Sports

New College has one of the largest sports grounds in Oxford, and they are conveniently located just behind the pavilion.

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All you need to know, from croquet to e-Sports

Sports are a vital part of college life at New in general and for the MCR in particular, since our common room (located at the Sports Pavilion) is right beside the college’s Sports Ground.

Whether you are a seasoned sport enthusiast or a newbie, we hope that you will make good use of the facilities and equipment available to you for free. It is never too late to pick up a new sport or start again an old sport that you had stopped doing. You will find that a lot of fellow MCR members are in the same position as you, and a Sports Grounds like ours is a great incentive to start.

If you have any question, feedback or suggestion, feel free to get in touch with the MCR Sports Rep in person or via email (to find out who they are, check the MCR Committee page on this website!). We hope you enjoy your time at New College!

Best wishes,

Giulia Bernardini

Vice-Admiral of Punts & MCR Sports Rep 2020-21

giulia.bernardini@new.ox.ac.uk

The Weston Sports Ground & Facilities

We are lucky enough to have one of the best college Sports Ground in the whole university, which is maniacally well-kept by our trusted team of groundsmen and is equipped with all sorts of sporting goods thanks to the efforts of the MCR and JCR committees. Whether you live in the postgraduate accommodation at the Weston Buildings or not, make sure to check it out!

The Sports Ground includes the following:

Basketball/tennis hard court
Cricket training net
Football goals and pitches (of various sizes)
Petanque/boules sand court
Indoor squash court
Erg room/indoors gym
Croquet lawn
Table tennis and table football (indoors)

Additionally, from the beginning of Trinity Term (as soon as the weather allows) until mid-August the sports ground also hosts the following:

Tennis grass courts (up to 5)
Punts

To book the New College sports facilities, use the Sports Facilites Booking System. Once you have completed your booking, you will need to go to the WESTON PORTERS LODGE to pick up keys/fobs to access the facilities (this does not apply to grass courts). This means that some of the sports facilities can only be accessed during WESTON LODGE OPENING TIMES. Furthermore, every court comes with its own rules that are specified on the booking calendar (for example, you can only use the squash court wearing non-marking shoes).

Rules on the use of New College facilities

For the time being, due to university-wide covid-related restrictions, access and use of the facilities is restricted to New College members only. No visitors allowed.
It is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to bring any sort of glass container on the pitch for safety reasons.
The Sports Ground is a no smoking area. Smoking is only allowed in the designated area next to the bin shed.
Access and use of the facilities is checked through bod card access and CCTV. Misusing or damaging the MCR facilities could result in a fine and in a ban from accessing shared spaces.
If you are organising an event/match for more than 10 people, you need to have a chat with the groundsmen (a heads up to the MCR Sports Rep is also very much appreciated). The Groundsmen Office is in the Pavilion facing the Sports Ground, right next to the BBQ.

MCR Committee presents: the Sports Rep

Every year, the MCR elects one Sport Representative (or Sports Rep) who is in charge of keeping all the equipment in check, and to make sure everything is easily available and ready to use (particularly during Trinity term). Which is also the reason why I am now writing this section of the website and its many sub-sections instead of working on my DPhil thesis… But that’s a story for another time.

Over the years, thanks to a generous annual budget allocated by the MCR, the resident Sports Reps have endowed the Pavilion with everything you need to exercise and play - from rugby balls to gym equipment, from table tennis to croquet and punting.

If there is any issue with the current MCR sports equipment or if you would like to see anything added to what we already have (within the limits imposed by the budget), do not hesitate to get in touch with your MCR Sports Rep! To find out who they are, check the committee page on this website.

The TV room: e-Sports, sport channels subscriptions, live sport events…

In addition to all the physical sport you can play, we are also well-equipped on the front of e-Sports. In our TV room downstairs at the Pavilion you will find a PS4, an Xbox and a Nintendo Wii, with plenty of games, controllers and extra tidbits. As soon as they become available on the market again, we are going to add a brand new PlayStation 5 to the list!

We have two big screens in the Pavilion, one downstairs in the TV room and one upstairs in the Spoom. The TV downstairs is connected to a Sky decoder with all the main channels plus a BT Sport subscription. Both TVs have HDMI cables available if you would like to plug in your laptop to watch

The MCR brings together sport-loving people from every nation: big matches of most major tournaments are often broadcasted in the Spoom. Enjoy the best sport events of the year in good company (and more often than not, a bar night to celebrate victories or drown your sorrows!). … & much more

It is amazing how many resources you can access with just your bod card and a New College membership: make sure to visit the Pavilion to make the most of your time at New College.

If the only thing you are missing is someone to do sports with, we have the right initiative for you!

Sports buddy scheme: find players at New College

Don’t know who to play with? No worries, the MCR has got you covered. Share your details on this form to find other people to play with at New College:

Equipment

Sports equipment at Weston Pavilion (MCR)

The MCR provides its members with a variety of sporting equipment. You can borrow items anytime by going directly to the sports corridor in the MCR building (first door to the right). You can access the building 24/7 with your bod card. The borrowing system works on a first come, first served basis; no need to ask porters. When using MCR equipment, you are kindly asked to stick to these three rules:

All the equipment MUST be wiped before and after use with the sanitiser provided in the blue cupboard; Please bring the equipment back to the MCR promptly after use; Equipment is strictly meant to be used outdoors, in the squash court or in the erg room. The equipment cannot be used in the TV room and Spoom.

Below is a list of items available at the MCR. As per above, you can find all of this at the far end of the sports corridor, inside or around the blue cabinet, unless specified otherwise.

List of current equipment

Tennis rackets x6
Plenty of tennis balls (in the big red bucket)
Squash rackets x4
Croquet sets x2 (two extra mullets can be found in the cabinet)
Petanque boules set
Balls to play basketball, football, rugby, american football, volleyball
Frisbees x5
SpikeBall set
Pumps, valves and needles to inflate balls can be found in the tool box in the TV room - (inside the white bookcase)
Table football (in the Spoom upstairs)
Table tennis, table tennis rackets x4, balls x25.

During the summer, the table is located behind the bins shed just outside the Pavilion. For the rest of the year, you will find the table tennis in the ERG room (if you would like to use it there, remember to book a slot - instructions below). Remove the plastic cover, move the table to a suitable spot, set up the net and play anytime you like. When you’re done you’re kindly asked to put everything back where you found it and sanitise it.

In addition to all of this, we also provide a wide range of gym equipment that you can borrow for workouts at home or in the ERG room. Just fill the sign-up form here and you can take the equipment home with you anytime you like or use it in the ERG room if you booked a slot.

The gym equipment can be picked up and signed off from the white shelving unit next to the entrance of the TV room.

GYM EQUIPMENT:

Adjustable ironcast dumbbells with free weights (can be combined up to 10kg each) x2
Resistance bands x5 (can be combined from 10 to 150lbs)
Adjustable skipping rope
Light dumbbells set (1kg / 1.5kg / 2kg / 3kg) x2 of each

If you think we are missing anything of relevance, ask the MCR Sports Rep to buy it for you (giulia.bernardini@new.ox.ac.uk). We have an annual budget to be spent on all-things-sports, so don’t be shy. Due to insurance reasons we cannot provide heavier weights/kettlebells.

Iffley Sports Centre subscription

Every New College MCR member is entitled to a free basic membership at the Iffley Sports Centre gym.

To become a gym member, simply go to the Iffley Sports Centre with your bod card and talk to a staff member. The whole process takes less than 20-30 minutes and it includes a short video-training on how to use the gym machines.

The Iffley Sports Centre also has a swimming pool, a running track, pitches for all sorts of team sports and a variety of tennis/badminton/squash courts: while these facilities are not included in the free basic membership, you can upgrade your membership anytime for relatively cheap rates. For more info about the services and costs, visit the Iffley Sports Centre website or call their reception at this number 01865 611476.

To be able to access the gym you will need to book a time slot. In order to do this, activate your membership and download the Oxford U Sports app (important: use the app, not the website!). Through the app you will be able to book gym sessions, classes, team sports pitches, swimming pool, running track and more.