Sports

3 students holding rugby balls and sports kit in front of sports building

We’re big on sport at Coleg Gwent! Not only do we offer a range of sports courses, but all our campuses have access to excellent sporting facilities too, including sports halls, gyms, fitness suites and outdoor pitches. So, we encourage all learners to participate in sport alongside their studies to help maintain their wellbeing at college.

The gym is only open during term time and is closed on bank holidays. All members must vacate the premises (including changing facilities) by the times below so that classes can start on time and the caretakers are able to lock up.

Opening times:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Gym
07:00 – 09:00
Gym
07:00 – 09:00
Gym
07:00 – 09:00
Gym
07:00 – 09:00
Gym
12:00 – 14:00
Gym
12:00 – 14:00
Gym
16:00 – 18:30
Gym
16:00 – 18:30
Gym
14:00 – 17:45

Fitness classes:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Circuits
07:15 – 08:00
Kettlebells
07:15 – 08:00
Group indoor cycling
07:15 – 08:00
Circuits
07:15 – 08:00
Surprise class
12:30 – 13:15
Studio resistance
(8 spaces)
16:00 – 18:30

Staff and resident prices

£25 for 10 sessions / £3.50 pay as you go including classes.

Membership cost for half a term is £35 (see dates below):

14 November – 23 December
9 January – 17 February
27 February – 31 March
17 April – 31 May

Learner prices

£10 for 10 sessions / £2 pay as you go including classes

A trophy cabinet we’re proud of

Every year, the college enters the British Colleges Sport Championships and our teams return with a host of medals to their names. From team sports like tennis and netball, to individual trampolinists and cross-country runners – our students are some of the best in the UK. Many learners follow in the footsteps of our tutors who have Welsh caps and competition successes in their own sports too. Individual sports including badminton, tennis, cross country and table tennis, are available as part of the AoC competitions.

Join a winning team

Whether you’re already competing at elite level, or you just want to try something new whilst keeping fit and healthy, joining a sports team is a great way to meet new friends at college. If you’re feeling competitive, join one of our netball, football, hockey and rugby teams that compete in top local, regional and national leagues.

Discover our successful sports academies

We’re proud to be home to the Coleg Gwent Dragons Junior Rugby Academy, as well as the first female rugby ‘academy’ in Wales, a successful football academy and thriving netball and hockey teams.

We offer male and female rugby academies at Coleg Gwent, allowing you to combine your rugby development with your academic studies. Crosskeys Campus is home to the Dragons Junior Rugby Academy where students studying full time courses at any Coleg Gwent campus – either sports-related, A Levels, or other vocational courses – can also benefit from having 16 hours a week of dedicated training from Dragons coaches, as part of a two year development programme alongside their studies.

Our team are the current welsh champions, winning last season’s WRU Schools and Colleges championship. With 77 registered players, we have a 1st and 2nd team participating every Wednesday. The programme includes strength and conditioning sessions, individual skills development sessions, 1-to-1 coaching, unit sessions, team preparation and individual/unit video analysis.

Our 1st team plays in the WRU sponsored Colleges League with weekly television coverage from S4C. While our 2nd team plays in the British Colleges Elite Rugby League, fulfilling fixtures across the South West of England and Wales.

Facts about the Dragons Junior Rugby Academy:

  • 11 of the current Dragons senior squad members have played for Coleg Gwent
  • 9 Dragons transition squad members have played for Coleg Gwent
  • 7 Dragons academy squad members have played for Coleg Gwent
  • 17 of last season Coleg Gwent team were members of the Dragons u18s squad
  • 7 members from last season’s Coleg Gwent team were part of the Wales u18s squad.

We also have a female rugby academy offered to learners at Crosskeys and Blaenau Gwent Learning Zone for those studying sport and public services. The team has 38 players and is growing in size and popularity every year. Training for female rugby takes place weekly, with entry into competitions and cup fixtures too. Female rugby players compete in league competitions at 7s, 10s, and 15 a side. The rugby girls are the current Urdd National Champions and players from Crosskeys were part of the AoC Welsh Colleges Gold Medal Winning Team in 2019.

Coleg Gwent Football Academy has Male and Female teams with 64 registered players based at Crosskeys Campus. The Football Academy is built into the college timetable to enable male and female students to access the academy programme alongside their studies. The programme includes – Team Training, Principle Based Sessions, General Practices, Specific Practices, Individualised Training, Goalkeeping Training, Match Preparation, Strength and Conditioning Sessions, Systems of Plays, Technical Practices, Tactical Sessions, and Individual/Unit Video Analysis. Home matches are played on a Wednesday afternoon and our home pitch is Cwmbran Stadium – 3G.

The academy plays in the Welsh College League – Category 2, and the Coleg Gwent Football Academy are the current Gwent Schools U19s Cup holders and the Newport Schools U18s Cup holders. The Female Football Academy also plays in the Welsh Colleges National 7s Tournament.

Success of the Academy programme is continuously growing, as past players have played for Welsh Colleges, Welsh Schools and other representative squads. Past Academy players are also currently playing in high league/level senior clubs.

Former Coleg Gwent Football Academy player, Lewis Webb, has signed a professional football contract with Swansea City FC in 2020, and Lewis has represented Wales Under 21s in the Euro Championship Qualifiers.

Training for netball takes place once a week on Monday mornings at Crosskeys Campus, plus weekly league/cup fixtures on Wednesday afternoons. Students from any campus and course are welcome to participate, with sessions including Strength and conditioning, Team Building, Ball skills, Set plays, Tactics and techniques – shooting attacking defending, Goal Setting Team Targets and Video analysis, team development and individual.

Two netball teams currently play, with our 1st team taking part in league competitions and our 2nd Team playing friendly fixtures against other colleges in Wales. Every year, students are selected to represent Coleg Gwent South East Wales Under 18’s netball teams and AoC Welsh Colleges representative team, with Home and Away fixtures. They also compete in South East Wales Schools Competitions.

BTEC Sport learner Rebecca Baker from Crosskeys Campus played GA/WA positions in our netball team. She said; “I learnt so much about myself as a player gradually building my skills to play GA/WA position. I made many friends and further developed my netball skills. I also began to play against other girls who were involved in the Welsh set up, this was really challenging for me.”

Thanks to the support she received from Crosskeys Campus Netball, Rebecca had the opportunity to play in front of Welsh Netball Talent Selectors, which led to an invite to attend the Welsh Hub training sessions. Since then, she’s has gone from strength to strength playing for Bath University, the Wales U21 squad and the Netball Super League Celtic Dragons. And her journey began at Coleg Gwent!

Hockey training is available at our Crosskeys Campus for learners at any campus and on any course. Our hockey fixtures are based on South East Wales and AoC sport Cup competitions, and we’ve had some great successes over the years!

In 2019-20, Tegan Waters, one of our A Level learners from Crosskeys Campus, was selected to represent the AoC National team, competing at the highest level in Colleges hockey. Alongside Tegan, Eliza Bingham from Crosskeys Campus, was also part of the AoC Welsh Colleges Silver Medal Winning Team in 2019 too.