Unlock your leadership potential
Taking on a sports leadership or volunteer role can help you build crucial skills for life, access new training and development opportunities and make the most of your time here. All our sports clubs are student-run and student-led, so it’s a fantastic chance to learn and to shine. There are opportunities to lead on sports club committees, coach teams and volunteer as sports ambassadors, photographers or sports data analysts.
DCU Sport works in close partnership with the Office of Student Life to provide leadership development opportunities, recognition and awards through sport. Explore the range of sports leadership opportunities for students!
Benefits
Learn new skills
Develop your leadership, communication and decision-making skills.
Lead a club
Run and develop a sports club.
Manage events
Plan events, raise funds and promote your sport.
Boost your CV
Gain crucial professional skills to help elevate your career.
Train as a leader
Emerging and aspiring student leaders can avail of training to refine and gain essential skills. You’ll receive a toolkit for leadership of your club, community and professional activities.
Access high performance talks and workshops
Sport scholarship recipients can access special talks about productivity, skill development, fitness and nutrition.
Leadership development
DCU Sport works with the Office of Student Life to provide leadership development opportunities for students to enhance their ability to lead, collaborate, and inspire within their clubs and the DCU community. Our programmes provide hands-on training in leadership areas such as teamwork, conflict resolution and decision-making, as well as club operations including finance, sponsorship and marketing, By participating in these workshops, student leaders develop transferable skills that not only enhance contributions to sports clubs and activities but also prepare them for leadership roles in their future careers.
For more information visit dcuclubsandsocs.ie
Leadership opportunities
Boost your skillset as a club, society or on-campus leader. Your path to leadership starts here.
Get more involved in the sports you love by getting elected to a DCU sports club committee. You can run for the positions of Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer and Ordinary Member each year. In these roles, you’ll gain key skills and take an active role in the development of your sport.
Shape the future of sports at DCU by getting elected to DCU Club Life Committee (CLC). Made up of seven elected students and three staff members, CLC oversees the strategic, financial and operational aspects of all DCU sports clubs. Student representatives gain crucial leadership skills, and hands-on experience in governance and management, and can avail of training and development opportunities.
Lead the development of all sports clubs by running for DCU Clubs Officer, a part-time position that sits on the Club Life Committee and the DCU Students’ Union Executive Committee. You’ll gain management and strategic skills, build partnerships on campus, and raise the profile of sport at DCU.
Want to start your coaching career? DCU Club Life Committee may contribute towards the cost of coaching and instructor courses offered by National Governing Bodies of Sport for students who are members of DCU sports clubs.
Jumpstart your career as a sports coach by applying to join the Student Sport Ireland (SSI) Women’s Coaching Academy (WSCA). The academy provides training and development opportunities to aspiring female coaches to help them excel. Applications for the Women’s Coaching Academy (WSCA) normally open in July each year and will be announced here once available
As a WSCA member, you can:
- obtain coaching qualifications
- access mentorship and professional development
- take part in networking opportunities
Want to run a sports league, kick off a new activity or promote your sport? Why not volunteer as an Active DCU Sports Ambassador? In this role, you’ll spend up to three hours a week on activities like event planning, marketing, promotion, competitions and coaching. Use your skills today!
Awards and Recognition
Student athletes and leaders play a vital role in shaping the sporting, social, and recreational life at DCU. We celebrate your contributions through the DCU Engagement and DCU Clubs and Societies Awards, with additional opportunities for national recognition at the Student Sport Ireland Awards. Learn more about how the award and recognition programmes below.
Celebrating your sporting success and the rewarding work running a club, the DCU Club and Society Awards is a highlight of the sporting year. Students are recognised as individuals, teams and club members who have developed their clubs and excelled in sport.
Individual Award for Club Development
Open to all members who show commitment and dedication to their club.
Individual Award for Sporting Excellence
Available to final year students only, this is the highest level of award given to sports club members. It recognises exceptional levels of performance, competitive success or dedication to a club.
Award for Excellence in Coaching
Open to paid and volunteer coaches who have achieved improved performance, participation, mentorship of other coaches, or community impact.
Award for Staff Contribution to Sport in DCU
For DCU staff who have made an invaluable contribution to sport at DCU. Nominees should display leadership, dedication to sport and sustained contribution to the wider development of sport at DCU.
Most Promising Fresher Award
Recognises first year students who have displayed outstanding commitment and exceptional service to a sports club. Each club can nominate one male and one female fresher.
Communications & Marketing Awards
Awarded to sports clubs who have shown vision, insight and drive for excellence in their marketing and communications, such as promotional materials, events, social media and web communications. Award categories include Best Club Photograph, Best Club Promotional Video, Best Club Poster or Graphic and an overall Communications & Marketing Award.
Sports Scholar of the Year
This award recognises a sport scholarship athlete who has achieved excellence in sport, academics and the development of their sports club. Nominees are selected by DCU Sport.
Club of the Year
Rewards the club that has demonstrated significant achievement in club organisation, participation, financial management, promotion, development, competitive and non-competitive achievements, and community engagement.
Most Promising Club
Rewards the club that has demonstrated significant growth in club organisation, participation, financial management, promotion, development, competitive and non-competitive achievements, and community engagement.
Team of the Year
Recognises competitive achievement and performance at club, regional, national or international level.
Sports Personality of the Year
Awarded to the individual with the most notable achievement in sport. The winner will be nominated and selected by the judging panel from all the individual award nominations.
These annual awards celebrate your achievements, leadership and club development on a national level. Candidates are nominated by their third-level institution and are selected by a panel. The categories are:
- Leadership
- Sportsperson of the Year
- Team of the Year
- Event of the Year
- Club of the Year.
This award formally recognises your engagement with university life, including your contributions to a sports club, representing DCU in competition, coaching, or holding a committee position, If you are looking for a structured path to personal and professional development, participating in this award will enrich your DCU experience and boost career prospects. There are three levels of the Engage Award: bronze, silver and gold (also known as the Uaneen Award).
BUTTON: Learn more
The Uaneen Module is the highest level of the DCU Engage award, which formally recognises student dedication to civic and campus life across clubs, societies, community work and extracurricular activity. DCU is the first third level institution in Ireland to give this special recognition to extracurricular activity.
Depending on your degree programme, you can participate in the Uaneen Module as a 5-credit elective module (PSK1000) or a non-contributing optional extra 5-credit module (PSK1001). The module is only offered in your final year at registration.
For more information on the the Uaneen Module visit www.dcu.ie/uaneen
