Manifesto Points:
- Affordability through: Semesterly and subsidised memberships that don’t hurt club budgets. Free, varied, and protected Social Sport.
- Information on: The right clubs for you. Performance-boosting habits. Student and club committee experiences.
- Access to: Disabled and para-sports. Postgraduate and mature students spaces. Paid roles for students.
Hi, I’m Sofia and I’m excited to be running to be your next Sports Officer.
Sport has always been a huge part of my life; from tap dance to tag rugby as a kid, I joined my local rowing club at 11, later coaching the junior adaptive squad (similar to para-rowing). Picking the sport up at University, I developed an appreciation for all the behind-the-scenes work as a committee member, and have discovered new sports like Ballroom and Latin.
University has offered a fantastic opportunity to stay active, make lifelong friends, and develop skills in governance through sport, but it has also highlighted systematic barriers to participation. As your next Sports Officer I want to focus on the following three areas to dismantle these barriers, so anyone can easily, comfortably, and confidently get involved in sports:
Affordability
- Address participation costs without limiting club income: Ensure all clubs offer semesterly membership to spread costs and provide value when only participating for one semester. Subsidise subsequent club memberships, reducing the cost of participating in multiple sports.
- Change how the Activities Access Grant gets paid so eligible students aren’t left out of pocket when waiting to be reimbursed. Guide club treasurers in signposting for students who need help with costs.
- Expand Social Sport: Offer increased variety in weekly sports, as well as ‘one-off’ events and society collaborations. Secure the future of Social Sport, so students can continue to access free, no-commitment physical activity in the face of rising living costs.
Access
- Support clubs to expand or establish disabled and para-sport: Create a specific para-sport development grant and strengthen signposting to external advice and funding. Advertise para-sport to the wider York community on behalf of clubs who wish to accept ‘associate members’, growing teams and making competition viable.
- Maximise opportunities for postgraduate and mature students to meet: Run varied postgrad-only social sport at appropriate times. Club spotlights across email and multiple social media platforms.
- Access to me: Establish regular office hours to hear ideas and learn about the challenges student leaders face. Conduct frequent pulse surveys across the university to better understand what you need from your sports union, with specific research into the experiences of neurodivergent students.
Information
- Overhaul the Student Union website: Add badges and filtering options so students can better identify the clubs that meet their needs; whether that’s mixed-gender and trans-inclusive teams, recreational and non-competitive offerings, or disability friendly sport. Standardise information provided about clubs, including costs beyond membership fees, providing key information in one place.
- Develop a new newsletter: Provide year-round access to insights on topics such as sports psychology, injury prevention, or training with your menstrual cycle. Use this to showcase our clubs and their achievements to both existing students and Alumni, strengthening Alumni relationships as a potential income stream.
- Launch ‘Pioneering Change in Sports’ sessions: Equip students with knowledge and skills to drive positive change, paired with awards demonstrating these skills to employers. Transparency around club obligations and who to speak to if something doesn’t feel right.
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.