A UNIVERSITY VIEW

OVER the past months we have welcomed countless prospective students with their families and friends to our open days, where they experience a community that thrives on exploration and discovery, and offers excellent teaching and research. But they also see a community that has quality of life at its very heart.

At Swansea, we know it is not only our students’ intellectual and academic accomplishments which are key to a happy and fulfilling university experience, but their extracurricular activities play a significant role.

Sport is one example which can significantly enrich the student experience. The heart of our approach to sport and physical activity reflects our inclusive “Active University” strategy. We encourage all our students to be active – whether at elite, recreational or introductory level – as this can and will increase their health and fitness, improve their mental wellbeing and promote concentration and, by extension, academic performance.

Sport and physical activity also teach our students about leadership, teamwork, discipline and persistence, critical skills valued by potential employers that will bolster them in building a successful life and career in the future. And, importantly, it also helps to strengthen the bonds of friendship with their teammates and enhances their sense of belonging to the university community as a whole.

We are justifiably proud of our elite sportspeople, and the university is leading the way by being the first Welsh university to be accredited with the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) initiative which supports dual career athletes to excel in both academia and sport. It has seen some great successes, most notably in men’s rugby who compete in the National BUCS Super Rugby League, and in swimming, where we expect up to 20 of our High Performance Group to compete to qualify for the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.

The vast majority of our students will not compete at a high level, but more than 4,000 join the university’s sports clubs and in so doing make a positive contribution to the university’s stature in sport and the life of the university in general. We have 54 sports clubs in a range of disciplines – from American football to ultimate frisbee.

These student teams all played their part in helping the students gain the accolade of Most Improved University in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) last year, leaping 14 places to 18th place in the national league.

It is my hope that this improvement will stand us in good stead when the teams compete with their adversaries from Cardiff University in the most anticipated event in the university’s calendar, the Welsh Varsity in April. These are the biggest inter-university games in the

UK outside of the Oxbridge Varsity and anyone who has been to the event will say that its popularity really is a testament to the power of sport to bring people together.

This year, in our centenary, Swansea will play host and we expect to welcome up to 15,000 Swansea and Cardiff University supporters to the city for the culmination of the week-long event in the Liberty Stadium.

There are also many students who prefer other recreational activities, whether it is working out in the gyms at both our campuses or joining in with the astonishing array of 180 societies which offer everything from dancing and skateboarding to quidditch.

And, while we have great sporting facilities and a myriad of clubs, the wonderful countryside around both campuses gives our students a fantastic opportunity to enjoy the sense of wellbeing that time in the natural environment brings as they surf, cycle or ramble in the area.

Sporting and wellbeing connections are also being made in our wider community on a variety of fronts, whether it is coaching youth sports teams as part of our civic mission, our collaborations with local clubs such as Swansea City, Ospreys and Scarlets, our work with our City Deal partners in establishing the region as a leader in sport and activity, or our collaborations with companies that develop health and sporting technology that can boost the economy.

Our philosophy is that sport and physical activity is for all and that sitting less and doing more not only has a positive impact on the physical fitness, mental wellbeing, social relationships and transferable skills of our students, but also contributes towards building thriving and flourishing communities at the university and beyond.

■ Professor Paul Boyle is ViceChancellor of Swansea University