Be sporty at JYU

For anyone who loves fitness and games, Jyväskylä is a perfect place as it is a sports city with sports halls, stadiums, open fields, tracks, and routes all around. In addition to all the sport-related spaces, there are over 2000 students doing their degree in sports related field at the University of Jyväskylä. There are plenty of opportunities for one to engage in sports such as the  university sports (hobby ball games and fitness and wellbeing activities), university amateur sport clubs, and science-based sports. 

University Sports: The university sports department offers a large variety of ball games and activities that are hobby-based and do not require a regular commitment. Team-sports activities include football, basketball, volleyball, futsal, and floorball. Moreover, there are games, including ice hockey, ultimate and American football. Individual ball games include table tennis, badminton, squash, and even cricket. A typical schedule of activities can be found from the link below:

https://www.korkeakoululiikunta.fi/en/academic-sports/ball-games/schedule/

The schedule below provides a list of fitness and wellbeing activities provided by the university sports.  

As it is evident, there are plethora of options one can choose from. Most of these activities has instructions in both Finnish and English. However, language is never a problem when it comes to your favorite activity! It is more important to find good friends and university sports is a great place for socializing. Apart from participating, every student has the opportunity to suggest their own sport or physical activity to university sports. Most often, if the activity appears to be interesting to a range of participants, university sports adds it to their schedule. Another interesting benefit: due to the wide range of available activities and relatively small number of students, turns are almost never too full or empty. It means you will find your space in any activities to strengthen your skill and commitment.

One year subscription of all the above mentioned university sports courses costs only 60€, which is a good price for the variety of activities. The fee is mostly used for general maintenance of facilities. More information about the prices could be found from this link:

https://www.korkeakoululiikunta.fi/en/academic-sports/dropdown/payment/payment

University sport club Riemu: In case one wants to become an amateur or professional level sportsman, there is an opportunity to join University sport club Riemu! Riemu is the club that consists of students of University of Jyväskylä and offers the space mostly for amateur sportsmen to do their sport free of charge. If you are one of such kind, feel free to join their strong teams. In fact, Riemu currently includes 18 amateur male and female teams in 12 different sports. More information about the clubs could be found from the link below:

https://www.liikunnanriemu.com/seura/briefly-in-english/

Sports Research: There is a variety of health-related and sport-related researches at the university. The university email system often offers information and students can participate in projects and learn more about their wellbeing or sports. This is a great opportunity for those who is interested in expanding the knowledge in the field of sports science.

Everyone can find their own path in sports at the University of Jyväskylä! 

One can do a hobby level of games and wellbeing activities for a small participation fee, amateur sport activities for free, and science-based activities for expanding the knowledge. All of them regularly take place at the sports facilities at University of Jyväskylä. It also helps one to find new friends. So do not hesitate and give it a try once you are over here!

Nikita Goncharenko, Student Ambassador
Sport and Exercise Promotion