Sport and Recreation

About us

The Department of Sport and Recreation is the sport service of the University of Portsmouth. Our team of sport enthusiasts deliver a programme of sport opportunities and fitness activities for beginners through to elite athletes.

The University of Portsmouth is committed to helping students, staff, and the wider community of all abilities to participate in sport and physical activity, helping to combine an active mind with an active body. This is why we positively promote active lifestyles through a range of great facilities and opportunities to keep fit and compete.

The University of Portsmouth is regularly seen as one of the top universities for sport. In 2009/10 we ranked 24th in the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) leagues and championships, were BUCS Most Improved University in 2009, and in the last two years have won four BUCS excellence awards. We have over 30 different sports clubs who compete weekly against other universities. The Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences is consistently ranked in the Times Higher Top 10.

We have a number of professional links and partnerships within the local sporting community to support our athletes' development, and our UP for Sport volunteering programme is set around social responsibility, widening participation, enhancing student experience and student employability. In the last two years it has been named BUCS Sports Development project of the year and been recognised as excellent by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

So whatever your aspirations - from keeping fit, playing recreational sport, competing for the University, becoming a coach or training for the Olympic Games, you will find the opportunities within this website. Sport is an intrinsic part of university life and is an unmissable opportunity, providing participants with lifelong friends, so get active and get involved!

Paul Tilley
Head, Department of Sport and Recreation.