Clubs and Societies

Sports

There are a host of opportunities to join in with sport at Balliol, either with graduate teams or in teams mixed with the JCR. In particular, football and rugby teams are available and cater for most (if not all) levels of ability. How many teams of each sport there are likely to be varies from year to year depending on the level of ability/interest shown by Balliol Members.

The one sport that attracts the most participants in Balliol is Rowing. There will be a rowing team available to suit your needs and athletic ability. Do not be put off, most people are novice rowers before they arrive at Oxford. The Boat House is located on the Isis which runs adjacent to Christ Christ Meadow.

In addition, Balliol’s fluvial prowess has recently been enhanced by the foundation of the Balliol Centre for Aquatic Excellence (BCAE). This recent addition to the water-based graduate sports offering aims to provide a platform on which the most serious of aquatic athletes are able to thrive. Building on the free access to the Iffley swimming pool that Balliol MCR members are entitled to, the BCAE helps the Graduate Centre’s maritime athletes to success in other watery domains. Please do follow the BCAE’s social media channels for more information.

The University also has a club for almost every sport imaginable. Some compete at a very high level and others take all comers. There is a University Freshers’ Fair during Freshers’ Week and a Balliol Freshers’ Fair at main site where you will find all the sports clubs represented.

Music

Chapel Choir

Balliol has an active non-audition choir which sings Evensong in the chapel at 5.30pm every Sunday during termtime. They rehearse 5.30-6.30pm on Fridays and from 4pm on Sundays. The choir is very sociable, and choristers get free dinner in Hall after each service and free drinks in the Buttery after practise on Fridays. They go on tour in alternate years and often perform for special events in the college. Email the Senior Organ Scholar, if you are interested in joining.

Balliol Musical Society

Balliol has a well-endowed Music Society which puts on free chamber music concerts in Hall at 8.30pm on Sundays in even weeks. These are usually open to all and feature outstanding musicians including, recently, Andras Schiff, the Vienna Piano Trio, and Anne Schwanewilms.

The Music Society also organises outings to concerts in Oxford and London (often with subsidized tickets) and arranges small chamber ensembles to perform at the biannual members' concerts. See their website for more information about past and future concerts or to contact the General Secretary about joining.

University Music Ensembles

There are many university Music Societies and Ensembles that recruit heavily during Freshers' Fair. Most of the larger ensembles and the chamber music society are run under the auspices of the Oxford University Music Society, whose website also includes listings of non-affiliated musical ensembles in the Oxford area.