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HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE

Heather Hall

October 4, 2018

On the 3rd October 2018 history was made when the University of Leeds beat local rivals Leeds Beckett University to win their first ever Leeds Varsity.

Leeds Varsity is an iconic event in the city of Leeds’ sporting calendar, and consists of fixtures across the year culminating in one final day of competition where 50+ fixtures are played and the winner is crowned.

For the past 13 years Leeds Beckett have walked away with the trophy but this year was the turn of the Leeds Gryphons.

Going into the final couple of days of competition the gryphons were up 4-2 following the cross country, american football, Intra-mural varsity, cricket and futsal fixtures being played earlier in the year.

On Tuesday night two openers were played, Netball and Hockey. First the women fought hard in the netball and in the second half built up a small lead which they maintained to win 48 – 41 taking a point from Beckett. Over in the Hockey we weren’t so lucky with both men’s and women’s games ending in a draw and Uni losing out narrowly on penalty flicks.

This made the score 5-4 going in to the final day of fixtures.

All our students fought valiantly throughout the day with great determination knowing that every point really does count. Some of the highlights were badminton and volleyball taking a clean sweep of wins, volleyball men and women even won in straight sets. Over in the pool water-polo won both men’s and women’s fixtures to make that their ninth year undefeated.

Our men’s and women’s football first teams also won with the men coming back from 3-1 down to draw 4-4 and take the game to penalties.

Meanwhile on the hockey pitch our women’s fourth team made it look easy, winning by a huge margin of 13-2.

Many other teams had close games and narrowly missed out on points but everyone put in a huge effort, including the large crowds supporting each fixture throughout the day.

All the results from the day can be seen on the Leeds Varsity website here.

With so many fixtures happening throughout the day staff and students checked the website regularly to check what the final scores were, and just before the Rugby Union final took place it was confirmed.

The score was 30-28 to the University of Leeds, an historic moment.

Suzanne Glavin, Head of Sport and Physical Activity at the University said

“We are so proud of how all our students performed across the various sports competitions, they gave it their all, demonstrating skill, fitness and expertise.

Our joint UOL and LUU staff teams have been exceptional in providing fantastic support to our students to enable this to happen. A true partnership in action.

We so hope that all University and Union staff can share in this success and wish our Leeds Gryphons well for the academic year on and off the field.”

Following the rugby union finale game played in the Emerald Headingly Stadium in front of over 10,000 people (in which Beckett took a significant win) Leeds University Union Activities Officer, Lauren Huxley and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tom Ward, had the pleasure of collecting the overall varsity winners trophy.

A proud moment for everyone at the University of Leeds.

Lauren said,

“We WON VARSITY! For the first time ever we triumphed over Leeds Beckett in the overall scores and took the Trophy! So a huge congratulations to everyone who was involved, we are so proud of every team, every member, and everyone who helped with the fixtures and events in any way!”

Bring on next year!

Job Vacancy: Sales & Marketing Executive

Tom Exeter

September 21, 2018

Are you driven by achieving sales targets? Do you have a passion for delivering an excellent customer experience? Are you experienced in marketing? Do you have excellent leadership skills with the ability to manage yours and your team’s workload?

You will be responsible for overseeing the day to day activities of the Sales and Marketing Team; including the implementation of the membership sales strategy, planning and delivering promotional activities and initiatives. You will be required to contribute to the wider marketing programme for the service, evaluating the impact of activities undertaken and contributing to the general operation of the service.

To apply, please do so online here.

For any queries please contact:

Tom Exeter, Sales, Marketing and Retention Manager

Tel: +44 (0)113 343 7404; email: t.d.exeter@leeds.ac.uk

Use 60 gyms nationwide at no extra cost

Tilly Hall

September 17, 2018

want free access to uni gyms across the country?

As part of the UNIversal Gym Membership scheme all staff and student annual premium Edge members can now access 60 gyms nationwide at no extra cost.

This fantastic member benefit is perfect for anyone visiting friends or family across the UK who want to use the gym in a different city. It also means that students can use the University gym closest to them at home when back for the holidays.

How does it work?

Buy your staff or student Premium Edge Membership online here
Pick up your UNIversal membership card from The Edge reception
Take your student or staff ID card along with your UNIversal Gym Membership card to gain access to 60 University gyms across the UK

Check out the table below for a full list of all university gyms included in the scheme.

Can I get a UNIversal Gym Membership Card?

The UNIversal gym memberships are available to all staff and students who have an annual premium Edge membership.This also includes students in University halls who upgrade to a premium Edge halls membership.

The scheme is valid for all premium memberships bought after 1st July 2018.

If you’ve not got your Edge premium membership yet, buy it online now.

Student Membership Staff Membership

If you have any questions please email: edgemembershipservices@leeds.ac.uk to speak to a member of the team.

Which university gyms are included?

All 60 university gyms listed below are included in the scheme and members can use any of these with their UNIversal membership card.

Bournemouth University	Nottingham Trent University	University of Leeds
Brunel University	Oxford Brookes University	University of Leicester
Buckinghamshire New University	Royal Holloway, University of London	University of Lincoln
Canterbury Christ Church University	Sheffield Hallam University	University of Liverpool
City, University of London	St Mary’s University Twickenham	University of Manchester
Coventry University	University College London	University of Nottingham
De Montfort University	University of Bradford	University of Plymouth
Edge Hill University	University of Bristol	University of Portsmouth
Goldsmiths University of London	University of Chichester	University of Roehampton
Keele University	University of Cambridge	University of Sheffield
Kings College London	University of Derby	University of South Wales
Lancaster University	University of East London	University of Southampton
Leeds Beckett University	University of Edinburgh	University of Stirling
London South Bank University	University of Essex	University of Surrey
Loughborough University	University of Exeter	University of Sussex
Manchester Metropolitan University	University of Glasgow	University of the West of England
Middlesex University	University of Gloucestershire	University of Warwick
Newcastle University	University of Hertfordshire	University of Winchester
Newman University	University of Hull	University of Wolverhampton
Northumbria University	University of Kent	University of York

This list is correct as of 10th Sept 2018. For the most up to date list visit the BUCS webpage here.

Free Cycle Circuit Family Experience

Tom Exeter

August 20, 2018

University of Leeds staff who participate in the HSBC Let’s Ride cycle event on Sunday 2 September are invited to enjoy a free family experience at the University of Leeds’ Bodington Cycle Circuit, following the Lets Ride event between 3 September – 5 November 2018.

Boddington Cycle Circuit is 1 mile closed loop cycle circuit, in North Leeds providing a safe traffic free environment for the whole family to enjoy.

Your free family visit will take place on one of our usual ‘Pay and Pedal’ sessions at the Circuit.

To enjoy this staff benefit simply …..

1.

Book onto the HSBC Let’s Ride

2.

Complete our family experience booking form

3.

Then simply wait for one of the team to get back in contact with you to book in a date for you and your family to enjoy the Cycle Circuit for free at one of our usual ‘Pay and Pedal‘ cycle sessions. If you need to borrow bikes or helmets, don’t worry the team will have you covered.

Highlights of the year 2017-2018

Heather Hall

August 16, 2018

It’s been a roller-coaster year here at Leeds Sport. From our ongoing struggle to take the Varsity crown off Leeds Beckett to some huge successes at the Big BUCS Wednesday it’s fair to say we’ve had an exciting year.

The year kicked off to a wild start with another incredibly close Varsity result with Beckett only finishing 3 points ahead of us. However, it wasn’t all bad news as we claimed some momentous victories. Our women’s rugby team took the win over Beckett for the first time EVER! A humongous 177 students, staff and alumni helped us clinch the Varsity Parkrun point and Swimming and Water-polo remained undefeated in the pool for the 8th year running.

Coming so close to victory made us wish that snow sports offered Varsity points! Back in November We watched Gillian Finnerty and Jenny Davies storm to victory taking two golds each at the BUCS Dry-Slope Championships! There was no stopping them as Gillian managed to nab two silvers in the competition as well.

Our Ladies have really been on top form this year as Women’s Football 1’s breezed to the top of the Northern 1A Division completely undefeated. The Girls went from strength to strength as they made their way to Big BUCS Wednesday where they faced off against Portsmouth in the final for the BUCS Trophy. The girls sealed a successful season with a 5-0 victory taking home the trophy for the second year running. Our football team weren’t the only ones competing as the Women’s Rugby 1s also took to the stage. After a tough match the girls finished in a glorious second place against newfound rivals from Swansea University.

Although the girls have been storming to success the boys have been keeping pace. Two of our sports scholars headed to Australia over Easter to compete in the Commonwealth games. Tyler Smith found himself as the flag bearer for Bermuda before competing in the triathlon and Team England’s Kim Daybell brought home a silver medal in the Table Tennis.

Success didn’t stop there for the men though as our Rugby League and American Football teams received the Leeds Sport Award for student sport in March. All of their exceptional work on the ‘it’s ok not to be ok’ campaign has proved to the community how great our all our Gryphons are and the positive impact of sport on mental health.

Success also struck for our infamous Korfball team. After playing the best teams from the North and Scotland in BUCS Regionals Leeds were on top form. Their first place finish took them to the BUCS National Championship where they finished 9th in the country! Having their most successful year yet it looks as though the only way is up for our team.

With such a great year for sport here at Leeds it makes sense to round it off with a few Varsity wins for the 2018 season. Back in January the men’s cross-country took the first point of the year. Our social sports teams also pulled of an exciting win giving us the intramural point and our Men’s Cricket team put on a fabulous display taking home our third point of the year. With 57 games still to come it’s all to play for. Hopefully our one point lead will put us at an advantage coming into October!

Students and staff volunteer in South Africa

Tilly Hall

July 5, 2018

This June ten University of Leeds students from a range of degree programmes and three staff members travelled to South Africa to volunteer in primary and secondary schools.

Over two weeks the Gryphons Abroad team made an impact on nearly 200 South African students lives over two projects.

Cycle to Success

The first project took place at Mnyakanya High School, in one of the poorest regions of South Africa where the team taught 30 students, both male and female how to ride and maintain bikes.

Frankii Darko, Gryphons Abroad student said,

“The cycle to success week of the trip has been amazing. To see students who had never been on a bike cycle by themselves and know how to fix them when something went wrong after only three days of teaching is pretty unbelievable!”

Read Frankii’s full blog here.

The team worked with Security Services and the Sustainability Bike Hub team to ship over eighteen recycled bikes which were refurbished after being abandoned on campus last year, as well as the tools and spare parts needed to fix the bikes when needed.

By the end of the week all students could ride a bike, most of which had never been on a bike before and nine students had all the skills and knowledge of road signalling to cycle on the main road.

The skills the students have learnt are invaluable and many of them have already used the bikes to get to and from school, which for some was previously a two hour walk each way. The South Africa school teachers also spoke about the impact of the project on the students’ motivation, confidence and desire to succeed, and how the bikes were being used in the community,

“It’s not only the school that is benefiting from these bikes, it’s also the community. Learners who have learnt these skills are now showing others how to do it at the weekend. They learn a lot doing this project, they become motivated and go on to be something outside of the community.”

Inspire through sport and leadership

The second week of the project saw 160 South African primary school children learn a range of skills based around leadership, sport and education.

The Gryphons Abroad team each led a classroom session based around their degrees, where everything from maths to mental health was taught. They also played a range of sports throughout the week as well taking part in leadership sessions where the South African students learnt the key skills needed to be a great leader such as, communication, organisation and planning.

The week culminated in the South African children leading activities of their own and putting what they had learnt into practice.

Finally on the last day the team went to a Zulufadder Orphanage where they got to meet and play with children who had lost their parents and were being looked after by an older sibling.

The trip was a huge success and has had a huge impact on both the students from the University of Leeds as well as the students from South Africa.

Watch the video and find out how you could be involved next year on the Gryphons Abroad Webpage.

Watch the video

Join the 2019 team

The Gryphons Abroad project is run at part of the Bambisanani Partnership Charity.

Active staff and students have greater sense of wellbeing

Tilly Hall

July 5, 2018

In March the Sport and Physical Activity Service conducted the annual Balancing Life Survey to find out a bit more about the activity and wellbeing levels of staff and students on campus.

One of the most stand out findings from the survey was that the more active our staff and students are, the greater their sense of wellbeing.

Suzanne Glavin, Head of Sport and Physical Activity said,

“It’s great to see the steady progress and an increasing awareness across University of the role physical activity can, and does play in the health and wellbeing of all staff and students, as shown through these the Balancing Life Survey results.”

The full results showed that 74% of our student and staff population are active which means they are doing at least 2.5 hours of physical activity each week.

75% of University staff are physically active and that’s 8% higher than the average for the national working population which is great news. Although only 73% of our students are physically active which is 4% less than the average higher education population.

The results also highlighted that over half of the activity people take part in either takes place on campus or is organised by the university. This supports the importance of programmes and activities provided by the university for staff and students to take part in, and the role they play in supporting campus wellbeing. This ranges from the onsite fitness facilities at The Edge to the Get Out, Get Active programme, Social Leagues and much more.

Suzanne Glavin said,

“We are committed to continuing the work we do through valued existing and newly forming collaborations to help people become more regularly active. We also know that there is more to do as we reach out to more faculties, schools and professional departments to help us support this agenda for students and colleagues alike.”

You can read the full results of the survey online here.

Read Survey Results

550 Miles, 4 footballers and one big challenge

Heather Hall

June 29, 2018

On the 16th of June four intrepid members of the University’s Women’s Football Club set off on a momentous challenge – to bike to Berlin.

The girls left Parkinson Steps with the hope of making it to the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in just 8 days. Hannah, Lil, Cat and Fiona cycled approximately 550 miles across Europe to complete their journey! They were working in partnership with the University of Leeds RAG society in the hope of raising money for their chosen charities.

On their travels the girls faced a variety of different challenges, from aching legs to exhaustion. Around half way they found themselves caught in a five person pile up! With a few scraped knees they continued on their bike to Berlin. It was a physical challenge like no other and Lil admitted to us that:

“None of us even had a bike when we signed up!”

However with a strong team motivating each other it was not as bad as they had anticipated. The girls managed to distract each other with silly games and songs when it got tough.

With such an extensive cycle the girls did put in some extra hours training but Lil told us that:

“To be honest we did very little training for it! With exams and university work due we were all quite busy towards the end of the year. I think by the time it came around I’d done a combined total of about 70 miles training which was only 5 miles further than the first day. But, the base fitness that we all had from football was enough to see our legs through.”

Who are the charities?

The girls chose to split their fundraising efforts between three charities, the first of which is CooP Uganda. They are a small charity with aims of improving locals access to education, healthcare and work. Coop Uganda provides bicycles for individuals and also offers support for new enterprises that focus around social cycling.

The other two charities are those chosen by the university football club which the girls fundraise for through various events all year. Stonewall is one which aims to empower individuals as well as promoting equality for the LGBT community across the UK. They work within local communities and large institutions to support people in reaching their full potential. They chose to support Stonewall as it was suggested by the widow of Rachel Lush, an ex-Club Captain who sadly passed away a few years ago, and who this year the team introduced a charity alumni match in memory of.

Their final chosen charity is the James Burke Foundation. The charity was founded in memory of one of our rugby league players and also works to provide education and support for mental health. The girls noted that James Burke was a friend of many of their members and they wanted to help raise awareness of mental health issues, especially for male university students as it is something that isn’t spoken about enough.

The bike to Berlin proved to be a fantastic experience for everyone involved. Hanna told us a little more about her journey:

“The experience as a whole was amazing! Surprisingly the day we crashed was my favourite day as it gave us a laugh. Other days were a bit deflating but getting into Berlin and all cycling up towards the Parliament building together was an amazing feeling. We had a couple friends meeting us at the finish line and the support team were waiting with prosecco so it was an awesome reception!”

The Power of Football

Heather Hall

June 7, 2018

Leeds Gryphons have been out supporting young refugees in the local community…

Sport Science students at the University of Leeds recently had the opportunity to take part in a brand new project. The students delivered ten weeks of football coaching at the Leeds Refugee Forum as part of our Gryphons in the Community programme. Seven students took part in this pilot scheme delivering football and English language skills to unaccompanied minors at the One Community Centre in Harehills. They spent their Saturday mornings with individuals from countries such as Syria, Eritrea and Sudan.

During the first hour of the session, the students supported language tutors to teach English as a second language. Partnering up with one of the refugees, students supported them with tasks and practising their English conversation. During the second hour the students took the lead in facilitating a football session. All the students got stuck in, organising drills, games and matches and even joining in with the participants.

What did everyone have to say?

Students reported improvements in their confidence, interpersonal communication and problem solving skills as a result of being involved in the project. Callum Bailey, one of the students involved shared his experience:

After I got involved with the volunteering project I found it so enjoyable. I would definitely consider doing it again in the future and would recommend others to do it as well. It helped me improve on skills such as leadership, teamwork and confidence. Everything I’ve learnt will also help aid my employability in the future.

Following a successful pilot Leeds Sport now hope to sustain this new partnership. We are also looking to develop links with other community groups in Leeds, bringing people together through sport.

Suzzi Garnett, the Sports Volunteering Officer at the University could also see the benefits:

The participants involved were around the same age as the students but obviously from an altogether different background. It was wonderful to see the students and participants interacting and having fun together. I could see the confidence of both the students and participants grow week on week.

Gryphons in the Community programmes allow people from all over Leeds to come together through sport. All the projects are fun and rewarding with students helping people in Leeds to live more active lives.

Ali Mahgoub, Director of the Leeds Refugee Forum shared his support:

Integration through sport and other activities is an important part of what we do at the Leeds Refugee Forum. The support of the students at the University of Leeds has exposed our young refugees to different cultures and allowed them to practice their English conversation.

This years project has been a huge success in helping students to make a difference right here in Leeds. Sport Science students will have the opportunity to sign up to Gryphons in the Community projects, including the Leeds Refugee Forum once again in September 2018. But don’t worry these positions are open to all students interested in volunteering. If you would like more information about the opportunities available please contact Suzzi on s.garnett@leeds.ac.uk or 0113 343 1544.

Social Sport Success

Heather Hall

June 4, 2018

University of Leeds Social League Netball

At the University of Leeds we have a whole range of sporting activities that take place throughout the year. From all our BUCS Wednesdays to our Varsity final, sport at Leeds is for everyone.

However participating in sport at Leeds isn’t just for those elite high performing athletes. In fact there is a whole range of social sport activities on offer too. There are a huge amount of teams in faculties, halls and across the university that offer competitive sport where you can play alongside your friends. Recently we claimed victory from Leeds Beckett University in the annual Social Varsity. This year captain Monty Davies-Phippen took her netball team, Development Yellow, all the way to the final against Beckett. Naturally the girls were looking forward to competing for the ultimate varsity trophy! Netball was the final match to be played with the scores level at 1-1. However, they stormed to victory, helping crown Leeds as Social Varsity champions. We spoke to her after their win:

Our game was exciting, with both Beckett and Leeds University showcasing the best of their skills. The Beckett team even managed to continue to display great netball despite the occurrence of a few injuries. However, the Development Yellow team managed to walk away with the victory and retain the varsity social league title!

Social league sports provide a fantastic opportunity for those who want to play with their friends and compete on a more casual basis. The flexible social sport sessions also allow you to try something different in a fun and welcoming student friendly setting. Monty told us a little more about her experience:

It’s great that our victory has raised the profile of social sport. The social netball league has seen a large volume of teams playing friendly yet competitive netball throughout the year. The LUU Development Netball Club has been at the heart of this social league. We entered five teams this year, with the Yellow team leading the way with the overall winning result. Development Netball is a fun alternative to BUCS sport, whilst also aiming to maintain a high level of netball. The club delivers structured training sessions, with additional training for higher level players. We also ensure regular fixtures in the social sport league and other matches against universities from across the country. We’re proud to provide such an amazing opportunity for many girls and have been grateful for such a wonderful year of social netball. Bring on next season!

HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE

On the 3rd October 2018 history was made when the University of Leeds beat local rivals Leeds Beckett University to win their first ever Leeds Varsity.

Job Vacancy: Sales & Marketing Executive

Use 60 gyms nationwide at no extra cost