The 2014/15 BUCS season gets underway next week, and The Gryphon spoke to Club Captain of the women’s football team Eve Griffiths about the season ahead, and her thoughts on women’s participation in sport.
With BUCS promoting women’s involvement in football this week, Eve talked about how the Uni side has helped try to boost participation numbers. ‘This year we have created a partnership with Social Sport to promote futsal. Members of the club run the open sessions and referee intramural futsal matches. In exchange, Social Sport and the Sports Development team have helped establish the first ever BUCS futsal team.’
Griffiths was also eager to point out the huge levels of participation by women at the University of Leeds, with over 120 girls signing up for football already this year. ‘That is an incredible amount for the club! Female students are definitely taking advantage of the vast array of sports on offer here at Leeds. There were so many Freshers signing up to new sports at the Freshers’ Fair and the intake of women to sports societies this year looks very promising.’ LUU offers so much for the sporty types on campus, even if competitive sport is not for you. ‘The University offers Intramural and Social Sport sessions to introduce women to new sports and provide them with confidence to pursue it further’.
Griffiths added: ‘At LUUWAFC we recognise that not everyone wants to play competitively week after week, so if people want to join our club recreationally, that’s not a problem. Come along to our sessions and see if you enjoy it.’ One issue Eve faced was not having a local team to play for before University – an issue that seems to be common throughout the UK – so was very keen to get the chance to start playing again. ‘Being part of a sports club has been one of the defining highlights of my University experience and I would definitely encourage anyone to give joining a sports club a go! Not only do you get to do what you enjoy, you meet people with similar interests, which is great.’ Eve adds that anyone can join women’s football. ‘All abilities are welcome. With three competing BUCS teams and a BUCS futsal team, we have plenty to offer. Come along to our autumn Give It a Go session on Thursday 30th October from 17.00-18.30 at Weetwood Playing Fields. It is a great session with a big turnout, ranging from total beginners to those who want to pick up football again.’
With enough newcomers to start ten women’s football teams this year, the new season looks promising. ‘The Freshers are working well with the older girls and our level of play is continuing to improve session-by-session. The quality and commitment of our Freshers is great to see’. The 1s season kicks off on 15th October against Liverpool John Moores University, where hopefully they can start the season with a win.
Make sure you get involved with a sports society at the University of Leeds, so you can meet people who share your interests and have fun! Whatever your hobby, there’s something for you.
Adam LeRoux