SPORTS ROUND-UP
SPORTS ROUND-UP
Network events
We are enjoying a return to normality within our sporting calendar this year with a host of successful events and more planned upcoming activity.
Cricket Alumni Network
This year we are excited to be planning the first Cricket Alumni Reunion which will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Exeter cricket team to reach the UAU finals. The dinner will bring together those from the 1972 cohort and beyond, hoping to attract as many cricket alumni as possible from various decades to reminisce over University days.
If you would like to get involved with the planning of the reunion, or gather friends and former teammates to join us, please get in touch at: sportsalumni@exeter.ac.uk
Golf Alumni Network
The 15th Alumni Golf Day and headline event took place at Worplesdon GC in August 2021 and was well attended by familiar and new faces alike. Student golf scholars Ben Quick (1st team Captain) and Adam Tridgell (Club Captain) also joined the teams and gave speeches on the day to share a little about the impact of these events and how much they mean to the club. A brilliant day of golf and making new memories was shared by all and over £7,000 was raised at auction to go towards golf scholarships and club development.
Images from the Golf Day in August 2021
Football Alumni Network
The annual football alumni reunion took place in November 2021, bringing just under 80 alumni back together over a weekend to celebrate football at Exeter. The weekend was packed with a number of events, starting with a football alumni golf day and 1st XI fixture, followed by the highly anticipated reunion dinner. The event saw alumni in attendance from all graduating eras, from the 60s right through to recent graduates, reuniting old friends in support of EUAFC and raising over £4,000 to go towards funding the new EUAFC coach.
New in sport
This year we said goodbye to Harry Scott and welcomed Will Shaw (pictured) as Head of Golf.
“I’m delighted to join the University of Exeter and its rich sporting heritage. I’ve spent the past 11 years in Leeds lecturing between the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett, working with elite athletes/governing bodies, and coaching elite golfers.
“Harry Scott has created an excellent structure for elite golf to thrive and I’m excited to continue the push forward – with the aim of making Exeter University Golf Club the number one university for elite golfers in Europe.
“The University of Exeter BUCS Golf teams have started the season very well and we are currently top of the Premier League (South) and 1st and 2nd Western divisions, with our 1st and 2nd teams currently unbeaten.
“I look forward to meeting you at future events!”
New football coach, Javier Martin, also recently joined the University thanks to generous alumni donations to the EUAFC coaching campaign. As we go into the second year of the campaign, we heard from Javier last term about his initial plans for the club.
“This year, EUAFC is laying the foundations of a long-term project where the main objective has to be to leave a legacy that lasts for years so that future players can benefit from it. This legacy has the clear intention of enhancing the image of EUAFC and, at the same time, the image of the University of Exeter itself. We are working really hard to build a team of experts around the first four football teams so our players can have basic things that are unavailable right now, such as: a football coach on each of the four teams; a goalkeeping coach once a week; regular strength and conditioning sessions; full time support of a sports psychologist, physiotherapy, first aiders, linesmen, sports analyst and social media presence, etc.”
Learn more about the coaching campaign and support the club.
Read the full report on the Exeter alumni website.
OUR ALUMNI IMPACT IN SPORT
Thanks to generous alumni donations to the Alumni Annual Fund, a huge number of student sport projects have benefitted over the years. Here are some recent examples of how you have helped:
The Good Lad Initiative
The Good Lad Initiative promotes positive masculinity to young men. Their workshops focus on a range of important topics such as sexual harassment and equal gender relationships, mental health, peer pressure & bystander intervention. This is soon to become the Beyond Equality initiative which will see the inclusion of female focused workshops as well.
South-West Surf Varsity 2020
The Alumni Annual Fund supported the first ever South- West Surf Varsity between Exeter, Plymouth and Falmouth universities, held in Newquay in March 2020.
Ladies Football Coaching
Funding has supported the ladies football club with providing more opportunities for coaching and officiating roles through FA qualification courses. In turn, they will be able to use the skills and qualifications gained to help develop their own club and coach fellow members.
Archery Club Funds
The Alumni Annual Fund has helped support the Archery Club with replacing old equipment damaged due to storage conditions when the club had to relocate to outdoor sessions during the pandemic. The new equipment has enabled the club to continue running beginner sessions and retain members at the beginning of the new term.
University Triathlon / Swimming Funds
Funding has allowed the Triathlon and Swimming clubs to train at the Olympic sized pool in Mount Kelly, and to improve the starting blocks at the St Luke’s swimming pool to aid the clubs’ development and training.
Cycling Participation Booster
This involved the purchase of a small fleet of bikes to be used by Cycling Club members. Cycling is an expensive sport and the provision of club road bikes boosts inclusivity amongst members. By offering more bikes, the Club also hoped to boost female participation and promote a healthy and active lifestyle, as well as improving student mental health through exercise and exploring the Devon countryside.