FAQs

• Intramural Sports: This is a recreational opportunity for those students wanting to participate in a wide variety of sports. You will be competing against other student teams at UWL. Games are managed and officiated by UWL Rec Sports staff. 

• Sport Clubs: This is an opportunity for those students wanting to participate in a more organized student run organization. This may be more of a time (practicing a few times a week) and financial commitment and you will be competing against other university’s club teams. Clubs are a great way to continue playing a sport and be part of a team like you may have done while growing up.

• Varsity/Intercollegiate Athletics: This is sanctioned athletic program in the WIAC by the NCAA. This is fully funded by the university. This is not a student run program; all varsity athletics have full-time coaches and require a large time commitment.

The easiest way to get involved is to go on our website and/or email the club president for more details. You can also find some of our clubs on social media.  

At the beginning of each academic year on Labor Day, Rec Sports hosts REC Fest, an informational fair with activities, fitness demos & prizes. Most sport clubs have an informational table at REC Fest. REC Fest is a great place to ask specific questions to representative of each sport club as well as sign up for the sports team of interest. Depending on the specific club, some (usually men's and women's soccer) will start before school begins.

Sport clubs are run by Rec Sports within the Division of Student Affairs. Within the Recreational Sports Department there is a Competitive Sports Coordinator, athletic trainer, student coordinators, sport club supervisors, and a Sport Club Executive Council.

The Competitive Sports Coordinator is the advisor for all 24 clubs and assists club officers with on-campus scheduling, spending University funds, processing SFO check requests, making travel accommodations, and equipment inventory.

Sport club officers are student leaders of each club and are crucial for club success. These individuals are typically nominated and voted on, however each club has a different process for how officers are determined. 

The cost to participate varies between clubs. Clubs collect dues that may help cover the cost of: association dues, equipment, travel, facility rental, apparel, tournament fees, etc. The Sport Club program has a general budget and allocates funds to each team based on their status and monetary need. Some clubs fundraise money to offset the cost for members to participate. 

This will be dependent on the type of sport you choose to participate in. Some clubs accept all members regardless of experience and some must hold tryouts to determine playing rosters. Typically, sports that offer tryouts often will have cuts as well. Some teams may not have cuts but have an A and B team.

In past years, these teams have had tryouts:

• Women's Basketball
• Men’s and Women’s Soccer
• Men’s and Women’s Hockey
• Men’s and Women’s Volleyball

Yes, we encourage sport athletes to participate in multiple sport clubs; however, you may not want to play during corresponding seasons between two sports. It is up to each student to balance their time and attend each club's events.

This will vary on the sport and whether you are in season or not. Club athletes will practice anywhere from 2 to 6 hours each week. Most teams compete on weekends, including home and away competitions. There are also post-season competitions to consider. In 2023-2024, we had several teams qualify and compete at post-season competitions!

• Baseball, NCBA Regionals, Waupun, Wisconsin
• Men's and women's volleyball, NCVF Nationals, Kansas City, Missouri
• Archery, USAA Outdoor Collegiate Nationals, Statesboro, Georgia
• Men's soccer, MASC Regionals, Westfield, Indiana
  
• Women's soccer, WMASC Regionals, Westfield, Indiana
• Waterski and wakeboard, MWSCA Nationals, Zachary, Louisiana
• Equestrian, Region 3 Zones, Beloit, Wisconsin
• Men's ultimate, USAU Regionals in Des Moines, Iowa
• Women's ultimate, USAU Regionals in Des Moines, Iowa

The Sport Club program is not currently accepting new applications for clubs unless they are deemed high risk.

All sport clubs are active throughout the entire year, though their seasons might only be in the fall, winter, or spring. 

• Fall Competition Schedule (September-early November)
  • Men's and Women's Soccer
  • Men's and Women's Rugby
  • Waterski & Wakeboard
  • Fishing
  • Baseball
  • Bowling
  • Men's and Women's Ultimate
• Winter Competition Schedule (early November-February)
  • Men's and Women's Hockey
  • Men's and Women's Volleyball
  • Women's Basketball
  • Olympic Weightlifting
  • Archery
  • Fishing
• Spring Competition Schedule (March-May)
  • Men's and Women's Lacrosse
  • Men's and Women's Ultimate
  • Men's and Women's Volleyball
  • Olympic Weightlifting
  • Baseball
  • Men's and Women's Rugby
  • Equestrian
  • Archery
  • Fishing
• Practice All Year
  • Boxing
  • Table Tennis
  • Triathlon

All clubs are student run and have a president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and risk management officers. Depending on the size of the club, they may have more positions that are voted upon by the current club members. There are additional leadership opportunities within the Sport Club Executive Council. This council is the administrative branch that deals with policies, procedures, and all aspects related to the Sport Club program.