Sports Clubs set to suffer as AU trebles the cost of sport at York
THE AU IS receiving strong criticism from many quarters of the university’s sporting community as wholesale changes to its charging system and large developments to the sports centre are having a negative impact on nearly all clubs.
The price of joining both the AU and the sports centre has risen dramatically to £35, almost a 200% rise on the £12 charge last year. On top of this the development of the university sports centre, which will involve an extension of the fitness suite and the construction of a brand new multi-purpose sports hall, extends onto the floodlit training area behind the centre which is essential for the rugby and football clubs on campus. The building work will also not be finished until Week 6 which will disrupt training until well into the second half of term for many of our sports societies.
“I said last year this was always going to be a hard time for the AU,” said new AU President Nik Engineer, “certainly this term will be the hardest for the last several years.”
“A lot of clubs are going to see some cut down in their training time, they might see some loss of facilities, but it’s really a case that the whole AU has to endure these difficulties for the start of term. In the long run it’s going to make a huge difference, an absolutely huge difference.”
Regarding the rise in charges to join the AU and use the sports centre facilities Engineer insisted that “it is the change that people are objecting to, not the actual price.” The AU were bound by the SU Finance Committee to increase their income from membership by the equivalent of £3 per person, and with enlarged insurance costs due to an increasing number of members there was the need to raise the fee to join the AU to £15.
But the part of the price revision that has shocked most of York’s sportsmen and women is the new £20 fee to get use of the sports centre and its various surrounding pitches, mainly owing to the fact that until now the charge for joining the sports centre had always been included in the price of becoming a member of the AU and constituted as little as £4 of this overall charge. Engineer admitted that the cost of developments had contributed to this increase, but cited maintenance costs and other factors as equally responsible.
“The reality is that in the last four years prices have been kept artificially low, lower than they really should be having not even gone up with inflation. So that’s really a case of the sports centre or the AU shooting ourselves in the foot to a certain extent because now we’re faced with a very sudden, big increase.”
However this is the part that has angered many students. Understanding the reasons for price increases, Rugby President Ben Pickett suggested that “the charges should have been phased in and not thrown upon the clubs with no notice.” To become a member of the rugby club this unexpected increase now makes the cost a massive £60.
Pickett added that “many of our members viewed it as the sports hall taking away our training facilities, and then charging us for the privilege.” After all the rugby club will be the hardest hit by the loss of floodlit training due to the fact that they don’t have the luxury of being able to train indoors or on the astroturf.
Fully aware of the disadvantages that clubs will be facing Engineer is currently talking to many club Presidents and answering the numerous questions that students no doubt have, but he still remains confidant that the price revision was necessary, stating that “I would not have agreed the prices as we have finalised them if I wasn’t confidant that they were justified and reasonable.” He is confidant that most people will come around and understand the need for the revision.
Engineer believes that York still offers comparatively cheap sport measured against other institutions, and with 400 freshers having already signed up for the AU online he hopes that membership figures will not suffer. “Its give and take as it always is with the Athletic Union, and it has to be.” However many students will no doubt remain dubious.
