Alongside raising money for charity, many AU clubs have set challenges for the month, with assigned targets for donations. Some clubs have put their own spin on the month; Loughborough Students’ Boxing Club hosted ’60 rounds in 60 minutes’ event, representing the 60 men who are lost to suicide every hour. Loughborough Students’ Handball Club held a match, along with a raffle, to show support for a member they sadly lost.
LSU Sports Executive Officer, Lizzie Adamson commented: “The Athletic Union have been busy this month with their fundraising efforts for Movember. From Loughborough Rowing completing a total distance of 7,000km across various forms of training in aid of men diagnosed with testicular cancer every day in the UK, to Waterpolo members running non-stop over 26 hours. On week three, the AU led the way in the overall Movember leaderboard with Handball topping the leaderboard by fundraising £2,503 with their charity match, raffle and bake sale.”
It can be a different or uncomfortable topic for some, however, conversations centring mental health become prevalent during the month of November. Encouraging men to discuss their experiences with mental health is incredibly important and can be provoked and amplified through the medium of sport.
Movember can also serve as a reminder of how sport can be utilised to connect people as well as improving mental health. A member of the Loughborough Students Muay Thai & Kickboxing Club explained the significance of Movember to them. They explained that their experience is unique compared to many of the members within the club, identifying as a trans man. Sport has acted as a means to help him feel more in control of his body when it is often a struggle.
Describing the social setting of the male-dominated club, he describes his experience with feelings of insecurity around people who may be perceived as more stereotypically ‘masculine’ than him. However, he has enjoyed being able to develop new relationships with other students: “Even though I struggle, it’s actually been really nice to make new friends and be accepted as ‘one of the guys’, which is kind of a new experience to me.”
He also commented on the intersection between the social and physical benefits of participating in sport and the sense of achievement he feels, contributing to improving mental health.
Overall, 108 teams helped in fundraising for Movember with over £35,000 raised for the charity. As a University, we also exceeded our target of 10,000km distance travelled. Telford Rugby are currently at the top of the leaderboard, raising over £3000.
Links to AU clubs’ Movember pages can be found via their social media pages, along with various posts encouraging donations to charity.