Manifesto Points:
- Reduce barriers to participation across through disability in sport initiatives and greater representation for all underrepresented groups.
- Provide students with high quality mental health, injury prevention, and coaching support to help them succeed competitively and as individuals.
- Ensure our sports union is both economically and environmentally sustainable.
Hi all! I’m Darcy and I am running to be your new Sports Officer for 2025/26. Sport is my greatest passion in life and my university experience would have been entirely different if it weren’t for the sporting community at York. I have been a member of the York Sport Union Committee and served as the University Hockey 1XI Captain for the last two years. I have adored both of these roles and they have given me valuable leadership experience, as well as an insight into the running of university sport. Additionally, I have participated in college sport as the combined Vanbrugh Goodricke Hockey President and a member of Goodricke College Women’s FC. My varied experiences and manifesto ideas make me the perfect candidate to support our community and push sport at York to the next level.
Inclusivity
I believe we can always push for a more inclusive Sports Union and remove barriers to participation for underrepresented communities.
- Students should never feel excluded from sport for any reason and I am keen to create more ways for students from minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled students, and those from the LGBTQ+ community to talk directly to the Sports Union to enact more impactful change.
- Advocate more for our postgraduate and medical students who often feel outside of the sporting community due to their demanding hours, preventing them from participating within university sport.
- Ensure transgender athletes have the ability to participate in sport at York in these uncertain times. The changes enacted by governing bodies in England have limited participation in many BUCS sports for transgender students. We have a responsibility to create an environment that protects these students and allows them to continue doing what they love. I will be a voice for these students in the larger BUCS and university sport communities.
- Support college sport as an alternative to university sport for these students and encourage more frequent beginner friendly sessions to be held within bigger clubs
I am especially passionate about increasing our work with disabled students to give them more opportunities to participate in sport. While our ‘disability in sports’ weeks and events have been positive steps forward, I am keen to
- Establish a student Disability and Sport club/forum
- More frequent low impact and adapted sports sessions (such as sitting volleyball or walking netball) from our existing clubs
- Work with local clubs, many of whom already utilise York Sport facilities, to aid equipment needs
Additionally, it is important that women’s sport at York remains a priority for the union.
- Support the development of women’s sports clubs
- Creation of a Women in Sport forum to further highlight, uplift, and celebrate our female identifying athletes
Health & Wellbeing
Our students should be provided with all of the tools and support they need to excel competitively at their sport, as well as in their personal lives and future careers. This support is vital and must exist across both university and college sports.
- Mental health initiatives
- Continue to support social sport initiatives and encourage more participation in university development squads.
- More in depth wellbeing training for committee members so they can better support their clubs.
- Injury support and prevention
- Injuries, big or small, can have a negative impact on mental health. I want to establish more injury prevention education for all sports clubs as well as offering mental health support for injured and recovering athletes.
- Additionally, I want to spread more awareness across sport surrounding the dangers of concussion and returning safely to sport after this injury
- Support clubs so they can compete at a high level
- Ensure fixtures are arranged better around term times and advocate for moving fixtures outside of the winter break period so students don’t have to miss out
- Improve what we can in our facilities, such as the lines and markings within the arena, so that students can train and compete to their fullest
- Work to create a Sport Career pathway
- Despite the lack of sport courses at York, student athletes shouldnt be held back from pursuing a career in sport. I will increase the personal development opportunities available to students so their dream career in sport can become a reality
- Create links with local professionals and clubs
- More careers advice and resources from the university for students who want a career in sport
- Increase participation for smaller clubs
- Mid year sports fair in refreshers week to allow people to get involved in clubs, and reducing the anxiety of joining a club later
- More coverage for smaller and non-BUCs competing teams on social media
- Team of the Week on social media submitted by students to the committee.
Sustainability
This refers to both environmental and financial sustainability. I believe these can be achieved hand in hand to benefit our clubs in the cost of living crisis, whilst also upholding environmental sustainability as one of the core principles at the University of York.
- Commitment to controlling the rising costs of sport at York in the interest of students
- Work with York Sport to establish more affordable and flexible gym memberships for students, especially those already paying AU club fees
- Additionally, rework the approach to university strength and conditioning sessions so more individuals can participate in them
- Rethink the approach to transport for away fixtures and competitions, encouraging greater collaboration between university teams to travel together, lowering individual costs and our carbon emissions. This will also encourage greater collaboration between teams.
- Support college sport to keep costs low and more accessible for students
- Introduce college fitness classes/gym sessions or student led fitness sessions
- Ensure all college teams have adequate equipment for training and enough storage space
- Create an Akuma kit donation/swap to reduce waste from alumni who may no longer want their kit. This will also be at a subsidised cost for current students who may not be able to afford new kit. This could also be extended to equipment.
If you want a leader who is passionate about sport, keen to represent all students at the university, and ambitious with what we can achieve through sport at York, vote for Darcy!!
The manifestos appear here exactly as they were submitted to us. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of York Vision.