By Shreya Gupta
Sport at university is very different from sport at school. The competitive club-style culture often softens at university level, where competition and community spirit are valued equally. But here is where an important distinction appears: LSE’s sport culture doesn’t require you to have both in order to commit to a sports society. For many, the sports culture here is defined by friendship, regardless of whether you play competitively or hold a social membership.
To explore this dynamic, I interviewed fellow athletes who, on the surface, seem to show a stark contrast in the nature of their commitment. Yet in reality, they value their sport in strikingly similar ways.
Sofia, a second-year undergraduate and social member of Lacrosse, started by sharing why she joined the Lacrosse 2s team in the first place. She joined this year primarily to get out of her comfort zone, something she felt she hadn’t made the most of during her first year. Having never played lacrosse before, she found the executive team inclusive and accessible. As she put it, “there is never any pressure to play competitively, and inclusion is super vital for the executive team, who are highly motivating and great leaders.”
This aspect of LSE sports societies helps explain why social memberships are so popular: the student-led community creates an atmosphere that makes it easy to meet new people and step away from academic pressure. While she does attend training regularly, she remarked that her attendance for socials is even higher. The effort put into these socials is important to many in Lacrosse, as they provide opportunities to meet people outside of team training. As Sofia joked, “Lacrosse basically lives at Penderel’s Oak!” From pres and club dinners to their recent trip to Malta, she believes that showing up regularly is the key to building meaningful friendships within the society. While Sofia found her place in a beginner-friendly environment, Isabella’s experience represents the more competitive side of LSE sport. Isabella is the Volleyball Society’s Secretary and plays on the Women’s 2s competitive team. Volleyball has long been her favourite sport and something she has played throughout both school and university. Yet, she explained that she has enjoyed playing far more at university largely because of the community she has become part of and the support surrounding the team — “shoutout to our coach, Jordan,” she added.
“I got to know a lot of people in other teams and meet some of my best friends,” she told me — a key reason why she decided to take on a committee role in her second year. Becoming Secretary allowed her to stay more involved and “see how societies are structured and organised”, while helping shape the society herself.
For Isabella, the rhythm of competitive sport has become an important part of university life. Training twice a week and preparing for BUCS matches provides a structure to her schedule that she genuinely enjoys. “On Monday I would think of Wednesday matches, on Wednesday I would think of Sunday training,” she said. “I always anticipate volleyball.”
Sport also acts as a vital outlet from LSE’s academic intensity. The adrenaline of matches and training offers a break from studying, but what she values most are the friendships formed along the way. “You are all like-minded,” she explained. “If you are gravitated to the same sport, naturally you have the same interests and you usually have other things in common.” Over time, this has created what she described as “a family within my team”.
At the same time, competitive sport does not mean sacrificing the social side of university life. Volleyball socials remain an important part of the society, from themed dinners to their annual international food night, where members bring dishes from their home countries. The society also organises annual trips abroad, to both Paris and Portugal.
Speaking to both Sofia and Isabella made one thing clear: sport at LSE is not defined solely by competition or ability. For some students, it means preparing for weekly BUCS matches and structured training sessions. For others, it means trying a completely new sport and turning up to themed socials at Penderel’s. Yet despite these different experiences, both students described the same outcome: friendships, routine, and a sense of belonging.
At a university known for its academic intensity, sports societies quietly provide something equally important: a community where students can step away from lectures, show up each week, and feel part of something larger than themselves.
