join one already:

You’ll have a better social life than boring non-sporty people

The truth is, we all know that playing sport isn’t everyone’s thing. Not everyone can get excited about sweaty late-night training sessions, grueling fitness training, and bus rides to the middle of nowhere which is completely understandable. Luckily for you, playing sport at Liverpool doesn’t actually have to involve playing any sport at all- the social side of every sporting club is undeniably the most important reason to consider signing up.

Sure, Wednesdays are match days, but just saying that doesn’t paint the whole picture. You should actually be expecting singing 699 bus-rides, getting off your tits on Quad-Vods at Faculty, and snogging attractive singles. Ask anyone in a sports society, nothing beats Crate escapes, Stein races, and unflattering costumes at AU nights, it just really doesn’t get any better. This is where we make our best mates, you’d be an idiot to miss out.

Still sounds daunting? Maybe consider joining one of UoL’s fake sports societies, like Korfball, Ice Sports, or Archery. I’m sure they’ll try to convince you they actually play sport, but realistically they’re all just fronts to get mangled on a Wednesday night (seriously though, Korfball really isn’t a thing).

It helps you keep fit despite the uni lifestyle

Despite PE with Joe‘s best efforts, sadly during this lockdown the majority of us have put on a few extra pounds (present party included), so what better way to get back into shape then heading down to a few training sessions a week with your mates?

If you’re looking to push yourself and make friends at the same time, joining sport at Liverpool is the ideal choice for you. Typically training sessions happen mid-week when uni finishes, always leaving the perfect amount of time for you to get ready for pres.

Tours are great

Here’s another scenario for you, how does a week-long bender in a gorgeous European city with endless booze and being surrounded by all your mates sound? Yep, exactly, it does sound bloody fantastic. Joining a sports society allows you the chance to hop on a tour and live it up on a great holiday with just a tiny bit of sports on the side.

Sure, you’ll look like an utter dick wearing your monogrammed hoodie around campus, but when you’re having as much fun as we are, you really won’t give a shit. Banter-aside, uni can be a lonely place when you’re far away from your home and in a strange new city. Being part of a sports club gives you a great set of friends that you can rely on if it all gets a bit too much.

For all you Freshers weighing up your options, with the current COVID-19 restrictions we know that this year everything’s going to be slightly different. The guarantee from every sports club is that they’re going to do all they can to make sure that we have exactly as much fun as we did in the years before. Don’t be discouraged!

If you decide that it might not be worth it, you’re risking missing out on all the good stuff. Don’t be a loser, join a sports club.