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Intramural Sports

Intramural Sports are non-varsity-level recreational sports organized within a particular institution. At CU, Intramurals involve a variety of league style sports such as Softball, Flag Football, Indoor Soccer, 5 on 5 Basketball, and Volleyball in which teams compete in competitive divisions for an entire season and then compete in Championship playoffs. Intramurals at CU also involves several one to two day events and tournaments throughout the year including disc golf, dodgeball, ultimate Frisbee, beach volleyball, muggle quidditch, and student vs faculty competitions, sometimes involving student organizations such as fraternities, sororities, and others.

Intramurals are usually played in the afternoons and into the evening hours from 5:30 pm till 10:00 pm, Monday through Thursday. On occasion, there may be a one day event or tournament that will start earlier in the day or take place on a Friday or Saturday.

Intramurals is one of the most popular student driven offerings at CU and enjoys very high participation rates with an average of 167 student participants, and up to 20 teams, in each of the league style team sports during the year. Students can form their own teams or can join a league as a free agent to be recruited by an existing team. Sometimes entire teams are created entirely of free agents.

League Champions receive Championship T-shirts of their own design for each team member, and bragging rights for the rest of the year and following year!

It is the mission of the Intramural Sports Program under the Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness at Concord University to provide a wide range of individual and team activities at both a competitive and a recreational level to students, faculty, staff, and other members of the university community. Our purpose is to provide exercise, recreation, and fun to our participants in a relaxed, yet structured environment. Intramural Sports is a crucial element of the academic experience in that it promotes and reinforces teamwork and personal accomplishment, mutual respect and integrity, competition and recreation, as well as skill and exercise. Everyone is encouraged to play to the best of his or her abilities; however, a win-at-all-costs attitude is inappropriate and strongly discouraged. The genuine value of Intramural Sports comes from playing, not from winning.

Get In Shape While Having Fun and Competing

Intramural programs provide a great opportunity for those who don’t have the time or abilities to compete in competitive university athletics. Many people also feel more motivated to exercise when they’re playing in an organized program rather than following a personal fitness regimen. Studies have shown that students that play Intramurals in college not only experience enhanced health such as increased cardiovascular endurance and muscle strength, but also have better circulation, and reduced overweight/obesity. Studies by the National Intramural Sports Association (NIRSA) and others have shown that students that participate in organized recreation programs such as Intramurals in college are able to avoid or reduce “The Freshman 15” in which the average college freshmen gains up to 15 lbs their first year of attending college and an additional 7-9 lbs their Sophomore year.

Meet Others and Form Lasting Friendships

Another clear benefit of playing intramural sports is the opportunity for socialization and integration into college life. Peer reviewed studies have shown that students that participate in Intramurals experience an enhanced college experience by developing long lasting relationships and becoming more engaged with the institution. By developing relationships with their teammates, participants develop more of a “sense of belonging” to the community that helps them cope and adjust better to the stressors of college life. Many maintain these relationships throughout their college career and for years after they graduate along with their sense of belonging to the Mountain Lion community.

Reduce Stress and Increase Your Academic Success

Studies conducted by NIRSA and others have shown that students that participate in Intramurals in college also develop better sleep patterns, experience less depression and anxiety, and have elevated levels of norepinephrine and endorphins in the body which can reduce stress, improve mood, and create a calming effect after exercise that can improve achievement. Some researchers have shown participants in Intramural Sports develop higher levels of self-esteem, self-efficacy, and personal responsibility, all of which have also been shown by college retention experts to be related to higher levels of academic motivation, institutional commitment, degree commitment, scholastic conscientiousness, and ultimately higher GPA scores and graduation rates.

Help Your College Grow

Institutions should also take note of the benefits of promoting their intramural programs. NIRSA finds from their own studies that such programs help in student recruitment and retention. For instance, researcher Scott Forester, who surveyed 33,500 students from colleges and universities across the nation, found that 62% of students report that campus recreation programs such as Intramurals influenced their decision of which college/university to attend. Forrester also found that 67% of students report that campus recreation programs influenced their decisions to continue attending their chosen college/university.

Everyone can play intramurals, regardless of their athletic ability or skill. Participation among students, faculty, staff, and alumni is encouraged. Intramurals presents an opportunity for students to get to know their fellow students, CU professors, and staff better by offering an informal environment to play and compete together. All Intramural Sports are Co-Ed. Our aim is to create a community of students, employees, and scholars in which all members are treated with respect and foster the development of a “sense of belonging” and being part of our Mountain Lion community.

Diversity refers to the fact that our community, both locally and nationally, is comprised of many individuals, each having unique attributes based on a variety of social, physical, and cultural characteristics. Included among these attributes are:

Race, Class, Ethnicity, Religion, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Marital status, Veteran status, Disability, Political Affiliation, National origin.

The changing composition of our larger society demands that Concord University prepare its students for life and leadership within an increasingly diverse society. The existence of diversity within our university community provides us with an opportunity to discover ways to integrate all individuals and groups into the larger community in a manner that respects and values their uniqueness while simultaneously advancing the university in its traditional activities of instruction, research and public service.

Officials are an integral part of the Intramural Sports program at Concord University. Without officials, you would have just another Open-Rec pickup game, which could possibly get out of control. During a Concord University Intramural contest, the officials are granted sole authority for controlling each game and enforcing the rules, which actually makes the game more fun! Our officials take their roles very seriously. They are proud of their knowledge of the rules, their impartiality, and their ability to make the right call. Sometimes human error can be a factor, especially in the heat of spirited competition. Our goal is to treat each team fairly, educate participants about the rules of play, and keep the game under control in order to create the best environment for competition, fun, and safe exercise.

Social Media

For current and past sign-ups, schedules, scores, and video highlights, check out the official Concord University Intramural Sports social media accounts: