Sport Services of Turku Higher Education Institutions Becoming More Popular
At the beginning of August, the higher education institutions in Turku established a joint sport service called CampusSport which has inspired students and staff to exercise.
The sport services of the University of Turku, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Åbo Akademi University and Novia University of Applied Sciences joined forces in autumn 2016, so that equal sport possibilities can be offered for the members of all the higher education institution in Turku. The targets set for the first year were clearly surpassed.
– Altogether 6,140 people purchased the right to use our sport services during this academic year. Our optimistic targets were surpassed and the number of users grew 45 percent compared to the time before CampusSport, says Joonas Niemi.
According to Niemi, CampusSport has been positively received. This is visible in the number of users from Åbo Akademi University and Turku University of Applied Sciences in particular. Åbo Akademi University has clearly the highest number of sport service users when compared to the size of the university, having altogether 1,270 users. In Turku University of Applied Sciences, the number of users increased 65 percent compared to the previous year. Also at the University of Turku where the selection of sport services changed the least, the increase was 30 percent.
– We have been able to make the sport services more attractive with an inviting visual image, high-quality services and good location of facilities, explains Niemi.
– After the sport services were combined, we have been able to utilise the sport facilities of all the higher education institutions. Considering the growing number of users, the number of facilities is still very limited. We have worked hard for the past couple of years in order to acquire new facilities. Currently, we have some good facility plans in progress, for which we wish decisions by the end of this year, continues Niemi.
The system was piloted during the first operating year of CampusSport, and now the higher education institutions have agreed to combine the sport services permanently. The aim is to also get DIAK University of Applied Sciences and Humak University of Applied Sciences involved. During the pilot year, almost all the sport activities were organised under CampusSport. In the coming autumn, there will be different competitions and leagues as well.
>> CampusSport
TK / SY
Photo: Hanna Oksanen