Keeping you healthy
The University of Bristol is the place to be if you have an interest in sport or healthy physical activity. Our vision is for all students to enjoy an environment that promotes a proactive approach to sport, health and wellbeing, giving everyone the opportunity to be active, whatever your sport and at whatever level you want to participate.
We have wonderful facilities, providing opportunities for sports participation at all levels, and the chance to take part in a huge range of healthy pursuits. Even if you’re not sporty, we have plenty to interest you and encourage a healthy lifestyle. We have a large variety of classes and courses from Pilates to ‘Learn to Swim’. There are opportunities to improve at sports you already play, try new ones or even become a coach or referee.
Sports facilities
The Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health is part of a network of sports facilities catering for everyone, and located at the heart of the University campus. It offers an excellent 120-station fitness suite (The Pulse); three exercise studios; a new free weights room; a main sports hall for five-a-side football, basketball, netball and volleyball; and a balcony that doubles as a jogging track.
Just along the road are four glass-backed squash courts that are available to students, while the newly refurbished 3 -metre pool caters for everything from competitive swimming to canoeing and water polo.
The University’s magnificent 38-acre Coombe Dingle Sports (outdoor) Complex offers outstanding tennis facilities (indoor and outdoor), international-standard hockey pitches and first-class provision for football, cricket, lacrosse and netball. The highly successful Boat Club trains at Saltford from a brand new £1m boathouse on the River Avon, while the Sailing Club uses the superb facilities at Axbridge.
Encouraging sporting excellence
Postgraduates with sporting talent and sporting aspirations are very welcome to join one or more of the 50-plus Students’ Union sports clubs who represent the University at local and national levels. Highly talented individuals can also join the University’s High Performance Sports Squad where you can receive professional help with fitness, nutrition, mental preparation, time management and sports medicine support.
Prospective students can apply for sports scholarships of up to £1,000 before coming to the University, although you will need to be accepted onto your programme in the first instance. The University is also involved with the government-funded Talented Athlete Sport Support scheme (TASS), and several of our leading sportsmen and women are TASS scholars. For further information, please visit the High Performance Squad website.
UBU: Sport and Health
The University of Bristol Students’ Union also oversees the running of over 50 sport and health clubs, with an overall membership of more than 4,000 people. Opportunities exist for both competitive levels of sport, with a comprehensive intramural programme, and non-competitive activity for fun or general fitness routines. Getting involved is also another great way to meet new people as the clubs organise various social events in addition to training and competitions.
