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It's easy to stay active: Sport and recreation at ANU
The Australian National University (ANU) campus has a thriving sporting community with regular games and excellent facilities. In fact, it's one of your best choices for university sports in Australia.
Overview
- ANU is home to excellent sporting facilities, including two indoor rock-climbing walls.
- With 32 different sporting clubs, there's something for everyone.
- The ANU fitness centre lets you exercise at your own pace or take part in group classes and courses.
Excellent facilities
You might be surprised by just how much sporting variety our campus offers.
We have four ovals on campus: North, South, Fellows and Willows. These are home to many ANU clubs, like the AFL Club and Cricket Club (more on these later). Tennis courts and cricket nets are also available near South Oval.
If indoor sports are more your speed, we've got you. There are four basketball courts on campus, which are used for sports like netball, futsal, badminton, and basketball. Plus, there are two squash courts with racquets available for hire.
We even have two indoor rock-climbing walls!
When these facilities aren't in use by any of the ANU Sport clubs, they're available for hire. The great news is that all ANU students can enjoy an hour of free facility hire each weekday. It's a great way to exercise without paying a cent.
You’ll find an indoor pool and spa on the ANU Campus.
Clubs for everyone
ANU is home to 32 different sporting clubs, giving students a huge variety of structured games. There are staples like AFL, basketball and rugby — and more unusual offerings like kendo, quadball and caving.
Most of these clubs are open to anyone of all skill levels, but a few (like the competitive dance club) require an audition. Others, like fencing, ask that you complete a beginner workshop.
Each club has its own membership cost, so you'll have to check the rules for the particular university sports club you are interested in. The clubs know you probably aren't rolling in cash, so membership is affordable.
Just one of the many sporting clubs at ANU, the rowing club makes frequent use of Lake Burley Griffin.
The fitness centre
ANU Sport's fitness centre has a huge range of facilities to enjoy. There is, of course, a workout gym with all the equipment you'd expect and facilities for cardio, strength, and cycling training.
If you're new to this and want some guidance, you've got it. As well as the workout gym, there are around 30 group fitness classes every week. These classes include things like yoga, Zumba and indoor cycling.
Access to the fitness centre does require a membership, but it's discounted for students, who pay as little as $11 a week (even less if you pay for 12 months upfront). If you don't have that in your budget, you can still access five free weekly group fitness classes —no membership required.
The ANU Fitness Centre is available to students for a discounted weekly fee.
Short courses and wellbeing programs
If you'd like to learn some new foundational skills, ANU Sport short courses are for you. These are usually run by ANU Sport Clubs but can also be run by local businesses.
The short courses focus on teaching you skills and techniques you can then build on with practice. For example, the RollerFit course teaches roller skating techniques.
These courses last a few months and are a great way to meet new people.
The wellbeing programs run throughout the year and are slow-paced and relaxing—like yoga and meditation —so try these too if they're more your style.
Students interested in a similarly relaxing activity should check out Get Up & Go.
With clubs covering sports like frisbee, footy and fencing, there’s something for everyone.
Sporting competitions
ANU Sport runs a handful of leagues throughout the year, giving you the chance to get involved in friendly competition. Best of all, these games take place at lunchtime so that you can fit your class schedule around them.
You can sign up alone or round up some friends to register a team. Registration comes with a small, generally affordable fee.
If you live on campus, you can participate in the Interhall sports competition (or sign up for the non-residential Griffin Hall). These include Inward Bound —an orienteering and endurance contest that could see you dropped into the bush or a reserve and challenged to find your way to a particular destination.
If you'd like to represent ANU, competitions against other universities are held throughout the year. You will first need to play for one of the sporting clubs, as these are how we find players for intervarsity teams. You can also fill out an expression of interest with ANU Sport.
If you’re interested in playing competitively, there are lots of opportunities at ANU.
Sports for all sorts
If you're a student with a sporty side, you can't go past ANU. We have world-class facilities and a supportive sporting community, which allows you to work towards your full potential.
With competitions throughout the year, it's easy to find a great team for the sport you love or even find something new to try!
There are so many awesome university sports clubs at ANU that we don't have time to cover them all here. Check out the full list!
