Flashback to September, when you walked around the Freshers Fair – the sports hall was a room lively with opportunity, where society presidents and club captains spritely sold the dream, and bargained for your membership. You reflected on that sport you played two years ago and would love to pick back up, and grew excited over the chance to play it again at university. After all, the physical and mental benefits are indisputable – building endurance and stamina, feeling accomplished for picking up a new skill, putting your energy into something productive, making friends, and feeling like a part of a team. It all seemed practical and accessible; but they never mentioned the price tag.
‘There’s something for everyone’: the bold promise that The University of Sussex promotes on their website regarding the 40 sport society opportunities they have to offer. At the surface of their claim, the fact may seem true – their sporting clubs range from racket to bat, mountains to waves and slopes to land: the options for both sports and clubs seem endless. The Universities’ bold headline, ‘if you enjoy playing competitive sport, our student clubs will have something for you’ guarantees that all students will find a sport that they can play and enjoy, or that there is always the opportunity to start a new club currently not on offer. Upon closer inspection, however, it is not the selection of sports that limits some students, but rather that not ‘everyone’ has the financial capabilities to fund and participate in the weekly competitive or social sports. Instead, their statement should be ‘there’s something for everyone… as long as you can afford it’.
Upon questioning nine different sports societies and participants, their opinions on the pricing of their sport, and the support (or lack thereof) offered by the University are indisputable. In support of the claim that the opportunities at The University of Sussex provide are not for everyone, as the expenses and financial requirements are extensive, it leads to question whether more responsibility should fall upon The University of Sussex to support and fund our teams?
With most sports clubs charging between £55 and £130 for their membership, joining a sports society does not seem like an option for some students. Whilst battling the pre-existing financial demands of student life, such as food shopping, travel, and managing a limited student loan, sports is often something that university students do not have a large budget for. Prices vary depending on the team that you play for within your sport, as societies such as Netball, Hockey, and Lacrosse, offer a £90-£95 membership fee for their first and second teams, and then a reduced rate for their ‘development teams’. For those lucky enough to make the first and second teams, their membership fee is put towards ‘travel, kits, insurance and coaching, the BUCS fees, hall and court hire’, as senior members of the Netball team confirmed. The development teams for both Lacrosse and Netball are much cheaper, as Lacrosse is free to socially pay, and Netball charges £65 – but what does this cost get you if you are not playing in matches? Members of the hockey third team confirmed that they paid £60 for their membership, but it has not been worth it as all resources and efforts are often put into the first team, ‘I pay £60 but get no coaches or games, we don’t get to play matches unless we organise our own friendly games’. So, when asked is it worth it, the answer was no! How are students expected to progress into a higher-ranking team when they don’t receive sufficient resources that they have rightfully paid for?
Some memberships range into the hundreds; the Sussex Saxons charge £112 membership and a £50 kit deposit for team members and the Rugby membership is £130. Despite paying the membership, this does not guarantee that you will play in the weekly games, as senior Sussex Saxon Lewis stated, those who do get the chance are those who ‘prove to be the best in their position’. When paying the large membership fee does not guarantee match opportunities or professional coaching, the cost of membership may seem extortionate for basic recreational training. Is the membership fee acceptable, or should The University of Sussex be expected to do more to provide the 3rd and social teams with better coaching opportunities and funding?
Making the team is only the first step as you cannot play without the correct uniform and equipment, all of which comes with a price that isn’t always affordable. Lewis continued that if players wish to purchase their own ‘helmets, shoulder pads, lower pads, cleats and gloves’, this equipment could cost up to £1200, a price taken from his personal experience. Similarly, most clubs such as Hockey, Netball and Rugby, require members to purchase their own kit or uniform. A hockey stick is the most expensive ‘a decent but basic stick costs £100’, confirmed a member of the men’s Hockey third team.
The University of Sussex do contribute towards some basic equipment costs, such as the Sussex Saxons helmets as they ‘legally need to be replaced every 10 years’. Other than in matters of necessity, in which the University grant some of their funds to the sports, financial aid is very limited. Responsibility falls on the societies to raise money to go towards ‘funding kit the Student Union don’t give us or equipment they don’t see as necessary’, as the Hockey team stated.
Within their interviews, many members commented that in order to make the teams, previous skill and experience is required. A women’s Hockey 2nd team member stated that ‘the first team is usually county and regional players, people who have been playing competitively for years’, this level of experience and fitness also comes at a price, as previous years of training experience is very costly. Within some of the more expensive sports available, such as Cricket, BBC Sport suggest that the most successful athletes are ‘those who went to an independent school’ with 43% of the men’s England Cricket team having been educated privately. At university, are you still limited by your financial status if joining a team requires years of expensive training schemes?
With a gym membership of £30 a month, the facilities available at The University of Sussex were, up until the recent renovations, not worth this price, as a second year student Thomas stated that, ‘it lacked some machinery especially for leg and arm workouts’. As a small gym in comparison to some major chains, Thomas continued that even now, ‘you have to wait to enter the gym or wait for/ share equipment’. How can the University expect students to afford nor want to use such limited facilities, when cheaper alternatives, such as PureGym, offer student memberships beginning at £14?
‘I feel excluded. I lost all excitement about societies when I realised, I couldn’t afford it’; one first year student explained how the cost of sporting damages individuals self-confidence and self-worth, making them feel less important and isolated. Without being a part of a team, individuals lose the opportunity to attend weekly socials, how is that fair? The University of Sussex needs to do more than just what is required of them, their inaction is uninspiring compared to The University of Sunderland who subsidised their BUCS membership and offer an Elite Athlete Scheme for students, to ‘support them with funding’.
Prideful about their sporting opportunities and teams, The University needs to play a more active role in ensuring that both the teams have the essentials that they need, and that sports are accessible for all. A money pot shared between the teams is not enough anymore!
