The University of Akron Club Sports Program

For many former high school athletes beginning their college lives, athletics are something that can tend to be overlooked due to the many different activities that college campuses offer. After all, who wants to run those conditioning sprints over and over anymore? But what about those who still have that drive and passion for the game they once played. What about those students who maybe couldn’t land that D1 offer and could not pay the $40,000 tuition of many D2 and D3 schools? Well, one answer is Club Sports.

Here at the University of Akron, the school currently offers 37 club sports for both men and women students. Not only is there a variety of sports, but there are also different levels at which students can participate in. There are instructional, recreational, and competitive sports to play, most which being competitive.

I had a chance to sit down with Chris Painter (see SoundCloud link below) who is the manager of Club Sports here at the University of Akron. Chris explained many of the basics of Club Sports and the variety of clubs we have at the school. Many of the teams are even able to travel around the country and participate in high level tournaments in their respective sport. The process is a lot of fun for many kids and the Club Sports program can fulfill their athletic competitive need.

So, even if a student wants to join the program, how would they know if the school has their sport and where can they go to sign up? Well, the University of Akron website lists all the current Club Sports it has to offer. Even if a student does not see their sport, a simple meeting with Mr. Painter could be enough to get it started! Students can go to https://orgsync.com/login to contact clubs and get in touch with them about joining.

The Club Sports Program at the University of Akron is one that is very well run from top to bottom. Many of the clubs have much success year after year and continue to compete at a national level. Club Sports are a great way for former athletes to get back into that competitive mode they once possessed, and they are a lot of fun as well!