Aberdeen University Sports Union (AUSU) is the sports union at the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It is a constituent part of

Aberdeen University Students' Association Aberdeen University Students' Association (often referred to as AUSA) is the students' association of the University of Aberdeen, an ancient university in the city of Aberdeen in North East Scotland. It organises recreational activities; provide ...

. It is not responsible for facilities and rents time for its clubs from Aberdeen Sports Village.

History

The University of Aberdeen Sports Union was created in 1999 from an amalgamation of three student bodies, to create the

. At this point the ancient Athletics Association, as it was known, ceased to exist. At first the new sports body was called Sports Council but in 2002 this changed to Sports Union due to confusion over the number of councils at the university. The new body is identical in set up to its sister

Aberdeen University Societies Union Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Colours and playing strips

The strip uses the four colours of the university crest - royal blue, gold, red and white. The design was based on the quarters of the university crest and the previous rugby 1st XV strips. The traditional colours of royal blue and gold had to be supplemented due to Heriot-Watt University carrying out a similar project several years previously and their colours also being royal blue and gold. The away strip was opposite with red as the main.

Facilities

Aberdeen Sports Village

Kings Pavilion

Kings Pavilion is an art deco building built in the 1930s, containing the swimming pool, performance gym, performance suite and away outdoor changing rooms.

Butchart Recreation Centre

Butchart Recreation Centre was constructed in the 1950s, where it was the sports Hub of the university for over 40 years. Butchart closed its doors as a sport facility on 26 July 2009 before reopening as Aberdeen University's Students' Association

Kings Playing Fields

Kings Playing Fields has two

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

pitches, a

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

wicket and

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

pitch. Away changing is done in Kings Pavilion and home changing in Butchart Recreation Centre.

Hillhead Centre

Hillhead Centre The Hillhead Centre (formally known as ''Keith Park'') is a sports stadium in the Old Aberdeen area of Aberdeen, Scotland. It is owned and managed by the University of Aberdeen. It consists of a floodlit, grass football pitch with a 300-capa ...

is just up the road opposite Hillhead Halls of Residence. It houses the Grampian Institute of Sport, bar and conference suite. It has a floodlit full-size grass football pitch, currently home to

Aberdeen University F.C. Aberdeen University Football Club is an association football team representing the University of Aberdeen. History Early years The University Club was formed in 1872 and became members of the SFA in 1904. Aberdeen University has qualified to ...

(and formerly home to Junior team Hillhead F.C./ Bridge of Don Thistle before they moved to the village of Newburgh) and sand based floodlit full-size hockey pitch.

Balgownie Playing Fields

Balgownie Playing Fields is further up the road from the Hillhead Centre and consists of a floodlit rugby training area, club storage, bar and club room, changing rooms, flood lit running track, floodlit football pitch and football, rugby, Gaelic football and

shinty Shinty ( gd, camanachd, iomain) is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, an ...

playing fields.

Aberdeen University Boat House

Aberdeen University Boat House is found on the River Dee housing all the universities rowing boats. Other facilities used by the Sports Union to house clubs include Zeste Dining Room, Hillhead Games Hall, Aberdeen City Council Altens football pitches, Aberdeen City Council Torry Games Hall and Aberdeen City Council Jesmond Games Hall.

Clubs

Sports Union has fifty-eight affiliated clubs, the second largest in

. The clubs have 99 teams who travel weekly around Scotland and Britain competing against other universities and clubs. Many tour further abroad annually. The clubs are for social and competitive members with clubs competing in regional,

Scottish Student Sport Scottish Student Sport (SSS) formed in June 2005 as Scottish Universities Sport is the professional body for delivery and furthering of sports at university and college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institutio ...

(SSS) or British Universities & College Sports ( BUCS) leagues.

Committee

The Sports Union Committee of 19 elected members is led by a President for Sport to coordinate the clubs, events and 3,500 Sports Union members. The President for Sport and the Sports Union Treasurer also sit on the Executive Committee of the Students' Association. The President of the Students' Association is an ex-officio member of the Sports Union Committee. The Sports Union President and Treasurer are elected as part of the Students' Association Executive Committee elections normally held in March of each year. In April 2013 Marc McCorkell was elected as President for Sport for the 2013/14 season. The rest of the Sports Union Committee elections are held as part of the AUSA Council elections, normally held in early April of each year.

2016-17 Committee

Source:

Events

hosts some of the largest university events in Scotland. These range from those for the avid university sports person to providing a fun day for students.

Superteams

Superteams is normally the second weekend of March and is one of the flagship events attracting approximately 480 students to compete and 60 student volunteers. It is the largest one-day event of its kind in Scotland. The event is made up of teams of seven with no more than four from the opposite sex, the team must also nominate a Superman and Superwoman. This is a fun event and separated into many bases, some of which over the years have included; Go-Karting, Abseiling, Tug of war, Sprints,

Sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

Wrestling, Bungee Runs, Paintballing and

Orienteering Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...

Blues Ball

The Sports Blues Ball is traditionally the first Thursday in February and it the annual recognition of sporting achievement at the university where the five Sports Trophies are awarded along with the Blues. It is the largest all seated sports ball in Scotland. Guest speakers have included

Jimmy Hill James William Thomas Hill, OBE (22 July 1928 – 19 December 2015) was an English footballer and later a television personality. His career included almost every role in the sport, including player, trade union leader, coach, manager, director ...

, Jason White, Ally McCoist,

Clive Tyldesley Clive Tyldesley (born 21 August 1954) is an English television sports broadcaster. He was ITV's senior football commentator from 1998 until 2020. In that role, he has led the ITV commentary team at four World Cups and four European Championships ...

Doddie Weir George Wilson "Doddie" Weir (4 July 1970 – 26 November 2022) was a Scottish rugby union player who played as a lock. He made 61 international appearances for the Scotland national team and represented the British & Irish Lions. With the ch ...

Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...

and

Chris Cusiter Christopher Peter Cusiter (born 13 June 1982) is a retired Scottish international rugby union player who played at Scrum-half (rugby union), scrum-half. He played for teams including Glasgow Warriors, Border Reivers (rugby), Border Reivers and ...

and

Tim Baillie Timothy Mark Baillie MBE (born 11 May 1979 in Aberdeen) is a Scottish slalom canoeist who represented Britain. From Westhill in Aberdeenshire, he started competing at the international level in 1996, initially in the K1 category, but switching ...

The Boat Race

The annual boat race between University of Aberdeen and

Robert Gordon University Robert Gordon University, commonly called RGU, is a public university in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland. It became a university in 1992, and originated from an educational institution founded in the 18th century by Robert Gordon (philanthropist), ...

has been competed for since 1995. The University of Aberdeen has lost only four times, in 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2013 Aberdeen Asset Management sponsor the event.

Granite City Challenge

One of the largest varsity events in Britain competed annually in the week before the Easter holidays in March. All sports are competed for on the Wednesday of the week. Since its conception in 1996 University of Aberdeen have only been beaten once by their city rivals

, in 2008.

Kings Football Sixes

Aberdeen University Football Club is older than

Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen, Scotland. They compete in the Scottish Premiership and have never been relegated from the top division of the Scottish football league system since they were ...

formed in 1889. The success of the rugby sevens is rivalled by that of the football and is normally the weekend after the rugby.

Kings Rugby Sevens

Boasting one of the oldest

teams in the world, formed in 1875, the university also hosts one of the largest university rugby events in Scotland. The tournament is usually hosted on the last weekend of April or the first weekend after the Easter holidays.

Intra-Mural

University of Aberdeen has a strong Intramural sports tradition with a high standard found in four football leagues all of ten teams, two are eleven-a-side leagues played at the Aultons Council pitches, one is a six-a-side league played on the Cage at Kings and one is a seven-a-side league in the Aberdeen Sports Village, the title of which is held by Iain Proudfoot's Village Army. All leagues together combined bring together upwards of 650 students weekly - the second largest intramural programme in Scotland.

International representation

The University of Aberdeen has boasted many athletes of international significance during its history. This can be seen in team sports such as the

Aberdeen University Rugby Football Club Aberdeen University Rugby Football Club (AURFC) is the rugby union team at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The men's team play in ; the women's team play in the university leagues. History Acknowledged as the equal oldest rugby club i ...

with and British and Irish Lions representation.

Affiliations

British University & College Sport (BUCS)

The University of Aberdeen affiliates to BUCS annually. BUCS is responsible for the organisation of the majority of university sport and claims to set more sports fixtures than any other sports organisation in Europe. Every sport that is recognised by BUCS is allocated points. These are compiled and at the end of the season all institutions are ranked for sport.

Scottish Student Sport (SSS)

The University of Aberdeen affiliates to

annually. SSS runs a lot of the sports events and fixtures on behalf of BUCS in Scotland, in particular the

British University Games British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

(BUCS). SSS also takes responsibility for a lot of the sports BUCS does not recognise such as rifle, shinty, Gaelic football and curling.

References

External links

Aberdeen University Sports UnionAberdeen Sports Village
{{University of Aberdeen Students' unions in Scotland Student sport in Scotland University of Aberdeen