Why are sports societies so expensive? The reality behind their eye-watering costs

By Siân Clarke, Second Year, Ancient History

Epigram explains why university sport has become so expensive and breaks down what it actually is that students are paying so much for.

For most students, playing a sport at university is an excuse to get plastered on a Wednesday night in Fishies to keep themselves active, while both doing something that they love, and, in the least cliché way possible, make friends for life. But for those less financially privileged, the high costs of participating in sports societies can quickly become a nightmare.

The Conversation published an article in 2021 stating that ‘poorer students are less likely to take part in sport at university’, and with the ever-increasing cost of living crisis, who can blame them?

With memberships for performance and BUCS (British University and College Sports) players frequently in the mid £200 mark minus kit costs, it is no wonder that sport has quickly become a marker of wealth amongst the standard struggling students. And that does not take into account the climbing prices of socials, which players are expected to participate in on a weekly basis. The sports discount codes to club entry only take £1 off the ticket, and that’s without a supply of VKs to keep you entertained throughout the night.

What about the activity hardship fund? Surely those who are less well-off can get the money needed to pay for memberships through the Student Union (SU)? Well, in theory, yes, but the stark reality is that many students are simply too intimidated or embarrassed to plead with the SU for money, especially after paying thousands to the university itself for an education. And we shouldn’t blame them. Filling out the form was a deeply invasive experience: from explaining that no, my parents do not give me any money while I study, to then using EXCEL to break down exactly how much I spend on a weekly food shop, to finally proving everything I am unable to do without their money. Additionally, the maximum funding you are able to receive is £200, hardly covering, if at all, a place in the BUCS squad for many societies. To top it all off, the first period in which the money is allocated occurs after the majority of sports require you to have purchased memberships, with the committee then taking up to seven working days to let you know their decision, which is after the BUCS player registration deadline. This leads to students gambling on the success of their application in order to continue playing the sport they love, or risking being stuck in a non-competitive, over-subscribed to social squad.

But even those social squads, which once again, on paper present themselves as the perfect low-commitment physical activity, can be difficult to afford. Cricket is one of the best examples of this with the men’s general squad at £130, and the women’s only slightly cheaper at £125.

Why are these sports so expensive? The answer is two-fold. On one hand, a large proportion of the cost of high-level squads originates from the BUCS fees, both through squad membership allowing them to partake in competitions with other universities, and indirectly through travel costs to and from matches, such as the coaches to fixtures. However, that does not prevent the university and SU from being without blame for these prices, shown in the large range of membership pricing for the same sports across UK universities. Comparing the price of American Football at UOB vs UWE highlights this. Without kit Bristol’s Barracuda’s are £185, whilst UWE’s Bullet’s, although better ranked, are only £100. Regardless of their league divisions, their BUCS fees are identical, and due to UWE’s strength, it’d make sense to presume they have higher coaching fees.

So why is Bristol’s membership so much more expensive? There is undoubtedly a trend of the more globally renowned Russel Group universities having higher membership fees, take Durham and the University of Manchester for instance. Yet, just because an institution is more academically recognised does not give it the excuse to charge students more.

However, Bristol adds to this with their mandatory fee of £25 unlike other universities (this is a 71% increase in the price of a social tennis membership). This fee is justified on the SU website as it allows students to play under #WeAreBristol, in what feels like a poor excuse for yet another cost. Further, only some team sports offer the opportunity to purchase a more expensive membership package with kit included, and individual sports such as boxing and tennis do not. However, the blame should not be held with the societies themselves, as many try to offer spare kit at beginner or intermediate sessions as long as supplies and costs allow.

Another factor in the pricing of performance squads is Bristol’s Strength and Conditioning programme. However, a weekly opportunity to carry out such equates to a price increase upwards of £50! This is yet another added cost making it increasingly difficult for particularly working-class students to both pursue and begin sport at university. Further, it should not be ignored that state schools have both worse sport facilities and access to a much narrower range of sports, meaning that university is the first chance many individuals have ever had to try the majority of sports Bristol offers.

There is also a gender gap in the cost of sports, with men’s cricket, football, and rugby being more expensive than their female counterparts, whilst traditionally female sports such as netball are similarly priced to the men’s performance teams. Whilst initially, it may seem like a blessing for women’s sports to tend to be more financially accessible than their male counterparts, it implies that there is a significant drop in training quality across the genders. This presents the women’s teams as inferior, perpetuating the patriarchal expectations that women’s sports are less demanding. And even if the cost difference is not a direct consequence of worse facilities or opportunities for the women’s team, the price contrast still suggests such a view by the university.

Exercise on any level is essential for physical and mental well-being, and after paying over £9000 a year for a world-class education, we deserve accessible opportunities to do so through the sports we love.

Do you think that university sport is over-priced?

Featured image: Coombe Dingle clubhouse, University of Bristol