Most field sports are played at the Downing College Sports Ground on Grantchester Road, which is about one mile from Downing College. There are two multi-use hard courts on the College site for playing tennis, basketball and netball.  The Paddock provides an excellent place for field sports training in the centre of the College. Games must not be played on any other lawns in College.

There is a boathouse for the College rowing club; this club takes part in all University and many other rowing events.

Students participating in sports should assess the safety of unsecured equipment and check grounds or pitches for harmful debris before use.

Off-site facilities

There are some sports for which Colleges do not have their own facilities, such as athletics, golf, swimming and badminton. For these sports, facilities are common to all Colleges and club secretaries will explain particular arrangements to all those who may be interested.

It is usually possible to find a place for players of all standards in College clubs, and the club officers will be recruiting new members from amongst those who have come into residence for the first time.

Any student who has an interest in a particular sport should contact the appropriate club secretary; a list of the sports captains, as well as contact details for the JCR Sports Officer, is published on the JCR website.

If a particular activity is not provided by a College Society, there may be an opportunity to participate through a University Society.

Details of these are provided by the Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU). Alternatively, where enough interest is demonstrated, a new College club may be established and become affiliated to the Amalgamation Club by a majority vote on a suitable motion at a quorate Open Meeting of the Amalgamation Club.

Multi-gym

The Lt Col Anderson Fitness Room, the College's multi-gym, is located behind the Howard Theatre. It is equipped with a range of cardiovascular and individual resistance equipment and is open to Fellows, resident junior members, and College staff.

All members are required to attend an induction session before they can use the equipment and, for safety reasons, there must be a minimum of two people in the multi-gym at any one time.

The cost of an induction and annual membership (per academic year, or part thereof) can be found on the Fees and Charges page.

Accessibility information for the multi-gym can be found in our AccessAble guide. 

Please e-mail college-office@dow.cam.ac.uk for information regarding upcoming induction sessions.

Communal sports equipment

Certain sports teams have their own equipment and kits. These may be used by any member of the Amalgamation Club with the consent of the captain of the relevant sports club.

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