Student Members Portal

About

Saints Sport strives “to create a special sporting environment: providing the best possible support and opportunities, enabling everyone to realise their own goals, create their fondest memories, form their strongest friendships and have the best university experience because of their engagement with Saints Sport.

This is the Saints Sport Experience, and it cannot happen without the contribution of every member, club committee, and staff member. To support this, we hold ourselves and all our members to the Saints Sport Core Values, embedding them in our decisions, actions, and the sports we play.

Values

• Selfless

  We strive to put others first, making time for them, and treating them with respect and humility.

  Our 500+ committee members and volunteer coaches demonstrate the value of selflessness, giving up their time to ensure that others can enjoy their sport. In the last academic year over 4,000 volunteering hours were logged on the volunteer portal, and clubs simply wouldn’t offer the opportunities that they do without their committees.

  Clubs also demonstrate selflessness in other ways, for example our Jujitsu members treat their training partners with respect and humility, and fundraise for meaningful causes through their annual ‘Slamathon’ event.

• Affable

  We encourage all to be friendly, approachable and courteous. We are open to feedback and are willing to try new things without fear of failure.

  Sports clubs act as a community for many students, and clubs promote this by hosting a variety of training sessions and social events. Cheerleading is one club who relies on trust and community to help members feel confident when trying new stunts – an environment they foster through being friendly, encouraging, and ready to grow if a skill doesn’t ‘hit’.

  The Netball Club also demonstrate an affable environment through their use of student coaches for their teams. This helps members to feel a sense of togetherness and closeness when training, and provides regular opportunities for peer-to-peer feedback which can help the coaches, teams, and club as a whole to continually improve.

• Inclusive

  We welcome all students and are proactive in ensuring that they are treated equally. We create safe spaces for discussion and are always striving to improve.

  Inclusivity is a value at the heart of many of our sports clubs, who offer sessions for all experience levels and backgrounds, break down stigmas associated with their sport, and are actively involved in inclusion campaigns.

   

  Here’s how Parkour demonstrates inclusivity, in their own words:

  “Inclusivity is at the heart of parkour – we welcome students of all backgrounds, confidence and levels of experience. Given the unrestricted and expressive nature of parkour, the club has become a safe space for members particularly of the LGBTQ+ community. As a result, we proactively ensure that members are addressed correctly, feel comfortable when training, and above all else, are treated equally.”

  These efforts are supported by the Saints Sport for All group, an advisory collection of elected representatives for groups who may experience barriers to participation in sport. The group feeds into the highest levels of Saints Sport decision making and aims to identify concrete and sustainable solutions.

• Nurturing

  We are building a supportive environment, inspiring others to develop and grow. We are passionate about sport and aim to communicate this in everything we do.

  Supporting student development – whether on or off the pitch – is central to the flourishing of our sports clubs. For example, the Badminton Club have both a selective team and a non-selective development squad, creating a pathway through the club and providing an opportunity for players to progress to team standard with peer coaching and local league matches.

  Another club who supports student development is Kendo:

  “Community is at the heart of Kendo practice, with strong bonds between members inherent to our discipline’s teaching method in which members act as both teachers and students within exercises. We are a close knit club and always seek to encourage each other and ensure that we leave every practice with confidence and a positive mindset to start the rest of the day.”

• Trustworthy

  We are honest, open, and fair. We aim to lead by example, with integrity, reliability, and accountability.

  Our players hold themselves and their teammates to the highest standards, expecting good sportsmanship in matches and trust in practices.

  For example, the Ice Hockey club shared that:

  “Our club is very close knit, and with this comes a level of trust […] Our member always trust each other to do the right thing.”

  Trustworthiness is also demonstrated by the Boat Club, who remain accountable to their mission statement for accessible rowing and a supportive, inclusive club by being transparent about club decisions and regularly seeking feedback. Members can approach the committee as “role models and leaders who can address any concerns or problems”.

• Successful

  We are hardworking and dedicated, working towards excellence in everything we do.

  Saints Sport aims to support every student and club to achieve their goals, whether they strive to compete at the highest levels or to help beginners increase their confidence. We celebrate a diversity of achievements, whether this is the Ice Hockey club’s undefeated season, the Karate members who have achieved new belts, or the Hockey Club members who have been selected for the GB Elite Development Programme.

  In the words of the Cheerleading Club:

  “It’s the committed members, who come to every practice who make our club successful. We’re always working towards new goals, and that means that sometimes practices can be challenging, however with all our hardworking members – we all achieve success.”