Why Come To Durham?

About Durham University

Durham University is a world renowned institution for Higher Education set in the beautiful surroundings of an historic cathedral city. The University is Collegiate with the Colleges providing unique residential, social and welfare facilities for their student members, and creating a sense of community for staff and students together. Durham prides itself on its ability to help develop the leaders of the future and has the highest of academic standards.

The University and its students are about far more than academic success, and the diverse collection of talented students and staff pursuing a vast array of interests, often at the highest of levels, provides a memorable atmosphere and vibrancy that remains with its members for the rest of their lives. For more information about Durham University, please click on the following link: Durham University

About Durham University Sport

‘Allowing exceptional people to do exceptional things’

Sport at Durham University is focused around the three core strands of performance and leadership, participation and community sport development. 90% of our students take part in sport on a regular basis in a programme that is both innovative and constantly changing. Our philosophy at Durham is to provide opportunities in sport to allow exceptional people to do exceptional things. In this respect there can be few better shining examples than Will Carling, Nasser Hussain, Jonathan Edwards and Andrew Strauss. If you want to continue to pursue sport at a high level, then there are few better places to do that than Durham.

Performance Sport

At the present time we have full time coaches in:

and part time coaches in a further 15. The difference that a professional structure can make to the development of student athletes should not be underestimated. We are an ARA Rowing Performance Centre (the only one North of the River Thames), we have First Class County Cricket status, British Fencing Centre status, compete in the England Hockey National League and boast a host of rowers, fencers and lacrosse players who compete at an international level on an annual basis. On average we help to develop over 25 student athletes, across over 15 sports, who compete at international level each academic year. Current examples of students that competed at senior international level in 2007/08 include Kira Roberts (Fencing), Sarah Cowburn (Rowing), Nick Cresser (Canoeing), Emily Taylor (Rowing), Jamie Cachia (Hockey) and Sandra Hyslop (Canoeing).

The performance sport athlete support structure is also extensive. Students can access a wide range of services including strength and conditioning, injury support, nutritional guidance and lifestyle management support. As is suggested above we work closely with governing bodies of sport and the university’s programmes in basketball, cricket, fencing, lacrosse, rowing and tennis are all delivered in conjunction with the respective national organisations. Few institutions more seamlessly, successfully and consistently combine sporting and academic excellence.

Sporting scholarships are also available for high calibre student athletes. More information about these scholarships can be found here.

However University Sport at Durham is not solely focused on elite performance. A vibrant social scene exists within all of the University Clubs, an environment which often facilitates the development of friendships which exist for the rest of people’s lives. Many University Clubs field a number of sides, thus catering for students of varying levels of ability.

College Sport

One of the key attractions of Durham University is the collegiate structure, and this is very much the case when it comes to sport. Durham’s College Sport programme is larger than any other intra-mural competition offered in Britain and there is an opportunity for male and female students to compete in 15 sports, across over 380 different teams, on a weekly basis. This not only helps to keep students active and healthy but it also provides a sense of belonging to many students, something that is often very important during the initial stages of an individual’s university career. Similarly, the programme provides a suitable alternative for those who have not managed to be selected for University squads.

The vast majority of the organisation for College Sport is student led and it is estimated that in a programme that includes over 6,000 students, approximately 1,000 are exposed to organisational and management experiences at some stage throughout their time at Durham. The programme also allows students to gain significant coaching and officiating experience and over 150 students are funded through National Governing Body courses and then found suitable placements upon completion on an annual basis. Add to this the experiences gained by University athletes who help to organise and lead university clubs and it is clear that the Durham programme prepares students not only to win on the court, on the water or on the field, but to achieve in life and succeed in whatever they choose to do after graduation.

Want more information on Durham University Sport? Contact the Team Durham Student President, Katie Sykes:

Tel: 0191 334 1699
Email: sports.union@dur.ac.uk