Friday 15-05-2026 - 11:30

I remember starting this job last July, going to conferences, meetings and networking events, and having everyone tell me ‘this year is going to fly by’ and I would sit there and think, ‘surely not’. Lo and behold, it’s now mid -May and there’s only a matter of weeks left of this year in term, and everyone was right. It feels like I blinked and all of a sudden Freshers Fair was 8 months ago!

A lot has happened this year (probably too much to remember) and it’s been a privilege to be involved with so many great things, but here are my highlights:

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🚀 Year 1 key highlights

Varsity

Varsity is obviously front runner, and despite not taking the win, it is still up there with one of my favourite days on the job so far. From sitting on the planning meetings dating all the way back to last summer, seeing the event take shape, teams get matched up and all the crazy behind the scenes work, to everything coming together on the day was a fantastic experience. Watching all our teams smash it and supporters come along (despite that hail) truly highlights what sport here is all about.

‘Breaking Down Barries’ series

Another highlight for me was working on the ‘Breaking Down Barriers’ series in Semester 1. In this project, I focused on exploring students’ barriers to sport through online surveys, alongside short-form videos of us Officers making absolute fools of ourselves at various Free Sport and Fitness sessions to show that literally anyone can get involved! I’m really keen to keep learning more about how we can make sport at Man Met as inclusive and accessible as possible for everyone.

Officer Stalls

As an Officer team, we set out this year with the goal to meet students halfway, by going around campus and having genuine, honest conversation and collecting feedback about what matters to them. To do this, we held a range of Officer Stalls, with themes ranging from housing, campus safety, transport, assessment feedback and even semester highlights. Paired with our Online Community, it’s been great to hear from students and has really helped us all share the findings from these at the top level to ensure students are represented.

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In the sporting world, there’s so much more that has been happening. To name a few more:

• I’ve been proud to introduce Welfare Secs in every sports club, to continue working toward more inclusive sports groups with positive club cultures.
• I’ve loved being part of the BUCS Student Officer network, being able to meet and share ideas with other sports officers all over the UK.
• We’ve also changed the Cool It kickback scheme this year, ensuring clubs are getting more money to help them grow and develop, easing financial burden.
• I’ve been on national news, talking about the nighttime economy and the cost of living.
• And last… but not least, I’ve been working hard all year on a newly formatted Sports Awards Ball, to make it more student focused, so stay tuned to see our winners announced on the 27 May 2026!

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That’s enough from me though, as I’ve got another 13 months to go, where I’m excited to focus more on broadening access to sport, student safety and hopefully, A VARSITY WIN IN 2027!

Big shoutout to all the students and staff who have my first year in office so fab, and see you next year.

Imie