SUARTS bring UAL sports legends together

by Emily Hewett

The inaugural 'Arts Legends Weekender' is being held this weekend, in a bid to bring together Arts London sports teams both past and present for the first time.

Held by the Student Union for University of the Arts (SUARTS), the event will see current students will battle it out with their alumni counterparts in a day of hockey, football, rugby and netball.

The weekender is expected to continue into the night at the London College of Communication's Darkroom Bar where re-runs of the games will be shown on the big screen.

Stef Willis, an alumni from the 1996 football team, said: "This is a great opportunity to see how I fare against the latest crop of university talent.

"I think it will be a great game and will be surprised if we, the legends, come out on the losing side."

Challenging in more ways than one

James Burden, Activities and Volunteering Officer, claims that organising this event has probably been the hardest thing he’s ever had to do: "It’s so hard to find a location to facilitate everyone.

"A central pitch that can accommodate all of us is really hard to find. We’re usually scattered all over London. The rugby team train near to Heathrow airport, it’s ridiculous.

"We have people traveling from France, Denmark, Wales and Scotland. One guy is even flying in from Japan. He used to be president of the rugby team two years ago and has decided to make a week long holiday out of it.

"Stef Willis, now a technician at Chelsea College of Art, is also returning to represent the 1996 football team. The response is unbelievable really."

Numbers of people getting involved in sports teams has risen considerably over recent years. According to Burden, 400 students signed up to sports societies in 2006, compared with a staggering 2,500 in 2009.

Useful contacts

Burden added: “The people you meet through sport open you up to a lot more contacts. If I didn’t play football I wouldn’t have met a shoe designer and who knows when I’ll need a custom made pairs of football boots.

“Students are not only engaging with sports but they are staying,” he says. “Its no secret that students have a better experience at UAL if they joining a sport or society.”

A total of 122 people are expected to take part in the sporting event, half of which will be alumni.

The 'Arts Legends Weekender' is being held at the Chiswick Sports Ground, University of Westminster, on Saturday May 15th and will last all day.

The matches start half an hour after midday and are staggered so that teams can watch and support each other.

Tickets are £5 for spectators and are available from the Students’ Union. Alternatively contact James Burden on j.burden@su.arts.ac.uk for more information. Visit www.suarts.org/legends for more information.