Sports News
UELSports News provides your sports news fix with up-to-date information about sports and exercise at UEL.
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UELSports clubs go from strength to strength
By Ola Kasali, Aitor Reveron and Simon Bones
UELSports clubs have achieved great success in their first full season. UELSport has grown from four to over twenty sports clubs; reflecting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Patrick McGhee’s ambition to make UEL the number one university for sport in London.
Jeffrey Lawal Balogun , 200 metre specialist and 2012 Olympic hopeful, is aiming to compete at the European Athletics Championships and Commonwealth Games. Judo experts Louise Little and Gemma Gibbons have been very impressive: Louise won gold in her category, at Britain’s largest student sporting event, the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Championships and Gemma was favourite to win gold in her category, had she not been competing for Great Britain in Japan at the time of the competition.
Seven sports clubs are competing in regional leagues; two of the football clubs are currently top of their respective leagues. The Gaelic football team has enjoyed success, winning their respective national title in Birmingham, and the cricket team sprung a surprise by qualifying and battling their way to the semi-finals of the indoor BUCS tournament at Edgbaston
In recognition of the success, the upcoming UEL Sports Awards night at West Ham United Football Club, 30th April, will showcase some of these emerging stars and aspiring athletes.
Katy Hollands, Sport Development Officer at UEL says that even though more people are getting involved, we’re encouraging more students to take part, “we need to promote sport within the university, to make people aware that sport is a very important part of our university.”
There are opportunities for students to join existing clubs or start new ones. The increase in clubs is testament to the efforts of the staff; and there continuing interest by students to not only participate, but also learn other extracurricular activities such as coaching.
This summer, the department is planning a number of road shows to local schools and colleges to promote the various clubs and activities available and there is planned development for further sports facilities at the Docklands campus to help boost the sports culture of the university.
A 12 million pounds state-of-the-art sports complex opening at the end of 2011, will offer students world class facilities. The facility will have a fitness centre, two sports arenas, two dance/aerobics/martial arts studios, outdoor five a side pitches, a sports cafe and ancillary support areas. This development ties in nicely with the London 2012 Olympics, which will undoubtedly promote sport in the university and in the community as a whole. David Cosford, Director of Sport at UEL, “we will continue to improve on this result and make gradual progress to ensure we boast the highest ranking out of all the London Higher Education Institutions within five years.”
For more information on joining or starting a UELSports club contact Katy Hollands, Sport Development Officer : k.hollands@uel.ac.uk
Ola Kasali, Aitor Reveron and Simon Bones are Sports Journalism students at the University of East London.
Sports Programmes
- BSc Sport and Exercise Science
- BSc Sports Coaching
- BSc Sports Development
- BSc Fitness and Health
- PGCert Sports Rehabilitation
- MSc Exercise Science and Health
- MSc Sports Management
- MA Sports Media
- MSc Sports Media
