The University of Leeds hosted this year’s British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) National Conference, reinforcing its role as a leader in Sport & Physical activity in the higher education sector.
The largest higher education sporting conference of the year saw over 140 different institutions taking part in three days of information sharing and development.
This year was headlined by Sir Clive Woodward, England World Cup winning rugby coach and Yorkshires’ own Jamie Jones Buchanan, ex-Leeds Rhino player and current head of Culture, Diversity and Inclusion at Leeds Rhino’s.
Some of the other incredible speakers included:
- Kay Cossington: FA Women’s Technical Director
- Sophie Christiansen CBE: 8-time paralympic champion
- Arun Kang OBE: CEO of Sporting Equals
Head of Sport Suzanne Glavin commented:
I’m delighted we hosted the conference alongside Leeds University Union with wider support from the Facilities Directorate. Digital feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. It was a significant moment for the sector with BUCS launching a new strategy and BUCS TV becoming a reality.
The Leeds Sport partnership (Leeds University Union and Sport & Physical Activity) achieved great success seeing Ella Williams, Student Activities Officer elected to now not only be a student officer, but student director.
Alongside this, Leeds Cross Country Club won the prestigious ‘Club of the Year’ award at the annual awards. The club has demonstrated commitment to club development, engagement and support of its members, resulting in improving the university experience. Well done to our students!
Sport saw multiple members of staff lead productive breakout sessions championing their programs to the rest of the industry. This included; Kate Petty, Physical Activity & Wellbeing Manager, speaking about the Health and Wellbeing program in sport and Gareth Dickson, Assistant Head of Sport speaking about the evolution of the Edge over the last 13 years.
Conversations at the conference focused on equity, diversity and inclusion. There was also a focus on how to work with partners, both internal and external, so that everyone achieves their goal.
Find out more about Leeds Sport.
