DeKALB — NIU is known for popular sports like basketball, football and soccer. However, there are club sports on campus that you may not know about.

NIU offers a variety of club sports, such as hockey, table tennis, fencing, eSports, gymnastics and more. Because these sports are not as highly regarded as the sports the school is known for, they don’t get the same amount of attention.

Club sports are not run by the same administrators that regulate association athletics at NIU. All club sports are student-run and open to all fee-paying students, faculty and staff. Every sports club has an executive board that allows the public to see who is in charge of each organization. There are more than 500 students actively participating in club sports.

Joining a club

A student can join a sports club by finding the Student Life section on NIU’s website, where you will find “Club Sports” under the heading “Join the Fun.” There, students will find a list of all of the sports clubs available at NIU. Once you click on the sports club you would like to join, it will redirect you to that sport’s Huskie Link page. You will find all of the information needed to join and participate there.

Any student or group of students at NIU can also start a sports club. Proposed clubs must not be already offered on campus and must be a Student Association-recognized student organization. If these conditions are met, the sports club must then obtain approval from NIU recreation to become a part of the RecWell sports club program. Any questions can be directed to Laura Kucik, the coordinator of competitive sports at NIU.

All sports clubs are required to register their organization on Huskie Link. The president of the sports club being formed must also schedule a meeting with James Holmes, the vice president of the Student Association. It is also required that in order to begin or continue your sport club, the club must complete paperwork at the beginning of each semester.

Sports such as table tennis hold open practices several times a week. They also have unofficial tournaments and USA Table Tennis Association-sanctioned tournaments throughout the year. Membership is free and they are open to all levels of players. All one has to do to join is send the organization an email, which can be found through the official NIU website. The organization will then submit a form to give interested persons the ability to access the Recreation Center to participate in their practices.

Some may think you need to have experience to join a club, but actually, you don’t need it to join any club. If you are interested in joining NIU club sports, having a lack of experience should not stop you, because it is not a requirement. There are newcomers all throughout the sports clubs at NIU.

More information can be found on the Sports Club page found within NIU’s website.