Senate

Subject: Sporting Success 2004/2005

Origin: Director, Sports Development Centre

Introduction

The 2004/2005 academic year has been an outstanding success for student sport at Loughborough University. By any measure or previous records the University sports teams have excelled themselves, both in the high level of performance they have attained but also the range of sports in which they have successfully competed.

The BUSA Championships (British University Sports Association) is the national Universities sport competition that most student sports clubs compete in throughout the year and is the measure by which each University compares itself in sporting terms against rivals. This year Loughborough Student teams have amassed a total of 2734 points. Our biggest sporting rivals, the University of Bath, were second with 1515.5 points, in third place Birmingham University with 1360 points.

It is worth highlighting some specific sports to underline the overall achievement and some of our successes in national competition beyond BUSA.

Swimming

Our swimming team benefits from our excellent facilities, our dedicated coaching staff and our strong working relationship with British Swimming. At the BUSA National Short Course Championships, Loughborough were the Top Women’s Team, Top Men’s Team, Top Overall Team, set 15 BUSA National Records, and 1^st year Caitlin McClatchey set a Scottish National Record in the 200m Freestyle. In the BUSA National Long Course Championships, Loughborough were Top Women’s Team, Top Men’s Team, Top Overall Team, and set 8 BUSA National Records. Loughborough were voted BUSA team of the year at the recent Annual Awards for these achievements, sending 7 swimmers to the Athens Olympic Games and raising the profile of University sport with their outstanding profile in the National Championships and World Championship trials. At these recent British Championships/World Trials Loughborough University Swimming team were: Top Overall Team, Top Men’s Team, Top Women’s Team, set 2 British Records, 2 Scottish Records and 1 Irish Record. They are Britain’s premier swimming club.

Athletics

Loughborough again won the BUSA Championships for 2005 in Glasgow for both Men and Women, but it was the manner of some of the individual title wins that augers well for both University and UK athletics. Eight Championship records were set and a number of European Under-23 Championships qualifying standards were achieved. Earlier in the year, Loughborough had also secured their 3^rd British Universities Women’s National Cross Country title in succession. Top of a long list of International selections were those of current students Jeanette Kwakye and Kim Wall for the GB team at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in March. Another highlight has been the performances of 3^rd year Dan Greaves who smashed the World Record at the Athens Paralympics to take the Gold Medal in the Discus, has since lowered that record again, and has recently been awarded BUSA Sportsman of the Year.

Rugby

In addition to the exhilarating experience of playing with and against the full England rugby team at Loughborough our rugby teams surpassed any previous achievements we had in rugby on one memorable day at Twickenham. On April 27^th Loughborough Men’s 1^st XV beat UWE Hartpury with a top class performance to claim their first national student title in more than a decade. The women’s 1^st XV won the women’s title for the third year in a row with a nail-biting win against UWIC and, making it a clean sweep, Loughborough Students 3^rd XV also won the 2^nd team trophy.

Football

Loughborough retained the BUSA Football Championships in a nail biting encounter, as last year against Swansea, with this year’s final settled on penalties after extra-time deadlock. Winning 4-3 on penalties Loughborough became the first team to successfully defend the BUSA title. The Women’s 1^st team were losing finalists in the BUSA Championships, but won the Leicestershire Women’s FA County Cup, defeating Leicester City in the final. The Women’s BUSA 2^nd team won their title for the 4^th consecutive year.

Cricket

2005 was a year of unprecedented success for both the Loughborough University Cricket Centre of Excellence (UCCE) and the rest of the student club. The Loughborough UCCE team performed a clean sweep of all student competitions at the top level, including: the BUSA Premier League title, the British Universities Championship; the MCC Universities UCCE 2-Day Championship and the MCC Universities UCCE 1-Day Challenge Final at Lords. Loughborough UCCE also remained unbeaten in their First Class County matches, and of course spectacularly beat Worcestershire 1st XI in a First Class match – making them the strongest non-professional side in the Country. Other Loughborough teams also dominated the BUSA Championships with the Women’s team winning both the Indoor and main Outdoor BUSA titles, and the Men’s 2^nd & 3^rd XIs met each other in the final of the BUSA Trophy for 2^nd teams, having beaten Exeter & Durham respectively in the semi-finals.

Tennis

In tennis, Loughborough Students secured 3 of the 4 British Universities Individual titles (Men’s & Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles). Showing their depth of talent, both the Women’s Singles and Doubles finals were all-Loughborough affairs. The British Universities Team Championships saw the Loughborough Women’s team crowned Champions over arch-rivals Bath, whilst the Men were losing finalists to London Metropolitan University. Since then, Loughborough’s Tennis squad have competed successfully in the National Club League and have so far reached the national last 16 play-offs.

Hockey

Loughborough’s Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams play in the National League, with both being amongst the best teams in the Country. This year the men again qualified for the Premier League Super Cup play-offs, putting them in the top 4 clubs in the Country, ultimately finishing 3rd. The Women finished 2^nd in National League Division 1. The Men’s Indoor side are the undisputed National Champions and won the sport’s National Indoor Championships for the 3rd successive year at Crystal Palace. As a result of this they again represented England in the European Club Championships, this time in Russia where they won a Championship Bronze medal. In BUSA, the Loughborough Women were British Universities Champions and the Men were losing finalists.

Other Sports

Loughborough, has been prominent in a range of other sports as well. Loughborough’s Men dominated the British Universities Triathlon Championships, securing all the medal positions, with National Sprint Champion, Will Clarke placed 1st. A Bronze in the Women’s race made it 4 out of 6 medals for Loughborough.

The Rugby League team were Silver medallists in BUSA and were prominent in the early rounds of the professional clubs’ Powergen Cup.

Loughborough University Women continue dominance in British Universities Lacrosse Championships, winning for the 4th successive year, and with several international selections in the sport’s World Cup year.

Loughborough were also student national champions in Men’s and Women’s Badminton, Men’s Team Gymnastics, Men’s Table Tennis and Women’s Volleyball – as well as a host of Silver and Bronze medal finishes.

Broader Sports Development Activities

Away from, but still close to the playing fields, have been other successes. As part of our contribution to the Widening Participation and Aim Higher initiatives we have organised specific programmes for schools and members of ethnic minority groups from across the country.

Our Sporting Schools Programme has brought on to campus more than 45 schools and 1500 pupils (aged between 14 and 17) giving them a chance to view the campus, take part in academic and sporting activities and leaving them with a very positive impression of Higher Education and Loughborough University in particular.

Our partnership with the Institute of Youth Sport has led to a very successful programme encouraging members of the local Muslim community to take an interest in both sport and in Higher Education. This has received extensive media coverage not only locally, but in the national press and has been raised in the House of Lords as a example of good practice.

We have also been asked to lead the work of the Local Sports Alliance, providing leadership to a programme designed to co-ordinate the sports development work of Charnwood Borough Council, Loughborough College and several local schools. This is a model being used as an exemplar across the country for other Universities.

Our hosting of major community events such as the ‘Race for Life’ and the ‘Youth Games’ puts Loughborough University at the heart of Community sport provision in Leicestershire and the wider East Midlands.

Amongst other Community activities, our Soccer and Rugby Camps have proved a huge success, bringing hundreds of local youngsters onto campus to benefit from our facilities and coaching expertise and bringing much positive community feedback. Our leadership of the Community Badminton Programme alongside the Student Badminton Club has seen enormous success with over 700 children involved in local school competitions and training sessions.

In August 2005 we will host the British Transplant Games, one of the biggest multi-sport events in this Country, involving over 600 competitors and thousands of supporting spectators.

Summary

Most Universities now recognise the value sport gives them in terms of student recruitment, positive press and PR, community profile and above all the value-added it gives to the overall student experience. Our key rivals are increasing their focus and resources on sport for all these reasons.

Loughborough University already has an international reputation in all these areas and we should be justifiably proud of the investment we have made in sport and the consequent results we have achieved.

However, just as our rivals are raising their game, so must we.

Author: Chris Earle

Date: July 2005