Remarkable year for University of Dundee Sports Union

During times of restricted sport, the Sports Union rallied together to provide support for their peers and the local community. Over the past year members have raised thousands of pounds for charity and have developed Covid-safe campus activities for their fellow students.

Clubs and members should have had a busy year filled with training sessions, games and tournaments, but this was significantly impacted by the pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns and restrictions. Nevertheless, over the course of past year, 1225 sport sessions were delivered to members and clubs also looked at ways to uplift their peers and others in the community through a range of creative initiatives.

These have included a variety of successful, innovative fundraisers, collectively raising over £28,000 for local and national charities. The Union also ran a blood donation campaign for Scottish charity Give Blood 4 Good, encouraging almost 300 individuals to donate blood, 58% of which were first time donors.

“At many points over the last academic year, sport has been extremely limited due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Dan Sayer, President of the University’s Sports Union 2020/21.

“From the get-go, all competitive British Universities and Colleges Sports fixtures were cancelled, facilities were forced to close, events such as the Sports Fair were forced to move online, and sport national governing bodies issued guidance that limited the activity that our clubs could do.

“Our clubs this year have had to adapt, improvise, and overcome due to the challenges that Covid-19 has given us. I can honestly say that their efforts have been nothing short of phenomenal.”

The Sports Union is made up of 46 clubs and has a regular membership of around 2500. Despite a reduced membership in the past year, due to the impact of Covid restrictions, the Sports Union holds a higher than national average member retention rate.

Throughout the various lockdowns and times of limited activity, clubs actively sought to support their members and their mental wellbeing, running numerous activities and campaigns to promote discussions around positive mental health.

And as the demand for casual exercise increased, the Sports Union further developed their ‘Campus Sport’ provision, offering a creative range of Covid-safe activities throughout the academic year to the wider student body. These activities gave students the opportunity to stay active both physically and mentally, offering the chance to interact with new people during friendly and fun recreational sport.

“Despite the many challenges over the past year, the Sports Union and its member clubs have delivered an impressive range of opportunities in support of the physical and mental wellbeing of the University student body,” continued Dan.

"The feedback we received on our improved Campus Sport offering was fantastic and it was the highlight of the year for many students.

“It shows us just how much of a positive impact sport has on the mental health of our community.”