Students' Union Sports Officer

Hi Edge Hill

So it’s finally come. All those annoying messages and campaigning back in March was all for this. I am now the Edge Hill Students’ Union Sports Officer!

A daunting task really. While I have SU experience from my time as Societies Officer in the 2008/2009 academic year when I was a fresher, it will not compare to the work expected of me this year. So much has changed. Back then we only had one sabbatical officer, the President. Since then, Nic has introduced three vice presidents, and has expanded the Union to a point where we can expect genuine respect from the University, the students, NUS, and other SU’s.

The Sports Officer role, which was vacant in my first year, has also been transformed. The introduction of Team Edge Hill to increase participation and achievement has been a huge credit to the SU, and to my predecessor Natasha Vincent, who did so much work through the year, and has left me with a lot to live up to. I hope to continue on with the great work she has done with the Sports Development Officer Rosa Hussey, and the Vice-President Activities and Participation Pete O’Farrell.

These three people have transformed sport at Edge Hill creating 35 new BUCS teams in the last year with the introduction of Team Edge Hill and now having over 350 students competing on sports teams each week. These are just two of the things I hope to improve on in my role as Sports Officer. Under the manifesto I was elected on, I promised to try increase the number of sports teams, number of sports, and number of students participating.

I would like to invite all students to start thinking about joining a sports team for the coming year, and regardless if you’re a fresher or final year student, attend the sports desks at fresher’s fair, and sign up! If you find we don’t have a sport you’re good at, or you just simply enjoy playing, let us know and we will work towards setting that team up and looking for students of similar interests.

I hope to blog regularly this year and keep in touch with the students on the work I am doing so everyone can be happy that they made the right choice when voting for me.

Thanks

Gareth