Introducing the Somerville Sport & Wellbeing Fund

OXFORD BLUES AND RUNNING SHOES: Somerville’s Sport & Wellbeing Fund

by Niamh Walshe

From rowing in the Boat Race to rugby at Twickenham, Oxford sport is famous around the world. Now a new Sport and Wellbeing Fund at Somerville will extend the benefits of sports and wellbeing to more staff and students than ever, writes Niamh Walshe (2015, English and Italian).

Whether students participate at the highest levels of international competition, chase glory in Blues and Cuppers or seek a little light relief from the stresses of term, sport plays an integral role in the University experience of many, providing fond memories and friendship for life. Of course, exercise and getting outside are also fundamental ways in which many of us look after our wellbeing, even if organised sport doesn’t appeal.

Somerville is no stranger to sporting excellence and continues to produce student-athletes who excel both on and off the pitch. Recent graduates and current Somervillians have represented the University in sports as diverse as lacrosse, rowing, powerlifting, fencing, tennis, and judo.

To compete, these athletes manage the time pressures of training alongside academic commitments and the financial cost of high-level sporting participation; kit, coaching and club membership do not come cheaply, not to mention the cost of competition entry, travel and physio. For some, there may even be the additional cost of the coveted Blues blazer, should the season go their way!

Alongside its teams, Somerville is also home to a number of sports societies that foster friendships across year groups and subjects – as well as spirited inter-collegiate competition! Recent highlights here include the highly anticipated formation of a Somerville-Corpus women’s rugby team and Cuppers success in swimming, netball, and the “Corpusville” men’s rugby team.

The unavoidable conclusion is that giving students access to sport not only enhances their enjoyment of College life, but also helps build vital attributes such as resilience, teamwork and grit – all of which will help students succeed in their academic work and life after Somerville.

Inspired by her own experience of Oxford sport (see inset, below), alumna Judith Buttigieg (Physics, 1989) has supported the creation of a new Sport and Wellbeing Fund. Created in part to assist students with the costs of competing at a high level in specialist sports, it is also intended to extend access for the many to the general benefits of sport and active wellbeing.

The first awards were distributed just before the March lockdown, assisting athletes in a variety of disciplines from trampolining to powerlifting, amateur boxing to Blues swimming.

But then Covid-19 struck – and the Sports and Wellbeing Fund took on a significance and value that no one had predicted.

Thanks to the Sports and Wellbeing Fund, College was able to offer community wellbeing activities on a scale that would have been impossible before, just when we needed it most. Our staff, many of whom worked flatout through the summer to deliver online teaching or keep the college site open for students unable to return home, were able to join online Pilates classes, buy home workout gear, even purchase equipment for their allotments.

In this its first year, a total of 16 students and 11 members of staff were able to benefit from this initiative to keep us all fit and active. In 2020-21, we are confident the numbers will be even higher. At a time when our community’s need for physical and emotional wellbeing has never been greater, we are immensely grateful to Judith Buttigieg for bringing us such an original and highly flexible solution to our wellbeing needs.

The Development Team welcomes enquiries from sporting friends who might be interested in supporting this innovative new Fund. Please contact sara.kalim@some.ox.ac.uk

The Lifelong Benefits of Somerville Sport

Judith Buttigieg (Physics, 1989) is the CEO of Aviva International Insurance Ltd., a Trustee Director of the RAC Pension Scheme, Chair of the Somerville City Group and a member of the Somerville Development Board. Here she recalls the role sport played in her time at Somerville and beyond.

“I have always enjoyed sports and fitness and am a great believer in the physical and mental benefits of exercise. During my education, sport always went hand in hand with my academic studies and this has continued into my working life, being hugely energising, motivating and keeping me sane, too! I have many fond and memorable recollections of my sporting “life” at Oxford – from long, balmy summer evenings bowling in the University Parks’ nets to dark, freezing early mornings on the Cherwell, before a hasty dash back to College and lectures. I am delighted to support this Fund to enhance the sports and wellbeing activities of the Somerville community.”