Now that the summer has begun, The Glasgow Guardian’s guide to a sporting summer lists some of the best up-and-coming sporting events in Scotland to watch or get involved in.
Whether you’re planning to stick around in Scotland this summer or already call Scotland home, now that the undergraduate exam period has finished, summer has officially begun. With most societies and clubs pausing official activities over the summer period, here is The Glasgow Guardian’s guide to a sporting summer in Scotland so you can continue to get involved with everything that Glasgow and the rest of Scotland have to offer.
Sports to watch:
Strathclyde Sirens have their final two home fixtures in the Vitality Netball Superleague, both played at the Emirates Arena, Glasgow. The Sirens currently stand in seventh place in the table and are up against Celtic Dragons on Friday 26 May followed by their final home fixture against Manchester Thunder on Saturday 3 June. Adult tickets start at £14.50 with discounts offered to NetballScotland members.
Scottish men’s club football is slowly coming to a close as the season ends but that doesn’t put a stop to national men’s football. Scotland faces Georgia on Tuesday 20 June at Hampden Park in the qualifying stages of the UEFA European Championships. General sale tickets have sold out but various venues will be streaming the game live.
With the Men’s Rugby World Cup being held in France this September, Scotland’s Summer fixtures at BT Murrayfield Stadium will be crucial practice for Gregor Townsend’s side leading up to their tough pool, which includes current Six Nations Champions Ireland. There are three fixtures at Scotland’s home ground: the first is against Italy on Saturday 29 July, followed by France on Saturday 5 August, and their final fixture against Georgia on Saturday 26 August. Individual prices start at £21 for Adult tickets in the Bronze seating area or £25.20 for Students in the Silver seating area against Georgia.
Finally, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) World Championships are coming to Glasgow, 3–13 August. A variety of cycling events are happening across the city and beyond including Artistic Cycling and Cycle Ball played at the Emirates Arena with adult tickets starting at £8.
Sports to get involved with:
Topgolf Glasgow, situated about a 20-minute drive outside of the City Centre and West End caters for all your glamourised driving range and social needs. Topgolf offers a range of food and drink options as well as party packages.
Many UofG students find themselves in the Highlands during the summer months after exams and the Highland Shooting Centre in Sutherland offers a range of activities to keep your summer schedule interesting. The centre offers traditional sports with a technological twist, including Air Rifle, Clay Shooting, and Archery.
Ride in Peace Adventures (RIPA) is a mountain biking centre based in Alford, Aberdeenshire on the eastern edge of Cairngorm National Park. RIPA offers mountain bike coaching at local trail centres and guided rides in the glens, hills, and mountains.
If you decide to ascend as far up as the Orkneys this summer, you should certainly check out Kraken Diving. It’s the only diving school in Scapa Flow and is ideal if you’re interested in exploring some of the best wreck diving sites in the world. Kraken Diving offers diving courses as well as guided dives where you can see some of the world’s best shipwrecks from WW1 and WW2.
Venturing as far as Aberdeen or the Orkneys may not be suitable for some over the summer period but if you’re still wanting a fix of outdoor sporting activities in Scotland, why not head to Loch Lomond? Trains from Glasgow make Loch Lomond accessible to students, particularly if you don’t have a car. A variety of activities are offered at Loch Lomond including canoe trips, gorge walking, river sledging, and canyoning.
Although many GUSA clubs pause official activities over the summer period, Skydiving and Cycling both offer activities that you can get involved in. Skydiving is still running skydiving courses throughout the summer at their home dropzone, Skydive Strathallan. In August, GU Skydiving is having an “Open Week” where the dropzone is open for nine consecutive days where there will be plenty of opportunities to jump as well as much more happening. GU Cycling is offering group rides at various points in the summer and are open to any students to join. If either of these activities are of interest to you, reach out to the relevant club via their social media channels:
Instagram – guskydivingclub
glasgowunicycling
Facebook – Glasgow University Skydive Club
University of Glasgow Cycling Club
