“Sports and academics are often seen as two different worlds, but in reality they compliment each other beautifully.”
Proving the above statement true, playing sports in the educational years of a student holds an important role in supporting academic development and the overall growth of him/her.
Lucknow University provides various indoor and outdoor sports facilities such as cricket, football, badminton, volleyball and athletics to encourage participation of students.
The Lucknow University Athletic Association (located at the Paranjpe Sports Pavilion) organizes sports events and competitions regularly to nurture the athleticism of students, creating a sporting culture amidst the student body.
The old campus of the university has two fields for outdoor sports activities like football, cricket, volleyball, etc, in addition to a basketball court, as well as a well equipped gymnasium (Sir Maharaj Singh Gymnasium) in both the old and new campuses. The association also organises various inter-hostel competition for the students who reside in the hostels located within the campus.
Each sport has a club headed by a president, who is usually a professor in the campus itself. These presidents are responsible for the regular organisation of competitions as well as selection of the university team for participation in state-level and national-level sports competitions. There’s also a separate committee for the female students of the club, with a female professor assigned to be the president.
Currently the Chairman of Association is Prof. R.B. Singh of the Physics department, while the General Secretary is Prof. Ajay Kumar Arya of the Geology department.
Let’s now discover the other side of the sports culture present within the university. There are many unofficial clubs ran by the students themselves, showcasing their personal connection to the sport they play.
A famous name amongst these clubs is that of the Ravagers sports club started by two students, without any funding from the official association. They participate in events as an unofficial sports club, and use their personal funds for equipment, as well as jerseys.
There are many such unrecognised sports clubs running in the campus, who I believe should be given the help they need to grow. The heads of the sports association of the university are aware of the existence of these clubs, they reportedly haven’t offered to help them grow and flourish.
The association should help fund these student based clubs and help them acquire the equipment and provide them with a proper field for their practices and trials. Not giving these students proper assistance in their pursuit of athletic growth makes them lose the intensity in their love for sports and bringing their idea for their clubs to reality.
These clubs have given memberships to beginners as well as players who are national-level champions. However, their potential isn’t given the recognition they deserve because they are a part of unofficial clubs instead of the official sports association.
Many students reportedly join these unofficial clubs at the start of their college lives only to end up leaving later on due to lack of resources within these clubs. This weakens the clubs to the point of discontinuation, the hopes of the students of actually running their own sports club fading away in turn.
But this isn’t the end of the unofficial clubs in Lucknow University. There is still hope that someday they’ll get the recognition they deserve.
At last a question for all you reading.
What does an unofficial sports club truly mean for students, freedom to play, or a need waiting to be recognized?
The sports life of university may look quite attractive from the outside but when you are part of it, the dilemma breaks. Sometimes the most meaningful change on campus doesn’t begin with official approval, it just begins with a few students who refuse to let the spirit of sport fade.
