Whether you never played a sport in secondary school or just want to take up another pass time while you’re in college. Universities provide a great opportunity to take up a particular sport you might not have as good an opportunity to try again.
Ultimate Frisbee: This is probably the most obvious one on the list but in case you don’t know, ultimate frisbee is one of the most popular, challenging and accessible sports you can play in college. The basic rules are there are five people on each side, you can’t move when you’re holding the frisbee, you try to pass the frisbee to the four other players on the court to get into the endzone which gets you a point. If the frisbee touches the floor, then the team defending gets possession. The biggest appeal for ultimate frisbee is that it is a casual enough sport but can get more competitive if you want it to be. It’s also just really fun and a good way to keep up your basic fitness.
Major Colleges With Clubs: UCD, Trinity, DIT, DCU, UCC, University of Limerick
Badminton: If team sports aren’t really your thing but you still want to do something that’ll make you work up a sweat, I’d recommend Badminton. A racket sport akin to tennis but with a shuttlecock instead of a ball, it’s not quite as demanding as tennis is for newcomers since it’s easier to predict where the ball will land and harder to hit the ball out of play. Another benefit to Badminton is that you’ll likely be playing against people that are at your level since it’s either a 1v1 or 2v2 sport if the club is a good to a decent size. This means that you’ll always be challenged but never put out of your depth.
Major Colleges With Clubs: UCD, Trinity, DIT, DCU, UCC, NUI Galway, University of Limerick
Table Tennis: Much like badminton, table tennis clubs will never take you too far out of your comfort zone. But what’s good about joining a table tennis club is that you’ll often find that you’ll become good a lot quicker than you’d expect. Even more so than Badminton or Ultimate Frisbee, Table Tennis is so easy to get caught up in the competitive aspect of the game and put it aside once the game is over when you’re playing. It’s also one of those sports that you’ll randomly play in Air B&Bs, house parties and other random places for your whole life.
Major Colleges With Clubs: UCD, Trinity, DIT, DCU, UCC, NUI Galway, University of Limerick
Water Polo/Swimming: I was gonna put water polo here as a sport to take up but there aren’t as many clubs as I thought. But water sports, in general, are a great way to keep up your fitness and working out your entire body. If you’re just taking up swimming though, there’s the added benefit of being able to go at your own pace with the drawback of having to motivate yourself without the support of a team behind you. Water sports can be intimidating for the less experienced swimmers but if you’re a competent swimmer that won’t really be an issue.
Major Colleges With Clubs: UCD, Trinity, DIT, UCC, NUI Galway,
University of Limerick and DCU have water clubs but not water polo specifically
Boxing: Boxing offers the best of both worlds for those just getting into the sport in that there’s a communal aspect most clubs but it maintains the individual nature that lets you learn at your own pace. Whatever skill level you’re at and whatever pace you set for yourself, boxing is a great way to build muscle, lose weight, or get fit while taking part in a sport you’re (hopefully) enjoying.
Major Colleges With Clubs: UCD, Trinity, DIT, DCU, UCC, NUI Galway, University of Limerick