I’m on a mission to find the best social sport society at Newcastle University; first on the list is social rounders. Maybe it’s right for you?
As the sun reaches its peak over Newcastle, and the students are beginning to rise from the night before, one group of students are already braving the day at Exhibition Park.
It’s the Newcastle University Social Rounders Society meeting for their weekly game, an easy, low-stakes and sociable society, as described by its welfare officer, Lucy Langdon, a third year at Newcastle University.
The group meet at Exhibition Park every Sunday at 12 noon for a chance to “play a game of rounders and have fun without the competitive nature that seems to seep into a lot of other societies”, in the words of its president, Spencer, a 4th year at Newcastle University.
The membership is £5 per year, the basic fee for a society membership at Newcastle University, though Spencer and Lucy insist that members are only charged this because of the university’s regulations and not the society’s choice.
The society was started by Spencer when he was inspired by Edinburgh University’s social rounders club and their ‘everyone’s welcome’ policy. He then wanted to implement this into his own social rounders club at Newcastle.
“I’d definitely say it’s one of the most sociable social sports…”
Lucy, Welfare Officer
Social aspects of the society were strongly emphasised by the committee; welfare officer Lucy said that social rounders is “one of the most sociable social sports” and they often get new members “coming back week by week”.
The group also take part in sports night socials bi-weekly, most recently a ‘charity shop fashion show’ collaborative social with Newcastle University Boxing Club.
This social aspect is especially important for the president, Spencer, who in his first year at Newcastle attempted to join some of their sports teams but found that they were “overly competitive” and that he “didn’t have a good time” in his experience with them.
He said that he therefore enjoys watching the members socialise with each other and “have something that I don’t think I had in first year.”
“…listening to someone say ‘can I have your Instagram?’ I just get really happy thinking that they’ve had something that I don’t think I had…”
Spencer, President
It would appear that the society have been successful in their goals for a sociable sport; Lucy said that “we actually got a good response […] everyone was coming back”, of the many freshers and masters students they reportedly attract.
It is clear that the members are truly the centre of this society, with the committee even going to the lengths of keeping them fed for their Sunday afternoon activities. They work with a local charity that aims to reduce food waste by distributing leftover food from local shops.
“…Saturday nights I go to different shops, collect a load of different excess food […] then carry them back up the next morning.”
Spencer, President
Every Saturday Spencer visits the charity and collects leftover food from shops around the city. He then takes the food to the games on a Sunday for members to enjoy and “hopefully feed a lot of people for the day.”
Due to the Exhibition Park location, some members have complained that the games can be difficult to get to if they don’t live in Jesmond or nearby. Even the president, Spencer, said that since he lives on the quayside the distance, for him, is the “main drawback”.
But welfare officer Lucy said that it’s the most convenient location due its “open air space” and the fact that it’s “near all the accommodation” which is “great for freshers”, as Spencer said.
Other society members did raise issues with the limited time they had to practice, since there is only one session a week.
Since then, committee members have started to attend practice half-an-hour early to give members an opportunity for extra practice before the game begins and have begun to lead warm-ups and cool-downs before and after each session.
Memberships for Social Rounders are available for all Newcastle University students on the NUSU website at £5 for the year.
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