Sport and active wellbeing

At the University of Edinburgh, sport and physical activity are an important part of student life. Whether you’re trying something new, staying active with friends, or competing at the highest level, there are opportunities for everyone to get involved.

Gym memberships

We offer flexible and affordable gym membership options, open to all students. Whether you’re new to fitness or training regularly, our memberships give you access to outstanding facilities and expert support. 

Explore gym membership options

Club sport

Our Sports Union is home to over 70 sports clubs and more than 200 teams. From American football and archery to underwater hockey and weightlifting, there are opportunities for complete beginners through to athletes competing on the international stage.

Explore our sports clubs

Intramural sport

We run Scotland’s largest Intramural Sport (IMS) programme, offering a relaxed and social alternative to traditional club sport. Open to everyone, IMS includes informal leagues, tournaments and one-off events across a wide range of sports. 

Find out more about Intramural sport

Performance sport

Our Performance Sport Programme is one of the most highly regarded in the UK, supporting student-athletes to achieve a world-class degree alongside elite sporting performance.

We’re proud to have helped develop Olympians such as Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Katherine Grainger, and we continue to support talented athletes across a range of sports.

Find out more about performance sport

Volunteering and coaching

Develop valuable skills alongside your studies through our Coaching and Volunteering Academy (CVA). We offer a wide range of sport-related volunteering, coaching and leadership opportunities. 

Find out more about CVA

Get active

Getting active supports both physical and mental wellbeing. Our Get Active programme offers free opportunities to try new sports, learn to run 5k, or simply join a walking group in a friendly, supportive environment.

Find out how to get active

Whether you’re a performance athlete or looking to build more movement into everyday life, you’ll have access to exceptional sports facilities, services and support across the University.

Pleasance Sport Complex and Gym

The Pleasance Gym has been awarded Best Education Facility (2025) and Regional Gym of the Year (2024), recognising its world-class facilities and top-of-the-range equipment.

Facilities include:

• Over 20 gym and sport spaces
• Extensive cardio, weights and conditioning areas
• Two climbing spaces: a roped wall (The Tower) and a bouldering room (The Rock)
• Over 100 exercise classes included with membership
• Sport-specific spaces including squash, boxing, archery and shooting

Easter Bush campus

Our Easter Bush satellite gym is a 42-station facility offering a welcoming and friendly environment. Based in the Charnock Bradley Building, it features small-group exercise classes, Queenax training, spin sessions, outdoor classes and boot camps.

St Leonard's Land

• 25 metre swimming pool

Peffermill Playing Fields

Located just two and a half miles from the city centre, Peffermill is a 27-acre outdoor sports site and home to the Scottish Hockey Centre of Excellence. It offers an impressive range of training and competition facilities, including:

• Two floodlit, FIH-certified water-based hockey pitches
• 3G pitches for rugby, football and lacrosse
• Six five-a-side 3G pitches and one seven-a-side pitch
• Netball courts, grass pitches and a cricket square
• 90-metre synthetic training track

CrossFit 1583

CrossFit 1583 is the University’s state-of-the-art CrossFit gym, located at Peffermill Playing Fields. We offer dedicated CrossFit memberships, discounted for students. 

Discover our CrossFit 1583 community