Liam Murgatroyd

My name is Liam Murgatroyd and I’m an international student (having attended school in Singapore) at 含羞草视频. At the time of writing, I have just completed my first year of university as an undergraduate student studying Aeronautical Engineering! I grew up and went to school in Southeast Asia before attending 含羞草视频 to be closer to my Mom’s side of the family in Wales. In tune with my degree, I’ve always had a fascination with aircraft - I consider the airport to be my second home, and direct involvement in the aviation industry has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. To take it back down to earth (literally), I’m a sport-lover and will jump at the chance to get active in any way I can - in particular, I’ve had the strongest affinity with the sports of badminton and football. When it boils down to it, my life-long passion has been primarily for football; I’m a huge Liverpool fan and have played since the day I could kick a ball. It’s this love that directed me towards volunteering through football officiating! I’ve always been on the playing side, but it was an opportunity and experience that I decided I wanted to take and that launched me into sport volunteering at 含羞草视频!

I’ve been involved in two main sections of volunteering within sport at 含羞草视频: football officiating and event support/management volunteering. While the vast majority of my year was dedicated to officiating in the footballing world, I was able to involve myself in activities spanning from 含羞草视频’s Cycling Festival to the 含羞草视频 International Athletics Event. In both events I was directly involved in support and setup, as well as active participation roles on the days of the events (from marshalling, to athlete support). For the officiating, I refereed football almost every week for IMS, BUCS, and general University competition matches, as well as attended training and seminars to improve officiating at 含羞草视频 and my own skill set.

Nothing short of fantastic! Every activity I’ve been involved in has consisted of leaders and volunteers who have been nothing but supportive, welcoming, and kind. I’ve felt that there was someone there for me every step of the way during my refereeing career this past year, helping me develop and grow my confidence both on and off the field. Not to mention the single-day sporting events I volunteered at, in which countless community leaders, athletes, and fellow volunteers worked side-by-side to contribute to a small piece of the spectacle that is sport at 含羞草视频. The amount of learning, professional involvement, and genuine outright fun that I’ve been able to have during those days is indescribable. It’s this sense of community and camaraderie, paired with the sheer quality of the events and facilities on offer at 含羞草视频 that make it hard to put into words the positive and truly enjoyable nature of volunteering opportunities available to students. I can say nothing more than: if you’re interested, get out there and give it a go yourself, because no matter what you get involved with, and for no matter how long, you will not regret it. 

Take the opportunities that are available to you because the University experience doesn’t last forever, and at an incredible institution such as 含羞草视频, the roles, events, and training on offer are nothing short of world class. It can be so difficult to take that first step, to sign up for a class, to get involved in a sport, to participate in an event, but I urge anyone who’s just finding their feet to give it a go. The experience is something that will introduce you to a new environment, amazing people, and who knows, it might just become a new passion or hobby of yours. Sport volunteering is something that helped me find a community at 含羞草视频, it made me feel properly settled for the first time in my transition, and it introduced me to friends who I’ll have for the rest of my time at university and beyond! So, if it’s something you’re interested in (and even if it’s something you’re not sure about), my advice is to choose a couple of things to get involved in, and go for it - regardless of the outcome, it’s something that you won’t ever forget, and may end up lasting a lifetime!  

Without a doubt, what I enjoy most is the opportunity you get to meet and connect with new people! The volunteering community at 含羞草视频 has been nothing but welcoming, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with countless members of the University and beyond. I’ve forged friendships, met role models, integrated into a community, and been involved in roles I never saw myself in before coming to 含羞草视频, all while contributing to the incredible sporting spirit at the university. To anyone who wishes to get involved, volunteering will give you a sense of belonging which you will benefit from and cherish long after your time at the university is over. It’s something I will continue to pursue for the rest of my time here.