‘Sport will stay at the bottom of the agenda until funds are funnelled into the project’
In my experience, when I tell people that I study at York, various replies are offered. “That’s a good university, what grades did you need to get in there?”, people might say, or even “That’s a bit posh, isn’t it?”, to which I often retort “You should visit Durham”. However, one reply that I have never heard, and I doubt many others have, is: “Hey, that’s a great uni for sport!”
Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticising anyone who plays university sport, nor those who give up their time to organise the clubs. There are, though, many reasons why someone’s first reaction on hearing the words University of York is unlikely to focus on its sporting prowess, among which are the University’s lack of sporting reputation; the relatively small size of the University; the distinctly average sports facilities, and the seemingly low status that sport holds in the collective consciousness of York students. How, then, can this situation be remedied? Is there any way the future can be made to look a little brighter for sport at York?
At first glance, the situation looks distinctly murky. In this writer’s humble opinion, the standard of sport at university level will not be raised until the rampant apathy of the students is changed. Yet this indifference is not likely to ease unless the standard of sport is raised. If I might venture a cliche, the situation is a vicious cycle. The one shining ray of hope, the welcome beacon in the fading gloom, comes in the form of the Heslington East expansion.
The plans, which have been widely questioned by many at the University, must be music to the ears of those who wish to see the profile of sport at York raised. Not only will the plans double the number of students, greatly increasing the pool of talent for the sports clubs to pick from, they will also include the construction of state-of-the-art sporting facilities. This could even herald the coming of national teams to train at York, just universities such as Swansea or Loughborough.
Admittedly, many people would like to see the current facilities upgraded and refurbished, and it will be interesting to see what will happen to these once the expansion is bought and paid for.
The solution would therefore seem to be to simple. We must dare to hope that these new facilities will inspire an influx of sport-minded students who, in turn, will spark a revolution of sport, or even just a minor resurrection - just to get the ball rolling, if I may throw in another pertinent cliche.
In the meantime, the sad fact is that sport will continue to languish at the lower end of the agenda for the University. It is probable that it will fade even further until the Heslington East campus is completed, as all of the University’s funds are funnelled towards that project.
What hope is there, then, for the more sportily-inclined among the current generation of students? Well, for any true sportsman, the lack of funds and standard of such things as the track or sports hall pales in comparison to the joy of actually playing their chosen sport. To get out there on the field, court, boat or even pole, and do what they love to do.
Yes, the University suffers in comparison to others through average facilities and fewer participants, but the future of sport at York will continue to shine brightly as long as its students continue to play with passion and enjoyment. What happens then, or what happens after Hes East, is up to the money men.
