(L-R) Major General James Senior, Chair of Army Sport, alongside Loughborough’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Jennings.
Loughborough University and Army Sport have announced a new strategic partnership designed to enhance high-performance sporting opportunities for Army personnel.
As part of the agreement, Army Sport colleagues will gain access to Loughborough’s renowned sporting facilities for training, competitive fixtures, and flagship events. The partnership also opens the door to broader joint initiatives, including collaborative coach development and knowledge sharing on all aspects of high-performance leadership.
There will also be shared research and innovation projects, thought leadership workshops, and direct student engagement with the Army’s career opportunities.
Professor Jo Maher, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport at Loughborough University, said: “Loughborough University has a proud heritage of sporting excellence, and we are thrilled to partner with Army Sport to create unique opportunities for training, competition, and professional growth.
“This collaboration places opportunity at its heart, and we’re looking forward to a dynamic and fruitful partnership between two of the UK’s most enviable high-performance brands.”
Darrell Amison CBE, Chief Executive, Army Sport, added: “Army Sport is delighted, excited and very proud to embark on this mutually-beneficial strategic relationship with Loughborough University.
“The relationship will provide Army sport teams with the ability to access world-class facilities and professional services, and to compete against their Loughborough University counterparts.
“There’ll also be opportunities for Army Sport, and the wider Army, to leverage cutting-edge research, thought leadership events, professional networking, and engagement activity.”
The partnership between Loughborough University and Army Sport officially commenced in June 2025.
Notes for editors
Press release reference number: 25/96
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme and named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2025 QS World University Rankings – the ninth year running.
Loughborough is ranked 7th in The UK Complete University Guide 2026, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2025 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025.
Loughborough was also named University of the Year for Sport in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025 - the fourth time it has been awarded the prestigious title.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’, and in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021 over 90% of its research was rated as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally-excellent’. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education.
The Loughborough University London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.
