The Price of Playing at Queen’s
By Grace Allen
University sport is central to student life. It’s extremely apparent. Take the fresher’s fair, lined with sports stalls, instagram stories rammed with Wednesday night sports’ socials or the imminent varsity hype on those local rivalry nights against Ulster. Sport has been and always will be extremely prevalent in student culture, whether you have sufficient funds to keep up with it or not. The stance is as follows: pay or get left behind. This is the socioeconomic divide.
The matter progresses much further beyond physical activity. Belonging, opportunity, and social sit at the heart of the divide. Sport is often where students find their first friendships, teams provide that sense of identity and community. If some students cannot participate, they may feel socially excluded from a core part of campus life. When access to sport is unequal, so too is access to community. It nearly acts as a friendship accelerator. From personal experience, I wouldn’t know half of the people I’m friends with today if it weren’t for my sport. As well as this, sports clubs provide leadership roles – you have the likes of your captain, committee, and treasurer. These positions provide a chance build confidence, teamwork, and CV experience. Additionally, they create informal networks that can lead to internships or recommendations. Participation in sport often opens doors beyond the pitch. It nearly works as its own VIP networking hub. The university should level the playing field. If some students can access the ‘full’ university experience and others cannot, inequality expands rather than reduces.
Many students face the concept of time poverty – not having enough hours in the day to do it all. Whether it comes down to part-time jobs or academic pressure, students often face the challenge of being in two places at once. The scenarios could be anything from trying their absolute best to avoid shift clashes with training, having to sacrifice weekend competitions for some weekend wages or what universities will deem most important on top of all that, get that degree.
Financial barriers are endless. Let’s lay it all out in plain black and white:
- Extensive membership fees
- Gym costs
- Hall hire
- Kit and equipment
- Never-ending travel costs
When you put this extensive list up against some of QUB’s most expensive (highly funded) sports, ‘optional’ sport still requires that financial flexibility.
Beyond time and money, there is also the unspoken cultural barrier. Certain sports carry reputations that precede them. Rowing, sailing and golf in particular have long been associated with privilege, tradition, and exclusivity. Even if clubs are technically open to all, perception matters. If a student has never stepped foot on a golf course or near a marina before arriving at university, the space can feel intimidating rather than inviting. When you don’t see people who look or sound like you in those environments, confidence becomes another cost. For some students, the barrier is not just financial; it is psychological and deeply rooted in the quiet feeling that these spaces were never designed with them in mind.
Now we’re left with one very important question: ‘Should Queen’s be doing more?’ If Queen’s is serious about widening participation, sport must be included fully in that conversation. In 2022, Queen’s Sport described itself as an “Active Campus”, highlighting over 50 sports, introductory initiatives such as Couch 2 5k and “come and try” sessions, alongside the launch of a student hardship fund to support those representing the university [1]. These measures signal an awareness of accessibility, yet introductory programmes do not always translate into sustained participation, particularly in higher-cost sports. Greater transparency around membership fees, subsidised bursaries and expanded equipment loan schemes would further reduce barriers.
Performance Sport at Queen’s also warrants closer scrutiny, particularly in how its resources are distributed. Academy pathways such as rugby, GAA, soccer, rowing, and hockey receive structured backing, while athletes in other disciplines often report operating without equivalent access to funding, gym provision, or physio support. Several have raised concerns about being excluded from Performance Sport pathways despite strong competitive records and proven achievement in their respective fields. If inclusivity is a core value, clarity around selection criteria and performance investment is essential. Excellence exists beyond traditional academy models, and support structures should reflect that breadth rather than reinforce hierarchy.
When enrolling on university courses already puts such a huge dent in our bank accounts, should Queen’s be putting less effort into expanding already well-equipped gyms, and put more money, time, and energy into improving the quality of their students’ university livelihoods. At what point does expanding equipment matter less than expanding opportunity?
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