Is there life after university ? - getting to grips with club sport

‘I went to Durham University between 1997 and 2000 where I was a member of St. Johns College, not the most sporty of colleges, but wonderful nonetheless. I played volleyball for the University for the three years I was at Durham, and discovered the Christians in Sport group in my second year – what a relief! Whilst at University there was ample time for after-training drinks, lunches with team-mates, extended training on a Wednesday afternoon, and general bonding. Life as a “grown-up” is quite different – as I have been finding out.

I managed to land myself a job a couple of weeks after graduating. This was the result of a huge number of applications, rejections, and finally prayer! (Why does that always end up being the last resort, when it should be the first?) I am now working as a Recruitment Consultant in London (in some ways ironic and other ways ideal), for Health and Social Care professions, and thankfully I thoroughly enjoy it. Having a job was quite a shock to the system at first and very time consuming. Suddenly you only have the evenings to actually do anything, you can’t just nip out for a coffee or off to an afternoon friendly match. I was starting to think it was all a bit much…and then I got paid, and things seemed distinctly more manageable.

Sport outside of University is quite different. Instead of being able to play a bit of everything, finding time even just for volleyball has been a constant battle since working. My club is full of girls from all walks of life and a much wider age group, there is minimal time to socialise and getting to know my team-mates has taken ages – and did I mention the price? Instead of a yearly membership of £10 with a free T-shirt thrown in, the serious clubs charge £30 a month – to train! Thankfully despite all of these hardships, Christians in Sport has continued to be at hand to offer support and encouragement. I am now part of the Student Conference Planning Team and have found it a real privilege to be part of this exciting development of Christians in Sport. I am also part of the players group in London, which my husband, Ed, and I attend. We meet once a month to study the Bible and pray for one another and our team-mates. It is fantastic that this has continued outside of University, and has encouraged me to keep my focus on using my skills to reach my volleyball club for Christ.’

Louisa

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