UK/EU version of the NCAA?
September 8, 2010 2:46 PM
Does the UK or other EU countries have any kind of college athletic governing body a la the NCAA? What about collegiate athletics in general?
BUCS, Scottish University Sport, International University Sports Federation.
posted by shinybaum at 4:26 PM on September 8, 2010
posted by shinybaum at 4:26 PM on September 8, 2010
I've never heard of students being recruited on the grounds of their sporting prowess.
There are the somewhat dubious courses that are tailored for elite rowers and rugby players at Oxford and Cambridge -- "Dip. Socs" or land management certificates -- but even that's not as prevalent as it once was.
There's certainly nothing like the NCAA in terms of its wealth, reach and role in developing players for professional leagues: the only two nationally-televised college sporting events in the UK are the University Boat Race and the Varsity Match (rugby union). That's mainly because professional careers in the most popular British sports generally begin before university age.
The American "scholar-athlete" is really the last vestige of the amateur sporting culture of Victorian England where so many modern sports originated. (And like the NCAA, Victorian English "amateurs" were taking money under the table.) In that context, British universities remain the cradles for a number of less-popular Olympic sports, because of the facilities and resources available. Loughborough in particular has a well-deserved reputation for track and field and swimming.
posted by holgate at 4:30 PM on September 8, 2010
There are the somewhat dubious courses that are tailored for elite rowers and rugby players at Oxford and Cambridge -- "Dip. Socs" or land management certificates -- but even that's not as prevalent as it once was.
There's certainly nothing like the NCAA in terms of its wealth, reach and role in developing players for professional leagues: the only two nationally-televised college sporting events in the UK are the University Boat Race and the Varsity Match (rugby union). That's mainly because professional careers in the most popular British sports generally begin before university age.
The American "scholar-athlete" is really the last vestige of the amateur sporting culture of Victorian England where so many modern sports originated. (And like the NCAA, Victorian English "amateurs" were taking money under the table.) In that context, British universities remain the cradles for a number of less-popular Olympic sports, because of the facilities and resources available. Loughborough in particular has a well-deserved reputation for track and field and swimming.
posted by holgate at 4:30 PM on September 8, 2010
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Many universities still have sporting facilities to attract students, of course.
posted by Mike1024 at 3:09 PM on September 8, 2010