Your guide to intramural, club and pickup sports at UNC

Staying active is an extremely important aspect of being a well-rounded student and person. You don’t have to be a star athlete to get involved in the many sports programs on campus – you just need a competitive spirit and a desire to have fun. Whether you want to continue playing a sport you love or want to learn something new altogether, UNC has options at all skill and commitment levels to make sure every student can participate.

Intramurals

Intramurals are a great way to get involved in casual yet competitive sports. They’re really what you decide to make them.

Intramural sports, run by Campus Recreation, are an organized way of getting into the activities you’re interested in. Signing up through Campus Recreation, you get to decide whether you want to be randomly put on a team, or if you want to team up with your friends to take on the competition. Either way, intramural sports are a great way to create friendships and strengthen existing ones.

Campus Recreation offers a wide variety of sports that will be available to sign up for in the fall. While they cover all of the basics like soccer, basketball and volleyball, there are also more obscure sports for adventurous students who want to try something new. One of the intramural sports offered in the spring is inner tube basketball, which takes place in Kessing Outdoor Pool.

As far as time commitments go, intramural sports are very light. Typically, games are held only once a week. This allows even the busiest of students to focus on their studies and other activities, while still being able to compete in their favorite sports.

Many of the intramural sports at UNC are offered are co-ed, meaning teams are comprised of both men and women. Because almost any student is allowed to play, it is fairly common that there is a wide skill gap between teams. If you’re skilled at a certain sport and are looking for a higher level of competition, other options, like UNC’s club sports programs, may be the better choice for you.

Club sports

If you’ve been playing a sport for a long time at a high level, club sports are a fantastic way to continue playing your sport at a level of competition that fits you.

With this comes an increase in both time commitment and intensity. Both of these factors vary depending on the sport in question, but you will be able to get more information about each club at their booths at FallFest. There, representatives from each team can give you more information about the club.

UNC boasts over 50 club sports programs, once again ranging from common to wildly obscure. Whatever it is that you have skills in, whether it's basketball or bass fishing, there’s probably a club sport for it.

Many of UNC’s sports clubs have limited spots and hold tryouts to decide which new students they’ll add to the team. Just like intramurals, club sports are a great way to meet new people with similar interests. The bonds that you make with your teammates on the court or field will surely translate off of it as well. 

Most of the club teams travel to nearby universities to play other club teams, or host their own tournaments right here at UNC. Some teams even get to travel across the country to compete in regional and national tournaments. 

Pick-up

Just about any day of the week you can go out to a field, court or gym near you and find a group of people to play sports with. Pick-up sports require the lowest commitment level and can be done completely on your own time.

Probably the easiest sport to play pick-up at UNC is basketball. Most residence halls on South Campus have their own basketball courts where you can play with your friends and fellow residents. There are also more outdoor courts next to Ram Village. These are often referred to as “lower courts” and also include multiple beach volleyball and tennis courts.

In addition to these outdoor locations, UNC also has a bunch of options for indoor courts, like Rams Head Recreation Center, which is located between Morrison Residence Hall and Chase Dining Hall, and Woolen Gym and Fetzer Gym, which are located farther north toward the middle of campus. 

While basketball may be the easiest sport to play pick-up, that doesn’t mean it’s the only option. Most South Campus residence halls are also equipped with beach volleyball courts perfect for a casual game with friends. Hooker Fields are a series of, combined, all-purpose fields where you can often find people trying to start friendly games of soccer or football.

Wherever you are at UNC, there’s always a chance to get active right around the corner.

@matthew_audilet

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com