University of Cambridge Sport

6
An all-round education
When a prospective student applies to Cambridge they do so in the
expectation of receiving a first-class education. And that means an allround
education, one that extends beyond the purely academic to
embrace a wide range of sporting and cultural activities.
The University’s mission statement acknowledges that these activities must
play an integral part in the education it provides:
“The opportunities for broadening the
experience of students and staff through
participation in sport, music, drama, the
visual arts, and other cultural activities.”
With many schools finding it increasingly difficult to incorporate sport into
their curricula, and to provide (or retain) adequate sports facilities, many
students arrive at Cambridge without having had the opportunity to
experience a wide range of sporting activities, either recreationally or
competitively. If the University’s mission is to broaden the experience of
students then providing them with sporting opportunities of all kinds must
be an important part of its remit.
A competitive marketplace
With higher education becoming a global marketplace and some of
Britain’s brightest students choosing to apply to US universities, Cambridge
must be able to compete. It is doing so by measurable academic criteria,
coming third behind Harvard and Stanford in a recent survey of the
world’s top 500 universities, but the standard of its sports facilities lags far
behind. Cambridge does not even compare well with its main UK rival.
Oxford has consistently invested in sport – it has had an indoor sports hall
for many years, recently opened a new swimming pool and is now
planning to build an indoor tennis centre. Cambridge is in danger of
deterring those students who perceive sport to be a non-negotiable part
of their higher education.
The University Sports Syndicate fully endorses the building of the much-needed new University Sports Centre
in West Cambridge. The Centre will provide competition facilities for nineteen of the University’s sports clubs
and essential integrated training facilities and services for all University and College teams. It will make an
enormous contribution to student life and to employees of the University. The world–class facilities will be the
focus of sports development in the Region and will be at the cutting edge of the University’s interaction with
the community. The Centre equally will meet the needs of all those individuals who choose to exercise
casually at times and at levels that suit tight academic schedules.
Dr Jeremy Fairbrother, Chairman of the University Sports Syndicate