A Guide to Student Sport in Bristol
Hey, I’m Ella, your Sport and Student Development Officer 👋
After an amazing first year as your Sport and Student Development Officer, I was re-elected to represent you for another year in March 2025! Before my time at Bristol SU, I was a Vice-Chancellor’s Sport Scholar for Women’s Rugby and part of the Women's Rugby Team (UBWRFC). Sport made my university experience even better and being a part of a club was a big part of that! 🏉
Now, as an Officer, I represent all sports clubs, societies, student groups and you, to ensure your voice shapes the decisions that matter. That means improving your experience – from the facilities you use to the training resources you rely on.
To help you get started, this guide covers everything from buying memberships and understanding Intramural Sport, to my favourite day of the year - Derby Day 🏅
Got more questions? Feel free to drop me an email at any point throughout the year to chat about all things sport and exercise.
📧 Email me: su-sport-development@bristol.ac.uk
For now, take a look through this handy guide! 👇
🥅How to Buy a Membership
Here on the Bristol SU website, you’ll find all of our student groups including our sports clubs and societies. We have over 70 sports clubs at Bristol, so it’s fair to say you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to sports.
To join a club, you’ll likely have to buy a membership. But how do you do that? Here are my tips:
- Search for a club that interests you using our group finder. Or, browse all of our groups right here.
- Once you’ve found your sport, read through the club description. Make sure to look out for any information about a membership, because some clubs (such as football) may require you to take part in trials before getting into a team. This means you won’t want to buy a membership, as it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make a team!
- If the sport you want to join requires membership, then click the ‘Join this Group’ button, log in, and follow the instructions.
🚴️What if I’d rather try a sport before buying a membership?
Make sure to look out for Give it A Go! Sessions if you’d like to try out a sport before buying and committing to a membership.
Give It A Go! are taster sessions and events that our student groups (including sports clubs) put on for free or a low cost at the start of each term. This means that you can try out a student group or society before committing to a membership, even if you’ve never tried it before.
If you would like to give a student group a go, then head here. Our various Give It A Go! Sessions for the first term are now live, and there is so much to get involved in. You can read more about Give It A Go! here.
⚡Derby Day
Derby Day is a standout event in the student sport calendar! It’s our festival of sport where 25 Bristol teams take on rivals from 10 other universities. Last year, it was a celebration of talent, teamwork, and community spirit, with matches running from morning late into the night. Whether you were competing or cheering from the sidelines, it was a brilliant showcase of what Bristol sport is all about.
Relive the fun from last year on this page and get a taster for what you can expect!
Keep an eye on our Instagram where we will be announcing our plans for Derby Day 2026 shortly…
🫶Injury Support Group
Alongside my work at Bristol SU, I am a professional Rugby Player with Bristol Bears. In my career, I've been injured and also seen my teammates spend time on the sidelines, which can be a really difficult! Whether you’re just starting your recovery or have been in rehab for a while, being injured can also be quite an isolating experience.
That’s why I launched the Injury Support Group last year. It’s a space for students to connect, share experiences, and access support during thier recovery. It’s here to help you stay involved in sport, even when you're on the sidelines.
Find out more and get involved via the SEH website.
🤸️Do I need to buy an SEH Access Pass?
Once you’re a club member, you’ll need to have a valid SEH Access Pass for the year – which costs £25.
An SEH Pass gives you access to training sessions that take place on SEH and SEH funded facilities, access to facilities for BUCS and InterClub matches, support services provided by the SEH Performance Sport and Sport & Physical Activity Teams, and much more. You can find out more, and what else is included, right here.
When you’re buying your club membership (as explained above) you’ll make a single payment via the Bristol SU website and receive your SEH Access.
🧗️Who are SEH?
Sports, Exercise and Health (SEH) are a team that works together with the University and us (Bristol SU) to provide a range of opportunities for you to participate in sport and physical activity.
Whether it's weekly gym sessions, a fitness class, or representing the University in competitive sport, SEH works to support you in finding your favourite way to stay active during your time at Bristol.
SEH look after multiple sports facilities here at Bristol, which you’ll probably get to know and make use of during your time as a student. These include:
- The Indoor Sports Centre (which has a fitness suite, free weights gym, studios, sports hall, jogging track and access to squash courts).
- The Sports Medicine Clinic.
- The Swimming Pool in The Richmond Building.
- Coombe Dingle Sports Complex (which has a combination of outdoor and indoor opportunities including facilities for cricket, football, hockey, lacrosse, netball, rugby, tennis and strength and conditioning).
- Langford Gym (home to a university gym and outdoor tennis courts).
- Saltford Boathouse.
SEH also offers various memberships so that you can choose one based on you, and how much you think you’ll need to use it.
If you have any questions for SEH, you can find them at the reception of the Indoor Sports Centre next to Senate House. Or, you can get in touch with them here.
🏂What are B:Active Sessions?
B:Active is a programme of FREE social fitness and sports sessions. They take place every week, and you can check out the timetable here – there is so much on offer!
From Monday to Friday, you could be getting involved with MMA, swimming, or even hula hoop dancing. Each session is completely free, and suitable for all abilities!
No membership is required, it couldn’t be easier to get involved in physical activity university sports. Just book your sessions through the Uni’s Active App, or online. You can find out how to book through both of these options right here.
🏊️What is Intramural Sport?
Intramural Sport is a fun, social, multi-sport programme for students who just want to turn up and play! Intramural Sport allows you to compete for your University course team, society, halls of residence or just as a group of friends. If you don’t have a team, then don’t worry, you can register to an open team via the Intramural webpage!
'Intramural' means 'inside the university', with league matches taking place every week in Bristol. There are different levels of sports – from Intermediate, Beginner, and Advanced team levels, you’ll be able to find the perfect one for you.
We have so many other Intramural sports opportunities for you!
These are:
- Football (11, 8, 7, 6, and 5-aside)
- Netball.
- Basketball.
- Volleyball.
- Badminton.
- Table Tennis.
- Cricket.
🚌How do I get to Coombe Dingle?
To make life easier for everyone wanting to get to Coombe Dingle on a Wednesday to enjoy our afternoon/ evening sports, there is a free bus that goes from outside Senate House regularly throughout the day!
The Coombe Dingle bus runs every Wednesday and will continue to run later into the evening this year to give more people a chance to join in. I really hope we see more students (and staff) utilising this free service to support our brilliant sports teams.
You can find the bus timetable on the University’s Active app, so I recommend downloading this!
🏄♀️Can I get financial support to join a club?
We recognise that the joining fees, trips and other costs of student groups can be prohibitively expensive for some students.
This is where the Activity Hardship Fund comes in. It was created to support those students who wouldn't otherwise be able to participate in their chosen activity due to the cost.
Last year, I increased to pot to £200 and would encourage anyone in need to apply for it when applications open (which happens twice a year). You'll be able to apply for up to £200 per academic year and only one grant will be awarded to a student in an academic year.
Bristol SU has a limited amount of money to give out each year so please note that even if an application is successful, it may not be possible to award the full amount requested.
🏋️♀️I’ve still got a question!
If you’ve got a question that hasn’t been answered, email me at su-sport-development@bristol.ac.uk
Have a great time getting involved in sport at Bristol – you couldn’t be in a better place to do so!
