Start a Student Group
Here at the UPSU we boast a wide range of sports clubs and societies that any student can be involved in, and anyone is welcome to join. We offer the opportunity to start new student groups if you can’t find a society or a sports club that suits you. Take a look at our step-by-step guide on how to get your new student group started:
Step 1: Will it be different?
Ask yourself is your student group different than what the USPU currently offers? If you are unsure please take a look at our Browse Student Groups webpage. We also have some societies which are currently placed up for restarting and waiting for a new group of students to take over. Go to the Restart a Society webpage and take a look at the societies up for restarting.
If you are still unsure about your student group idea, please get in touch with the Sports or Societies department to ask our teams.
Step 2: Appoint your committee
Great, you have decided to move forward with your idea for your student group. Next you will need to appoint your committee. All student groups need to have four core committee members*:
Chair, Secretary, Health & Safety Officer and Treasurer. You may also opt to have some non-core committee roles to help run your student group as well.
*If you consider a student network you will only need to have a Chair, Treasurer and Health & Safety Officer.
step 3: gain interest in your student group
To prove that your student group is something that students want at the University of Plymouth, you will need to get 20 names and student ID's of students interested in your idea. You can include your four core-committee members in this as well! Here is a useful names and numbers template form for you to store this information on.
step 4: complete your student group paperwork
For your student group to be considered we need to know about your student group and what you plan to do if you are successful. You will need to complete these downloadable documents below.
Please note: sports clubs and societies have different development plans. Please make sure to select the right student group documents when completing.
| For Societies |
For Sports Clubs |
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These forms should be completed with your daily society activities. Once you have completed these, you need to email the forms to the societies department.
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These forms should be completed with your daily sporting activities. Once you have completed these, you need to email the forms to the sports department.
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Step 5: Set up a meeting
Once you have emailed accross your student group paperwork a member of staff will get in touch with you with some questions about your proposed student group and schedule a meeting to get to know the committee and explain the benefits of becoming an UPSU affiliated student group. From this meeting you will be informed if your student group has progressed to the approval stage.
Your society will need to have submitted all paperwork and had a meeting with the department by the 25th of each month for you to move onto stage 6. If you fait to meet this deadline then your society will need to aim for the next month for approval.
Step 6: department society approval meeting
After your meeting with the department, the department will meet and discuss all of the new societies aiming for approval for that month. The decison date on whether your society has been approved will be given to you by the end of the day on the 1st of every month*
*this is subject to change for weekends, holiday periods and bank holidays, if the decision date falls on a weekend, bank holiday or holiday period your student group will be informed on the next working day.
Step 7: congratulations you have been approved
You are now ready to start your student group and start gaining members. Your student group will be given a webpage and a bank account to get yourself started. If you are restarting an old society you may also have some money in that account to get you started. Please remember to keep in tough regularly with your department so we can assist you. We provide online training for all new committee's and are at hand to explain anything further if you need.
Perhaps consider a network (*society only)
If you are finding it difficult to get 20 members interested in your society idea, please speak to us about becoming a student network. Get in touch with societies@su.plymouth.ac.uk
Restarting a Society...
Depending on when then society was placed up for restarting, your pathway to being approved may be different. For societies placed up for restarting before September 2024 you will follow steps 2-7. If your society was placed up for restarting during the 2024-25 or after you will complete steps 2-5 as you will not need a panel decision. When registering your interest in restarting a society, a member of staff will explain to you which path you will be going down.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an “adopt” and a “new starter” group?
An adopt student group is one that has existed in previous years at UPSU but needs some new students to run it! There may be funds available from when it previously operated, and we may have some equipment/kit to get you started. This can be confirmed by the Student Communities team! A new student group is one that has never been offered by UPSU before. You will not have access to previous funds, equipment or kit. You need to make sure your idea does not clash with something that is currently on offer.
Can we set up a social media page before being approved for our group?
Yes, and this is a great way to promote your group and collect the 20 names to set up. Just make sure you put “PENDING SU APPROVAL” in your bio, as you are not affiliated as a UPSU Student Group until you are approved by the staff panel. You can post a “meet the committee”, share what you hope to do, and what your activity entails. Take a look at other student group social media pages, as they are great to take inspiration from!
I am struggling to write my student group risk assessment, what should I do?
If you are setting up a new sports club, check online to see if your sport has a National Governing Body. They will have risk assessment templates which explain how to safely run your club. You can use this information to put into our UPSU risk assessment template. If you are setting up a group and there aren’t any National Governing Bodies, or examples online, have a think about what a general session would look like. Think about what the risks may be, what could cause students harm or injury. A key thin to remember is you haven’t got to list every single thing that could hurt members. Keep this reasonable and think of things that can typically be risky. For example, if your group is a crafting group, look at which bits of equipment can be harmful. The Student Communities team will review any risk assessments and be able to provide feedback too. The best thing to do is give it a go!
How are student groups approved, and who is on the panel?
We cannot approve student groups which offer the same activity as another group. If there is any cross over in what you want to offer, we will need to go to any affected groups, and ensure this won’t impact them, first. If those student groups are worried, we will ask you to meet with us, and those groups to chat in person. The aim is to allow both groups to operate, without either group doing the same activity- this avoids confusion for any future members! If those groups are happy for you to set up, your idea will go to our approval panel. To go to panel, we need to have all of your new starter paperwork. This includes a web page template, development plan, risk assessment, code of conduct, model constitution, and your list of 20 names. If this paperwork is all complete, it will be shared with the panel, who can then approve your student group. The panel is made up of the Student Communities Team and a Sabbatical Officer.
Once we are approved, how can we get our group promoted?
Every student group is automatically allocated a stall at Welcome Week in September, if approved the previous year. We also try to accommodate new groups at the Welcome Back fair in January, which takes place in the SU building.You can also request to have a stall on the SU roof, to promote your new group. This is a great way to chat to people on their way through campus.A great way to reach a wider audience is to tag UPSU on social media, so that they can re-share your activities.
My group has been set up on the website, but I don't know how to contact students who have registered their interest or bought a membership
You can message people through the admin section of your student group webpage, once this has been set up for you! There is a messaging section, which allows you to contact individuals through their student emails, which are provided upon registering interest or buying their membership. We have online training modules which will explain how to use your student group web page, and all of the behind the scenes admin pages. The Student Communities Team are also there to help with any questions!