You'll have access to experienced coaches who are dedicated to helping you improve your skills, refine your techniques, and achieve your athletic goals.

Essex boasts modern sports facilities equipped with the latest technology to support your training and development, including;

• Essex Sports Arena – home of our Essex Rebels basketball and volleyball teams, the £12 million Arena is built to international sporting standards with seating for 1,655 spectators, new men’s and women’s locker rooms, state-of-the-art Performance Analysis Conference Room, and includes 23 courts for basketball, netball, volleyball, badminton and futsal.
• Essex Sports Centre - home to our spacious Essex Sport gym, fitness studios, squash courts, climbing wall, and large sports hall housing a full-size basketball court, badminton, volleyball, netball and other court space. The centre is also headquarters for our Performance Sport Department.
• Outdoor facilities - Renowned for our research on the benefits of Green Exercise, we use 40 acres of university grounds dedicated to outdoor sports activities. Colchester campus includes 2 rugby pitches, also marked out for American Football, 5 full-size 11 a-side football pitches, junior football and lacrosse pitches, cricket pitch and batting nets, a sand-based artificial pitch for hockey and football, 3 undulating parkland jogging routes ranging from 1.2 miles to 3.2 miles long, an 18-hole disc golf course and 4 hard court tennis courts with floodlighting for evening use, covered by a bubble during winter allowing year-round play.

We understand the unique challenges of balancing academics and sports. Our dedicated support staff will assist you in managing your commitments and maintaining a healthy balance plus you will have access to a comprehensive support system designed to help you reach your peak performance. Here's an overview of what our program includes;

• Athlete Workshops - we believe in holistic development. Throughout the year, we offer workshops on topics such as nutrition, mental resilience, time management, and more. These workshops are aimed at enhancing not only your athletic skills but also your overall well-being and academic success.
• Lifestyle Practitioner - our dedicated Lifestyle Practitioner is here to provide guidance on balancing your academic responsibilities with your athletic pursuits. They can help you develop strategies for managing stress, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and optimizing your performance.
• Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Coaching - our S&C coaches are committed to helping you build strength, endurance, and agility tailored to your specific sport. They will work with you to develop personalized training plans that align with your athletic goals. Read a bit more about our head coach Justin Mills
• Sports Therapy - we understand the physical demands of high-performance sports. Our onsite Sports Therapy Clinic, as well as our partnership with an external physiotherapy provider, ensures that you receive the best care for injury prevention, recovery, and rehabilitation.
• XPS Performance Tracking App - we are rolling out a cutting-edge XPS Performance Tracking App. This powerful tool will centralize your daily training schedules, S&C training programs, performance analysis, RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) scores, and injury monitoring all in one place. Moreover, it features a messaging function for seamless communication within your team and with your coaches. This innovative app is designed to streamline your training and enhance your overall performance.
• Academic Flexibility - we understand balancing the demands of your sport and academics can sometimes lead to challenges, such as coursework deadlines or exam clashes, as a sports scholar within our Performance Sport program, you benefit from this policy, which has been designed to ensure you have the flexibility needed to excel both in the classroom and on the court / field.

You'll have the chance to compete at various levels, from university leagues to national and international tournaments, subject to selection. 2022-23 successes:

Basketball

• 2022-23 BUCS Premier South League Champions – Women’s 2022-23 BUCS National Championship Finalists – Women’s
• 2022-23 BUCS National Championship Quarter Finalists – Men’s
• WBBL Cup Semi-finalists – Women’s

Volleyball

• 2022-23 BUCS Premier South League Champions – Men’s 
• 2022-23 BUCS National Championship Finalists – Men’s
• 2022-23 BUCS National Championship Quarter Finalists – Women’s

Rugby 7s

• Compete in the BUCS National trophy
• New partnership with Colchester Rugby Club  

Football

• 2022-23 BUCS Premier South League Runners-Up – Women’s
• 2022-23 BUCS National Championship Quarter Finalists – Women’s
• 2022-23 BUCS South Eastern Tier 1 Runners-Up – Men’s
• 2022-23 BUCS National Trophy Quarter Finalists – Men’s
• FA Women’s High Performance Football Centre  

Tennis

• 2022-23 BUCS South Eastern Tier 1 Runners Up – Women
• 2022-23 BUCS South Eastern Tier 1 Third Place – Men
• 2022-23 Two competitors made it into BUCS Individual National Championships
• 2022-23 PCU Games in Rome – Rittik Anand crowned Champion 

Join a vibrant community of student-athletes who share your passion for sports. Connect, learn, and grow together.

We take great pride in fostering a strong sense of community and support, not only among our student-athletes but also with our dedicated supporters. The Tribe is a prime example of this commitment. As the proudest, loudest, and most inclusive supporters club in the UK, The Tribe was launched just last academic year and has already garnered significant recognition, winning the prestigious CUBO (College and University Business Officers) award in the 'Innovation in Student Experience' category.

This growing community, added to a progressive desire to make our game day experiences memorable for all, has also won the prestigious ‘Best Gameday Experience Award’ from basketball’s national governing body Basketball England for the incredible International Women’s Day WBBL event.