Support the Club

Founded in 1876, OUCCC is one of the University’s oldest and most prestigious clubs. The Gentlemen’s Varsity Match is, aside from the legendary National, which predates it by three years, the oldest inter-club match in existence. Barring the war years and Covid-19 pandemic, it has been held annually since 1880. The first Ladies’ Varsity Match was held in 1976 and since this date both annual Blues’ Matches have been held at Wimbledon Common on the first Saturday of December. However, OUCCC is not just about high-performance athletes and has five other teams which compete the Saturday before the Blues’ Match in the II-IVs Varsity. The Gentlemen’s IVs and Ladies’ IIIs teams, which are open to all, epitomise the best of OUCCC: inclusive, welcoming but driven to beat Cambridge.

Training Camp 1994

Pre-season training camp in the New Forest 1994

OUCCC athletes train 6 times a week with regular races throughout the year. Although on the surface cross country can seem like a relatively inexpensive sport, gone are the days of it being an amateur pursuit, and this systemic shift towards greater professionalism in U.K. cross country is placing significant pressure on the club and individual athletes. The average athlete will spend around £400 per year on cross country related expenses necessary to train and compete, and this is after they have benefitted from all the subsidies and assistance that OUCCC strives to provide. As a club we would love to be able to bring these costs down for our members and provide more support in order to make OUCCC more accessible to everyone and continue to put OUCCC athletes at the top end of national competitions.

Consistently placing in the top 5 at BUCS Cross Country and recently having over 10 members represent their country on the international stage, OUCCC is one of the premier university cross country clubs in the country. This has been achieved in recent years with limited financial backing and significant investment from our own members’ pockets. OUCCC strives to be able to provide facilities, coaching and competition opportunities for everyone from complete beginners to international competitors and is currently struggling to cover new costs arising from coaching and more club members competing at higher levels.

Thus, OUCCC appreciates any generosity from alumni to help secure the club and continue to allow OUCCC athletes to perform at the highest level. Supporters will provide a regular and dependable funding stream to support our vision for the future, enabling us to plan ahead with certainty and confidence. On top of this, it will allow the Club to adhere to our core principle that cross country should be affordable for all!

One off donation or regular donations of any amount are welcome.

Here are some of the ways in which your donation can make a difference:

  • £15 will cover 1 student’s insurance for the year
  • £50 will cover 1 disadvantaged student’s membership fee for a year
  • £100 will pay for official’s expenses for the events we host
  • £500 will help athletes attend high profile races, such as national team selection races
  • £1000 will cover the cost of race entries for a year
  • £2000 will subsidise Varsity, another opportunity to beat Cambridge
  • £4000 will cover the cost of our coaching expenses for the year

DONATE HERE

 
OUCCC Anniversary Reunion

OUCCC Anniversary Reunion - 125th Gentlemen's and 40th Ladies' Varsity - 4th December 2015