Game on: The Benefits of Joining a UMD Sports Club
By Lucy Scothern
December 10, 2025
Aerial Photography of Tennis Courts, pexels-photo-13425628.” Pexels.
For many students, graduating high school and moving on to college can also mean leaving behind the sport they love. Without the opportunity to participate in a collegiate athletics program, the lack of consistent social interaction, team spirit, and structure can negatively impact incoming freshmen.
However, the University of Maryland offers a wide range of club sports to remedy the absence of students’ high school sporting days. According to the UMD Club Directory, there are 48 active sports clubs on campus, ranging from soccer to ultimate Frisbee, softball to Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
For many freshmen, like tennis club member Julia Sayers, an environmental science and policy major, sports clubs offer the opportunity to stay consistent in their favorite sport during the transition into college life.
“I joined club tennis because I've played tennis my whole life, and I knew I kind of wanted to keep playing throughout college and meet new people through it,” Sayers said. “It's one of my biggest passions, and I wanted to have a chance to play more matches.”
Also a longtime tennis player, freshman aerospace engineering major Chanakya Ayinala said his favorite thing about the tennis club is not just the physical benefits but also the positive mental benefits tennis brings him.
“I decided to join the club tennis team because I played in high school and it was a lot of fun, and I just wanted to stay active in college,” Ayinala said. “After class, I can kind of decompress and just enjoy playing tennis, something I like to do.”
For both freshmen, club sports has helped them make new friends, as the tennis club has introduced them to a whole new circle of like-minded people. These social connections are something that Kristi Hall, UMD’s director of sports psychology for football, women’s basketball and tennis, who has a doctorate in psychology says humans are designed to look for in their social lives.
“Humans are wired for connection and belonging,” Hall said. “When a student feels seen, heard, and connected to a group, that increases your confidence. It helps you take more risks. You stay engaged academically.”
Currently, UMD is home to more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom are international students, with differing religious beliefs, speaking a multitude of different languages. Dr. Hall sees organized sports of any ability level as a way to connect through multicultural barriers.
“Teams and clubs give students a shared language, so to speak,” she said. “Even for international students that can't speak English, we can speak a shared language of sport.”
For young adults still figuring out their own identity and where they fit into the world, sports clubs can provide them with a place to discover their personal strengths and weaknesses. Hall also said that long-term participation in sports can develop individuality and give life skills for postgraduate society.
“Through practice, rather than pressure, over time, students can pick up leadership skills,” she said. “Those are transferable , they can go across different environments. You get to grow into your own role that you might not even have imagined for yourself.”
Noting the positive impact of sports on student mental health, Hall continued, “Physical activity helps to improve sleep. It helps with better emotional regulation, if you're anxious, upset, happy — it helps with your mood regulation. It naturally increases your dopamine and serotonin. That's naturally helpful for mood stabilization and mental health.”
Attributed with a vast array of benefits, maybe a sports club should be on your horizon. To join a campus sports club, all you need to do is email the club contact, complete the club registration form and waiver through IMLeagues, and attend practices! For more information on UMD’s sports clubs and how to get involved, visit: https://recwell.umd.edu/programs-activities/club-sports/club-directory
However, the University of Maryland offers a wide range of club sports to remedy the absence of students’ high school sporting days. According to the UMD Club Directory, there are 48 active sports clubs on campus, ranging from soccer to ultimate Frisbee, softball to Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
For many freshmen, like tennis club member Julia Sayers, an environmental science and policy major, sports clubs offer the opportunity to stay consistent in their favorite sport during the transition into college life.
“I joined club tennis because I've played tennis my whole life, and I knew I kind of wanted to keep playing throughout college and meet new people through it,” Sayers said. “It's one of my biggest passions, and I wanted to have a chance to play more matches.”
Also a longtime tennis player, freshman aerospace engineering major Chanakya Ayinala said his favorite thing about the tennis club is not just the physical benefits but also the positive mental benefits tennis brings him.
“I decided to join the club tennis team because I played in high school and it was a lot of fun, and I just wanted to stay active in college,” Ayinala said. “After class, I can kind of decompress and just enjoy playing tennis, something I like to do.”
For both freshmen, club sports has helped them make new friends, as the tennis club has introduced them to a whole new circle of like-minded people. These social connections are something that Kristi Hall, UMD’s director of sports psychology for football, women’s basketball and tennis, who has a doctorate in psychology says humans are designed to look for in their social lives.
“Humans are wired for connection and belonging,” Hall said. “When a student feels seen, heard, and connected to a group, that increases your confidence. It helps you take more risks. You stay engaged academically.”
Currently, UMD is home to more than 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom are international students, with differing religious beliefs, speaking a multitude of different languages. Dr. Hall sees organized sports of any ability level as a way to connect through multicultural barriers.
“Teams and clubs give students a shared language, so to speak,” she said. “Even for international students that can't speak English, we can speak a shared language of sport.”
For young adults still figuring out their own identity and where they fit into the world, sports clubs can provide them with a place to discover their personal strengths and weaknesses. Hall also said that long-term participation in sports can develop individuality and give life skills for postgraduate society.
“Through practice, rather than pressure, over time, students can pick up leadership skills,” she said. “Those are transferable , they can go across different environments. You get to grow into your own role that you might not even have imagined for yourself.”
Noting the positive impact of sports on student mental health, Hall continued, “Physical activity helps to improve sleep. It helps with better emotional regulation, if you're anxious, upset, happy — it helps with your mood regulation. It naturally increases your dopamine and serotonin. That's naturally helpful for mood stabilization and mental health.”
Attributed with a vast array of benefits, maybe a sports club should be on your horizon. To join a campus sports club, all you need to do is email the club contact, complete the club registration form and waiver through IMLeagues, and attend practices! For more information on UMD’s sports clubs and how to get involved, visit: https://recwell.umd.edu/programs-activities/club-sports/club-directory