Inclusive sport and fitness

 Our dedicated inclusive sport team lead a range of initiatives to support you if you have a disability, long-term or mental health condition to access our huge range of sports clubs, sports sessions and health and fitness facilities.

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Fitness instructor supports female student at David Ross Sports Village
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Sports clubs and sessions

If you have a disability, long-term and / or mental health conditions, then there is support to get involved with our network of sports clubs and Just Play sessions. Our inclusive sports team work alongside the sports to promote a welcoming environment and where appropriate we can support adaptations to ensure you can take part. We also offer two disability sports clubs - goalball and wheelchair basketball. 

Male student playing wheelchair basketball Wheelchair Basketball

We've invested in our Wheelchair Basketball programme to provide a leading high-performance environment for student-athletes. We also offer opportunities for those new to the sport to get involved!

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Male student playing Goalball at David Ross Sports Village Goalball

Goalball is a popular Paralympic sport designed for people with visual impairments but sighted players are also very welcome. We're partnered with Nottinghamshire Sheriffs who train at our facilities.

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Female student trying seated Archery at David Ross Sports Village Sports clubs

We support our sports clubs to offer a welcoming environment for all and several can offer adapted sessions and equipment on request. Many also run beginner and social sessions through our Just Play programme.

Find a sports club
Two students chat at a volleyball session Just Play sessions

Try something new or just come along to meet new friends. With lots of different sports to try, including accessible sessions, and no weekly commitment needed - Just Play is perfect for even the busiest of schedules.

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Stay active with UoN sport and fitness membership

Our student sport and fitness membership, or Active Living package (if you're living in University-owned halls on University Park or Jubilee campus), covers a huge range of activities at all three of our campuses. You can work out in our fitness suites, take a dip in the pool, join a class, try climbing and much more. 

For disabled students and students with a long-term condition, we offer an extensive range of support to ensure you can make the most out of all the offer. This includes discounted memberships via our Disability membership referral scheme. Details of all these can be found below. 

Support to access our offer

Discounted memberships

If you are a disabled student or a student with a long-term health condition you may be entitled to a 50% discount on your UoN sport and fitness membership. 

To find out if you're eligible for our Disability membership referral scheme, please speak to your Disability or Mental Health Adviser.

If you have any questions about the scheme, please contact our Disability Sport Officer.

Supported fitness sessions

Perhaps you don't feel confident getting started in the gym, or don't know what equipment and exercises to try - if so, our supported fitness sessions offer a great way to get to know our fitness suites!

Who are supported fitness sessions for?

Our supported fitness sessions are for University of Nottingham students and staff with a disability or long-term health condition including mental health conditions. Sessions are free-of-charge for UoN sport and fitness members. 

What are supported fitness sessions?

The sessions are designed to support you to feel confident using our fitness suites through 1-2-1 sessions with our fitness team. 

Before you get started, our Inclusive fitness instructor will meet with you to find out more about your fitness goals and how we can support you. She'll also run through a private induction of our fitness suite.

Once set up, we'll work with you to schedule weekly sessions with the same fitness instructor from our expert team - we've found that building a relationship with a consistent friendly face can really help! Throughout we will be in touch to offer support and review your programme to help you stay on track.

We offer supported fitness sessions at all three of our fitness suites; David Ross Sports Village, Jubilee Sports Centre and Sutton Bonington Sports Centre. 

How can I book?

To book a session, please complete our enquiry form or get in touch with our Inclusive Fitness Instructor. 

Sessions are free-of-charge for UoN sport and fitness members.

Accessible and adaptive fitness classes

What are accessible and adaptive fitness classes?

These classes are designed to offer a supportive atmosphere to enable everyone to enjoy our group exercise programme. These classes are designed to accommodate a wide range of disabilities and individual needs. A full description of all our classes can be found here.

What classes are on our programme?
Monday - HIIT

David Ross Sports Village -12.15-12.45pm

Delivered by Lydia (Inclusive Fitness Instructor)

Tuesday - Low Sensory Yoga

David Ross Sports Village - 4pm-4.45pm

Delivered by Fiona (Group Exercise Instructor)

Wednesday - Functional Circuits

Jubilee Sports Centre Functional Training Room (FTR) - 12-12.45pm

Delivered by Lydia (Inclusive Fitness Instructor)

Friday - Low Sensory Pilates

David Ross Sports Village - 4 4.45pm

Delivered by Gemma (Group Exercise Instructor)

How can I book?

Classes are included in your UoN sport and fitness membership or Active Living package, or you can attend on a Pay as You Go basis.

You can book online here, call us on +44 (0)115 748 7000 or visit any sports centre reception.

Sensory Quiet Times

We offer several weekly Sensory Quiet Times in our fitness suites (gyms) at David Ross Sports Village, Jubilee Sports Centre and Sutton Bonington Sports Centre. 

Who are Sensory Quiet Times for?

They are for anyone who prefers to work out in a quieter environment. 

What are Sensory Quiet Times?

During Sensory Quiet Times our fitness team;

  • Turn down music
  • Turn off all public TV screens
  • Dim the lights where safe to do so
  • Avoid any public announcements (unless it's an emergency)
  • Politely request that all fitness suite users work out as quietly as possible
When are the Sensory Quiet Times?

We currently offer the below times:

  • Mondays - 10.30 - 12pm - David Ross fitness suite
  • Tuesdays - 11am - 12.30pm - Jubilee fitness suite and Sutton Bonington fitness suite
  • Thursdays - 11 - 12.30pm - Jubilee fitness suite and Sutton Bonington fitness suite
  • Fridays - 10.30am - 12pm - David Ross fitness suite
  • Saturdays - 12.30 - 2pm - David Ross, Jubilee and Sutton Bonington fitness suites
How can I book?

There's no need to book a session in our fitness suites. Sessions are included in your UoN sport and fitness membership or Active Living package or you visit on a Pay as You Go basis. 

Sports Buddy Scheme

Our Sports Buddy Scheme is for disabled students who need support accessing our facilities. We can set you up with a sports buddy who will be able to assist you in our facilities, to enable you to be active. This could be a support worker, friend or family member.

If you'd like to express interest in having a Sports Buddy assist you in our facilities, please contact Adam Lever, our Disability Sport Officer.

Accessible climbing

Our  Accessible Climbing Sessions are for disabled students and students with long term health conditions who would like the opportunity to climb.

Sessions run every Sunday (during term time) from 2.30 - 4pm.

If the accessible climbing session is not at a convenient time for you, it may be possible to arrange an alternative time for you to access the wall.

What is Accessible climbing?

At these sessions, we:

  • Offer a small group size to provide a welcoming experience.
  • Ensure each climber has plenty of time with our expert instructors, who have completed Climbing for All training. 
  • Offer specialist equipment to support you to climb, e.g. noise cancelling headphones to reduce the distraction of surrounding noise, radio headsets for visually impaired students and  equipment/hoists to support those with physical impairments. 

How do I book?

To book or to find out more, please email Adam Lever, our Disability Sport Officer, at adam.lever@nottingham.ac.uk.