Everyone loves a floodlit football final or a college rivalry rugby game. When relegation or single-elimination brackets are on the line, the atmosphere of college games is incredible. If you can catch a regatta while sitting on the racecourse with friends, it’s a no-brainer.

But what about a regular-season Trevs-Mary’s basketball game? Or a futsal match in the early evening of a weekday?

Compared to the atmosphere of an SEC American Football game or the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry match simply known as ‘The Game’, there seems to be little hype around most of these Trevs college games. This put me off trekking down to Maiden Castle in the dark and the rain for my first year here. However, I’ve realised how special it is to watch these matches. The small size of the crowds and the lack of fuss around them make them even more fun.

There’s really nothing like almost getting hit by a futsal as it whizzes by in the old sports hall, or losing count of a badminton score (really, why do they go so high?) as you chat with a friend, trying to understand who just won the point. Trevs is a small college, and so our games are fairly small, but that’s an advantage. You get up and close to the action, get to know the athletes we have, and truly feel like you’re a part of it. And you never know, at some games, you may end up rubbing shoulders with Kunle and Martin!

It’s worth remembering that spectating can also be more engaging if you take on a volunteer role. Often, smaller fixtures will need people to serve as stewards, watching over the crowds (never too much of a problem outside of Uni rugby games, in my experience!). These roles can be fun, and perhaps most importantly, you don’t always have to understand the game to a deep level.

Now, I don’t want to discourage people from going to the big games or the huge rowing events. They are incredible and always worth going to, especially if you can get a large group of friends to hoot, holler, cheer, and generally have a goodtime. But those same experiences can be had at smaller games, and it reflects well on our college. I was embarrassed to be at the Trevs-South Women’s Football game when the South side of our supporters had some great chants, and we had nothing to say. We need to work on that!

Trevs is a small college, and so our games are fairly small, but that’s an advantage. You get up and close to the action, get to know the athletes we have, and truly feel like you’re a part of it.

The small games are the heart of our college, and I personally ignored them for too long to my own detriment. Now, not everyone has the spirit to be a Northern League Division One Football fan like our president, Harry Naylor, but the small amateur college games are even more fun than the small pro games.

We are only here for three years on average, and the number of opportunities we will have in the future to make sports part of our lives like this will never be this high again. For those of us who are athletes, I’m sure that truth is apparent. Sunday league football and local lacrosse teams may not be able to match the spirit of collegiate games. It’s also true for those of us who are just spectators. As a reflective final year, I can say with 100% certainty that these years are special—and one of the most special things about them is the easy access to sport and community that Trevs gives us. By the time this is published, most of this year’s games will be over, but do see if you can catch a summer league football match. And make sure to take full advantage of this next year!

Image: Liang Wu