A successful partnership between Surrey County Football Association, Surrey Sports Park, the University of Surrey Students’ Union and the University of Surrey (Mens) Football Club has just seen the conclusion to phase 2 of the introduction of intra mural 11-a-side football, based at Surrey Sports Park.
During the first couple of weeks of October 2010, the partnership put together and carried out a proposal to establish more opportunities for students at the university to play 11-a-side football, using the latest artificial surface based at the £36 million Surrey Sports Park, which celebrated its first birthday in May 2011.
This initiative was aimed at students who were not involved in the university football club and who wanted the chance to play ‘social’ football – i.e. to turn up and play in teams, in a competitive 11-a-side league, but where football ability was not the overriding factor. The emphasis was on students participating for enjoyment by playing competitive sport and, in no small part, also allowing them an opportunity to keep up their fitness levels.
The University of Surrey Intra Mural League was thus born in October 2010, but to be introduced in phases. There were 10 teams involved initially in phase 1. Two of these teams were put together by Oliver Selfe and Steven Edwards of Surrey FA’s Football Development Team, from amongst a large number of students who turned up on the trial day and wanted to play, but didn’t have a team to play in. A small league management committee was established consisting of Steve Cottingham, Chairman, Amy Cannie, Secretary/Treasurer and Graeme Read, co-ordinator together with Bob Dick current Treasurer to the Surrey County FA and a Surrey referee who at a slightly later stage was co-opted onto the league committee and has provided valuable guidance and advice in the running of the league. League matches were played on Wednesday afternoons, traditionally the university sports afternoon, with an FA qualified referee.
The phase 1 season ended just before the university Christmas break began and successfully laid the foundations for phase 2. It was very much an experimental stage, to see how the proposals worked in practice and to decide whether changes were needed. In the end, eight teams completed phase 1 and everything went pretty much to plan.
Phase 2 began in February 2011, with an extra 4 teams applying to enter, so the league had 12 established teams and came to a successful conclusion in May 2011. Winners of the league were Area 52, a group of students based on a current 6-a-side team, who found more players so that they could enter the Intra Mural competition. The runners-up were Mathletic, a departmental society of students undertaking a mathematics degree. Mathletic really entered into the competitive spirit and not only purchased a kit exclusively used for the Intra Mural league, but got it sponsored by an external organisation. In order to keep costs to players and teams down to a manageable sum, teams were offered bibs, but a number of teams decide to kit themselves out, like Mathletic. Some of them even decided to hold team training sessions.
The league now moves into development phase 3, with a competition during the next academic year i.e. October 2011 to April 2012, with an allied cup competition. Again it will see 12 teams competing on the latest 3G pitch at Surrey Sports Park, with FA qualified referees.
The partnership between the four organisations has proved a positive foundation from which the University will able to expand its provision of opportunities for students to play 11-a-side football after phase 3 is completed next season.