University sport in Cambridge: trials, Blues and the Hawks

University sport and college sport

Sport at Cambridge runs on two main levels. University sports clubs (more than 75 of them) train together and compete for Cambridge against other universities in British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) fixtures and in the annual Varsity matches against Oxford. College sport is played between college teams in inter-collegiate leagues and knockout cup competitions known as Cuppers. The University says more than 4,000 students take part in sport, and that over half of its clubs welcome complete beginners. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

College leagues are described as friendly and open to all students regardless of level, with weekly fixtures usually at the weekend. The Sports Service suggests college teams for anyone who finds the training load of a University team too much, and also runs free beginner-friendly sessions under its Give It a Go programme. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

BUCS fixtures for University clubs are played on Wednesday afternoons. Most Varsity matches take place in February and March, and the Sports Service holds its annual Sports Awards in Easter Term to celebrate clubs and athletes. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Who runs sport

The University of Cambridge Sports Service (sport.cam.ac.uk) is the hub for University sport. It supports the student clubs, runs the Give It a Go and college league programmes, and manages sports facilities across the city. It is based at the University Sports Centre on Philippa Fawcett Drive (CB3 0AS) on the West Cambridge site. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

University sports clubs are responsible for their own operations. The University's Sports Committee, chaired by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Environmental Sustainability, sets policy such as who is eligible to represent the University. General club queries go to support@sport.cam.ac.uk, college sport queries to collegesport@sport.cam.ac.uk, and Give It a Go queries to activestudents@sport.cam.ac.uk. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Joining a University club

If you already know your sport, the Sports Service advises contacting the club by email or social media before you arrive, because many clubs run pre-season training that new students can join. Contact details are on each club's page on sport.cam.ac.uk and in the Sports Club Guide (PDF). [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

The Sports Fair is held at the start of Michaelmas Term; in 2026 it was on 5 October 2026 at the University Sports Centre. You can meet clubs and sign up there. At the start of term most clubs run taster sessions, and competitive clubs hold try-outs. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [camunihc.org.uk (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Trials usually fall in pre-season and the first days of Michaelmas Term. In 2026, for example, the women's netball club ran pre-season from 21 September to 4 October with trials on 6, 7, 8 and 11 October, and the swimming club held trials on 7 and 9 October. The hockey club treats its September pre-season as an informal trial and holds trials at the start of term for anyone who missed it. Dates change every year, so check the club's own website or Instagram. [culnc.org (opens in a new tab)] [cuswpc.co.uk (opens in a new tab)] [camunihc.org.uk (opens in a new tab)]

Competitive clubs cannot select everyone for their top teams, but many run lower teams or development squads. The hockey club fields eight teams (four men's, four women's), football has three men's and three women's teams, the netball club has five teams plus a new Pathway Squad from 2026, and the women's lacrosse club runs a development squad for players with little or no experience. Some sports, such as hockey, suggest newer players start with college teams before stepping up. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [culnc.org (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

To represent the University as a student you must be a fully registered member of both a college and the University and enrolled on a recognised degree, diploma or certificate course. The University does not support limiting participation by matriculation date or course. Some clubs also have staff, alumni or community members, but they cannot represent the club in student competitions. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Give It a Go: free sessions for beginners

Give It a Go is the Sports Service's free weekly programme of beginner-friendly activities for Cambridge students. Every session is led by a coach or student volunteer (an 'activator'), all equipment is provided, and there is no commitment to attend every week. You can go alone and attend as many sessions as you like. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

You must book in advance: sign up for the free Pay As You Train membership, use the PIN you are emailed to log in to the CamUniSport app or website, and book in the Give It a Go section. Booking opens seven days before each session, sessions often fill quickly, and only students with a booking can take part. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

The current timetable includes sessions such as intro to squash, badminton, volleyball, women's basketball, hockey, lacrosse, women's football, tennis, padel, pickleball, ultimate, korfball and table tennis, plus pilates, yoga and strength classes. Most sessions are at the University Sports Centre, with others at Wilberforce Road, Fenner's, Grange Road and some college courts. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Blues, Half Blues and Colours

A Blue is an award for competing at the highest level of University sport, and it always requires taking part in a Varsity match or race against Oxford. There are three levels: a Full Blue (or simply a Blue), a Half Blue, and Second Team Colours. The Hawks' Club describes a Full Blue as the highest honour a Cambridge sportsperson can receive, roughly the standard of success in national student competition; a Half Blue is roughly county or regional standard. In some Full Blue sports the Varsity second team is awarded Second Team Colours. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Awards are made at the discretion of the Men's and Women's Blues Committees. The Men's committee has one representative from each Full Blue sport, and the Women's has one from each Full Blue and Half Blue sport. Each sport has its own criteria, and the criteria differ between men and women. A Full Blue often requires several conditions to be met in the same academic year, especially in 'Discretionary Full Blue' sports. The Sports Service lists the 2026–27 Blues Committee and its contact address, BluesCommittee@sport.cam.ac.uk. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

According to the Hawks' Club, Full Blue sports include football, boxing, cricket, hockey, golf, lawn tennis, rowing, rugby union and squash. In sports such as athletics, basketball, cross country, swimming and ice hockey most players receive a Full Blue and others a Half Blue, depending on first- or second-team appearances. Many sports, including fencing, judo, cycling, volleyball and water polo, have Discretionary Full Blue status, and sports such as American football, lacrosse, table tennis, Eton and Rugby fives, handball and polo are Half Blue sports. The Sports Club Guide also marks which clubs offer Blue or Half Blue status. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Eligibility for Blues-status Varsity matches is set by the Joint Blues Committee of Oxford and Cambridge; the current rules came into force on 1 October 2026. You must be a fully registered, actively studying member of a college and the University, in residence, and not already the holder of eight Blues in that sport. Undergraduates stay eligible until 30 September of the year they finish; graduates who already hold a degree are limited to five postgraduate appearances. Second-team Varsity matches use the more open BUCS eligibility rules instead. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

The Hawks' Club and the Ospreys

The Hawks' Club, founded in 1872, is the club for Cambridge's leading sportspeople. Membership is by election. To be eligible you normally need a Blue, Half Blue or Second Team Colours won by playing in a Varsity match against Oxford, and each candidate is proposed by a member and seconded by a committee member. Once elected, membership is for life. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)]

The clubhouse is at 18 Portugal Place, off Bridge Street, with a bar, members' room and dining room. Current students pay quarterly subscriptions, while alumni and those joining in their final year pay a one-off joining fee. Resident members get discounted food and drink and access to club events. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)]

The Ospreys have not merged into the Hawks. They are a separate society run by and for Cambridge sportswomen, partnered with the Hawks' Club, and resident Ospreys can use the Hawks' clubhouse. The Ospreys invite women who have won Colours, a Half Blue or a Full Blue to apply. The two clubs run a joint summer event in May Week. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)]

Costs, membership and kit

Give It a Go sessions are free. Pay As You Train registration costs Cambridge students nothing personally: the Sports Service lists a one-off £10 joining fee that is paid by your college. Students can also use the Wilberforce Road athletics track free on Pay As You Train. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

University clubs set their own fees, and none of the official pages give a general figure. Examples: the women's netball club charges a pre-season fee and a trial fee to cover coaching, umpires and court hire, and the athletics club lets newcomers train for a week before joining, offers a reduced rate to students on the Cambridge Bursary, and notes that because competitors represent the University, fees can often be claimed back from your college. [culnc.org (opens in a new tab)] [cuac.org.uk (opens in a new tab)]

University clubs order team kit through a Sports Service teamwear agreement with Canterbury, and club web shops let members buy individual items at a discount compared with the general kit shop. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

For the gym, the Sports Service lists Cambridge Sport Membership for students at £35 a month (or £45 for a single month, or £350 a year), with no joining fee for Cambridge students. It covers the gym, strength and conditioning room, fitness classes, squash and fives courts and the athletics track. The annual student membership was offered at £235 between 1 September and 31 October 2026, and can be upgraded to UNIversal Gym Membership, which adds free access to 75+ other UK university gyms. A single gym visit costs £7.50 for students. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Funding for athletes

The University of Cambridge Athlete Performance Programme (UCAPP) supports current students who are nationally ranked or regularly represent their country. It includes free gym membership, strength and conditioning, physiotherapy, nutrition and psychology sessions and lifestyle support. Applications are made in September, before term starts, and places are limited. Cambridge is also a delivery site for the national Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS). [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

The Eric Evans Fund helps students who compete at national or international level with specific costs such as travel and entry fees, normally up to £300 per person. It also funds coaching and officiating qualifications. The Sports Service also points students to the University Bursary Scheme and their college for general awards. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

The Hawks' and Ospreys Charitable Trust gives grants to current students whose sport is held back by money, based on sporting attainment and financial need, normally in sports where Blues or Half Blues are awarded. Applications need support from your Tutor. In the 2025/26 round, applications ran from 15 April to 11 May 2026, with earlier interim awards possible for national or international competitors. [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)] [Hawks' Club (opens in a new tab)]

Facilities

The University Sports Centre on Philippa Fawcett Drive in West Cambridge has a gym, a strength and conditioning room, a sports hall, studios, a team training room, squash courts, Eton and Rugby fives courts, padel courts and a café. It is about a 10-minute cycle from the city centre. Normal opening hours are 6:30am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to 8pm at weekends. Some rooms close at times in May and June, when the Centre hosts University exams. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Wilberforce Road Sports Ground (CB3 0EQ) has a floodlit eight-lane athletics track and three floodlit sand-dressed hockey pitches. Fenner's on Mortimer Road (CB1 2EL), home to first-class cricket since 1848, has the cricket ground, a three-lane indoor cricket school and the University Lawn Tennis Club's hard and grass courts. Grange Road Stadium (CB3 9BN), owned jointly by the University rugby union and football clubs, has a floodlit 3G artificial pitch and is home to Cambridge United Women from 2026/27. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

College leagues and Cuppers

College leagues run throughout the year and cover sports including badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, mixed lacrosse, netball (women's and mixed), rugby union, squash, table tennis, tennis, ultimate and volleyball. You do not need to have played before. Fixtures, results and tables are on the Cambridge University Leagues app. To get involved, contact your college captain or JCR/MCR sports officer, or email collegesport@sport.cam.ac.uk. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Cuppers is the annual knockout competition in which colleges compete to be crowned best college in each sport. University squad players and league players both play for their colleges in Cuppers. Timing varies by sport: the Sports Service says Cuppers usually takes place towards the end of the academic year, while college rugby's Cuppers final is held at Grange Road in April or May. There are also one-off Cuppers events in sports such as athletics, sailing, triathlon and water polo. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [curufc.com (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]

Some college competitions are big: the college football league (CUAFL) has around 60 men's and 15 women's teams, and there are 15 men's college rugby teams in three divisions. Students can also earn money as referees and umpires; the football leagues pay a match fee and help new referees gain the FA Basic Referee qualification. [University Sport (opens in a new tab)] [curufc.com (opens in a new tab)] [University Sport (opens in a new tab)]