{"id":231,"date":"2024-12-12T14:37:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-12T14:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/joseph-chisholm\/?p=231"},"modified":"2024-12-12T17:12:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-12T17:12:05","slug":"intramural-football-why-not-get-involved-next-semester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/journalists.org.uk\/joseph-chisholm\/2024\/12\/12\/intramural-football-why-not-get-involved-next-semester\/","title":{"rendered":"Intramural football: Why not get involved next semester?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Peter Glaser: Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

How did you spend your first semester this year at university? Too much student loan spent on Uber Eats? Too many hangovers and too little work done? Well, I\u2019m glad I\u2019m not the only one. I\u2019m not going to sit here and lecture you on how to lock in and while saving money and all that stuff, but what I am going to do is ask you this: how can you make next semester a bit more productive while doing something you enjoy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was handed a poster at fresher\u2019s fair last year which read \u201cTreble Pogba and Koke football trials, this Thursday,\u201d and left it lying on my bedside drawer for a few days. Come Thursday morning, I thought to myself, why not give it a go. Fast forward to now, and going along to that trial was the best decision I\u2019ve made since coming to Newcastle University.<\/p>\n\n\n

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TPAK FC team photo- 2023\/24 season<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been playing intramural football every Saturday for over a year now, and I have to say, it has easily been my favourite part of my university experience so far (yes, even more than the hangovers believe it or not), and in my eyes, if you have any interest in football, it\u2019s a must to be involved in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Intramural football now has a whopping 48 eleven-a-side<\/a> teams competing against each other across 6 divisions, operating on a Wednesday and a Saturday. And this isn\u2019t all, with there being 16 teams in the weekly seven-a-side<\/a> league, with registrations for next semester now being officially open, on top of there being both five-a-side and seven-a-side<\/a> opportunities for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, there\u2019s nothing better than lacing up my boots and stepping onto the carpet that is Cochrane Park<\/a>, completely zoning out for 90 minutes while I play the game I love the most<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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One of the fine pitches at Cochrane Park- read more about it in my guide<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Tom Brearley is the intramural sports officer at Newcastle University, and is the man behind the scenes when it comes to intramural football. Tom looks after the program as a whole, ensuring the games are ready to go weekly, sorting all the admin and any fixture rearrangements (which have been common as of late unfortunately thanks to Storm Darragh).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, “It’s a fantastic alternative to BUCS for students who still want a healthy dose of competitive sport whilst at University, without the additional costs, travel and commitment. Our programme is exclusively for Newcastle University students, which offers an amazing social opportunity and community for our students to engage in.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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Fun fact- Tom is also a personal trainer at Newcastle University. Here is a screenshot from the University website<\/a> of him telling a bit about himself and what he can offer.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Jordi Fairs<\/a>, a player\/captain\/manager for eleven-a-side team Borussia Modernlangbach, shared a bit about his experiences, expressing, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of benefits, but for me the main this is having that big social aspect.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Borussia Modernlangbach team photo. 2024\/25 season. Image: Jordi Fairs (with permission)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If socials are something you fancy, the chances are you\u2019ll end up in Soho on a Wednesday night, so don\u2019t worry, you can still go out get those morning hangovers if you desire, but hey, at least you\u2019re now doing it while keeping fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jordi added, \u201cI\u2019ve made a whole new set of friends and there is a real sense of community when we play together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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