Sport

Balancing my university life with netball

By EmmaBlogger 26 Mar 2018

It’s safe to say that netball has inevitably become one of the biggest parts of my life...

I have gained so much through my sport, but with that comes sacrifices that have had to be made. In elite sport, it can be difficult to find the right balance, whether that be balancing your training/ matches with your studies or social life.

I moved into Murano Street Student Village for my first year and one of my initial fears was how I was going to make friends when I knew that I would be away most evenings and afternoons for training or matches.

I was surprised at how understanding my friends and flatmates were about my commitments to netball. I found it very helpful and important to simply let the people around me know what I had going on in my sport. This meant that if I was feeling overwhelmed with uni work or couldn’t go on a night out, they could give me the space I needed and respect the fact that I was super busy.

Time management plays a huge role in balancing sport and uni life. What has worked for me is getting my solo training sessions (weights and conditioning) done early in the day so that most of my afternoons are free. This allows me to spend time hanging out with my friends or slaving away in the library. Getting it done first thing in the day also means that training isn’t on my mind and I find that I can focus better!

It’ll never be plain sailing when trying to play elite sport and have a normal uni life too but the best advice I can offer is to tell people around you what you’ve got going on - it might surprise you how understanding they can be.