Editing University of Manchester (section)

===Sport===
{{See also|List of University of Manchester alumni#Sports}}
[[File:Manchester University Boat Club.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Manchester University Boat Club]] is one of many Athletic Union clubs.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mubc.org.uk/ |title=Manchester University Boat Club |publisher=Mubc.org.uk |date=25 November 2010 |access-date=26 December 2010 |archive-date=7 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107025112/http://www.mubc.org.uk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
[[File:Manchester_University_Boat_Club_Rowing_Blade.svg|thumb|The Manchester University Boat Club blade]]
The University of Manchester operates sports clubs through its [[athletics union]] while student societies are operated by the Students' Union.

The university has more than 80 health and fitness classes while over 3,000 students are members of the 44 various Athletic Union clubs. The sports societies vary widely in their level and scope. Many more popular sports operate several university teams and departmental teams which compete in leagues against other teams within the university. Teams include: [[badminton]], [[lacrosse]], [[korfball]], [[dodgeball]], [[field hockey]], [[rugby league]], [[rugby union]], [[Association football|football]], [[basketball]], [[fencing]], [[netball]], [[Squash (sport)|squash]], [[water polo]], [[Ultimate (sport)|ultimate]], and [[cricket]].

The athletic union was formed at Owens College in 1885 from four clubs: rugby, lacrosse, cricket and tennis. In 1901 the women's athletic union was founded. In 1981 the two unions were amalgamated. After the acquisition of the Firs estate in [[Fallowfield]] a sports ground and pavilion were provided there. From 1940 the McDougall Centre in Burlington Street was also in use as a sports centre. [[Ron Hill]], [[Rowena Sweatman]], [[James Hickman]], [[Cyril Holmes]] and [[Harry Whittle]] are former students who have achieved Olympic success.<ref>''The Legacy of John Owens: 150 years of university teaching in Manchester''. Manchester: John Rylands Library, 2001</ref>

The [[Manchester Aquatics Centre]], the swimming pool used for the [[2002 Commonwealth Games|Manchester Commonwealth Games]] is on the campus and used for water sports. The main facilities used for sports are the Sugden Centre in Grosvenor Street, the Armitage Site near Owens Park and the Wythenshawe Sports Ground.<ref>''The University of Manchester prospectus 2005''. Manchester: University, 2005; p. 266</ref>

The university has achieved success in the [[British Universities & Colleges Sport|BUCS]] (British University & College Sports) competitions, with its men's [[water polo]] 1st team winning the national championships (2009, 2010, 2011) under the tutelage of their coach Andy Howard.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bucs.org.uk/page.asp?section=16084&sectionTitle=Archive+10%2D11 |title=Championships |publisher=BUSA |access-date=27 June 2011 |archive-date=3 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603062008/https://www.bucs.org.uk/page.asp?section=16084&sectionTitle=Archive+10%2D11 |url-status=live }}</ref> It was positioned in eighth place in the overall BUCS rankings for 2009/10.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.busa.org.uk/page.asp?section=00010001000200010005&itemTitle=Championships |title=Championships |publisher=BUSA |access-date=26 December 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612212440/http://www.busa.org.uk/page.asp?section=00010001000200010005&itemTitle=Championships |archive-date=12 June 2007}}</ref>

The university competes annually in 28 different sports against [[University of Leeds|Leeds]] and [[University of Liverpool|Liverpool]] universities in the [[Christie Cup]], which Manchester has won for seven consecutive years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/index.htm?id=133663 |title=Battle of the North |access-date=3 April 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403092000/http://www.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/display/index.htm?id=133663 |archive-date=3 April 2008}}</ref> The Christie Cup is an inter-university competition between Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester in numerous sports since 1886. After the [[Oxford and Cambridge rivalry]], the Christie's Championships is the oldest Inter–University competition on the sporting calendar: the cup was a benefaction of [[Richard Copley Christie]].

Every year elite sportsmen and sportswomen are selected for membership of the ''XXI Club'', a society formed in 1932 to promote sporting excellence at the university. Most members have gained a [[sporting colours|Full Maroon]] for representing the university and many have excelled at a British Universities or National level. No more than 21 active members are allowed, each elected for up to three years (after graduating they become passive members).

An example of the university clubs is the lacrosse club which was founded in the season 1883–84 and in the following years won the [[Senior Flags|North of England Flags]] twice and maintained its position among the leading English clubs. In 1885 it was one of the four founding clubs of the athletic union. The merging of Owens College with the university in 1904 affected the club by restricting the pool of players available for selection. However, when the English Universities Lacrosse Championship was set up in 1925–26 with five university teams the Manchester team won in the first season and again in 1932–33 and continued to do so in the 1930s.<ref>Melland, Charles H. (1939) "The University Lacrosse Club", in: ''The Journal of the University of Manchester'', vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 74–76</ref>