An athletic union or athletics union (AU) usually refers to the group of student

sports clubs A sports club or sporting club, sometimes an athletics club or sports society or sports association, is a group of people formed for the purpose of playing sports. Sports clubs range from organisations whose members play together, unpaid, and ...

within a

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

or other institute of

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

, in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

General information

Sports clubs affiliate to their athletic union for support and finance. If a sports club is not part of the athletic union then it is probably not an official or recognized club of the institution. Each athletic union is often run and supported by the institute's

students' union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

, but are sometimes operated by the institute itself or semi-autonomous from either the students' union or the university. Athletic unions can (and most do) affiliate to

British Universities and Colleges Sport British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) is the governing body for higher education sport in the United Kingdom. BUCS was formed in June 2008 following a merger of British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) and University College Sport ...

(BUCS). In a typical structure, members of sports clubs automatically become members of the athletic union with all the benefits of the membership (including insurance and social aspects) included. Individual students who compete in individual sports, where no club exists in their chosen activity, can also join the athletic union. Officers of the sports clubs generally become ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' members of the AU standing committee and this committee typically elects an AU chair and vice-chair. The AU president (sometimes called sports officer or activities officer) is usually elected from the wider

student body A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, ...

as part of

executive committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

elections. Many athletic unions employ a person (or persons) to work alongside the AU president in support of the sports clubs, and to keep a continuity from year to year within the athletic union.

Athletic unions

Durham University Athletic Union Team Durham (formerly Durham University Athletic Union, DUAU) is a student-run organisation responsible for sport at Durham University. In contrast to most British universities it is a separate organisation with the status of a students' union, ...

* Hull University Athletic Union * Manchester Metropolitan Athletic Union * University of Nottingham Athletic Union *

University of St Andrews Athletic Union (AIEN ARISTEUEIN) , established = 1901 , type = Athletic Union , president = Jess Smith , city = St Andrews , state = Fife , country = Scotland, UK , affiliations = British Universities and Colleges Sport Scottish Student Sport , website ...

Sports organisations of the United Kingdom {{UK-sport-stub