“Intramurals are the best way to get involved on campus. A little over 60% of undergraduates participate in intramural programming. It’s all about making some of your best friends and memories that will last a lifetime,” Ethan Godfrey, Program Coordinator of Competitive Sports describes. “It’s also a great way to stay active and fit. I highly recommend trying at least one intramural sport!” he encourages students.
Fairfield offers over 25 different intramural activities, including full seasons, one-day or weekend tournaments. There are men’s and women’s leagues and co-rec leagues. Through intramurals, students can better acclimate to college life and make new friends at school.
The fall season offers volleyball, soccer, flag football, 3v3 basketball and badminton, while also having a chance to participate in some one-off or weekend tournaments that could include dodgeball, basketball, pickleball, table tennis, street hockey, flag football or eGaming. The full-season sports offer a few different leagues or divisions to play in that vary based on competitiveness, giving everyone an opportunity to play.
Senior Matt Reilly has been involved in intramurals throughout his four years at Fairfield and maintains that “Intramurals are a great way to meet new people and make some friends while staying active and competing.”
“The best way for new students to get involved with intramurals is to create or join a team with roommates or others on their floor or in their building,” Godfrey adds. “Be open to trying new sports, as well. The fun thing about intramurals is it doesn’t require everyone to be competitive. Step out of your comfort zone and try something you’ve never had the opportunity to! Intramurals are made for everyone,” he continues.
For the first-years either concerned about finding a team to play on or worried about trying to create a team, Godfrey offers, “If you cannot find a team, you can sign up as a free agent. When players create teams, the captain has the option to acquire free agents. If I see that a team filled with first-year students is looking for free agents, I go through the free agent list and move first-year free agents onto that team. I communicate with the captain and free agents to ensure a smooth transition onto their team!” he states.
Additionally, intramurals offer a great way to make some extra money by officiating games or keeping score. “We have a pretty extensive waitlist since this is one of the most sought-after jobs on campus. I open applications in the middle of May and conduct interviews in late July to early August. For officials and scorekeepers, we have mandatory training sessions before each season (Fall, Winter and Spring).” Through the position, students will do on-court or on-field training, as well as be trained in classroom sessions that cover game rules, general knowledge, positioning of officials, common fouls, stats and more.
Godfrey concludes by inviting first-years “to join us for a scrimmage, so that way they are learning how intramurals operate. During our scrimmage, we put our officials and scorekeepers out there for a quarter to half of the game to gain some experience before the start of the regular season. Once it comes time to the start of the season, I pair up our new hires with our veterans (someone who has at least one year of experience), for their first couple of shifts. This way, our veterans can help our new hires get adjusted!” he explains.
With intramurals, students have the opportunity to find fun in their weekly schedule. “I really like intramurals because it breaks up my weekly routine and it’s something I can look forward to with my friends,” states Jason Strelec ‘25.
Intramurals are a great way to get involved on campus, stay healthy, and make new friends. Sign-up is online at IMleagues.com and intramurals will have a table at the activities fair to learn more about their fall offerings.
Leave a Reply