Today marks the countdown to the launch of the new #TeamDMU kit on Thursday 28 September. Ahead of the big reveal, we caught up with DMU Sport’s new Graduate Sport Development Assistants, to find out how proud they were to wear the DMU logo on their shirt and to share their sporting experiences.
Four De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) graduates have landed roles working to develop sporting performance and participation at the university just two months after graduating.
Henryk Smolinski, Anna Aldersley, Grace Morgan and Emilie Fairnington all join the DMU Sport team as Graduate Sport Development Assistants and are ready for the challenge that faces them.
From left to right: Anna Aldersley, Henryk Smolinski, Grace Morgan and Emilie Fairnington
Last season marked #TeamDMU’s most successful sporting season to date and they will be looking to build on their British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) ranking rise when the new season kicks off on Wednesday 11 October.
The quartet will be working on various projects over the course of the year to help provide increased sporting opportunities for DMU’s students to participate.
DMU Sport have signed a partnership with kit supplier Surridge to provide one uniform kit design that all clubs will wear, contributing towards DMU’s ambition of providing a professional one brand approach to sport.
Ahead of the launch, the four graduates described how they felt to wear the DMU logo and highlighted their sporting experiences while studying at DMU.
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Henryk Smolinski who played for DMU Rugby and is a Human Resource Management BA (Hons) graduate, said: “Pulling on the DMU shirt is a proud moment for me.
“Before I even signed up here I always wanted to play sport at the university and to get to do that is fantastic.
“For me the biggest thing would be pulling on that shirt and being able to do that our Varsity match at Welford Road.”
“For me in my sport, being able to play at such a prestigious ground is such an amazing experience that some people will never experience within their lives.”
Grace Morgan who captained DMU’s women’s football team and studied Journalism BA (Hons) at DMU, said: “Sport at DMU is so great. I lived at home during my three years here, so it enabled me to make friends and it also allowed me to regain my love for football.
“I was captain in my third year and alongside that I was voted as DMU Sportswoman of the Year through being captain and for my dedication to sport.
“Not only have I won a league title during my time at university, but I was also wrapped up in the varsity bug as well. I was lucky enough to win a varsity while at DMU which is probably one of the most amazing moments that I’ve experienced in sport.”
Together #TeamDMU: The new #TeamDMU kit will be launched at the Activities Fair on Thursday 28 September.
Emilie Fairnington, former Secretary of the DMU Pitbulls Women’s Basketball Team and a Forensic Science BSc (Hons) graduate, said: “Sport at DMU is amazing. It’s given me an opportunity to make friends for life as well as giving me skills to develop myself as a person.
“Putting on the DMU shirt made me feel proud, because I felt like I was representing my university and it gave me so much, that I wanted to give back.”
Completing DMU Sport's recent recruitment of graduates is Anna Aldersley, who studied Psychology BSc (Hons). She said: “I joined DMU Rowing in my second year, basically because I was bored and I wanted to do something more productive with my time.
“After not really being very sporty at all when I came to university, I went to the opposite end of the scale.
“As well as the training, I was part of the committee and I think the experience as a whole taught me how to manage my time and develop the skills people look for when you’re going for a job.”
Keep an eye out for the official DMU kit launch on Thursday 28 October on our news pages, plus Facebook and Twitter.
Posted on Friday 22 September 2017