Warwick student awarded BUCS Chris Potter Award for ‘Student Volunteer of the Year’

University of Warwick student Katy O’Brien was awarded the BUCS Chris Potter Award for ‘Student Volunteer of the Year’. This award recognises a student who has made large contributions to university or community sport.

O’Brien spent the 23/24 academic year as President for the University of Warwick’s Women’s Football Club (UWWFC). The Boar Sport spoke to UWWFC about O’Brien’s impact on their club and what it meant for her to be given this recognition.

O’Brien was described by UWWFC as “irreplaceable”. She began her role as President with a 40% increase in membership in October. This saw the club reach 144 members, the highest number recorded in history.

On the pitch, she helped to secure the futsal squad’s promotion to tier 1 and secured a spot for the club to compete in a major European football tournament in Paris, where they placed in third.

Marcus Henson from Warwick’s SU emphasised how O’Brien has used UWWFC’s large membership ‘to benefit other women’s clubs across the University’

O’Brien has also created partnerships with professional clubs, one of these being Tampereen Pallo-Veiket, a professional side in Finland that UWWFC had a coaching exchange with. Additionally, local side Rugby Borough WFC have become the official partners of the University side this season.

Furthermore, O’Brien introduced walking football and made sure that UWWFC’s members could access coaching and referee qualifications accredited by the FA. To further widen participation, the ex-President launched the Intramural League and assisted members who wanted to apply for the BUCS Women’s Leadership Qualification. Three students have now been accepted onto this prestigious programme.

O’Brien has also worked tirelessly off the pitch to ensure that women’s sports at Warwick are not overlooked. She teamed up with the women’s cricket and rugby teams, alongside the Warwick Students’ Union (SU), to create a committee championing women in male-dominated sports. The launch of this committee led to the formation of the ‘Sexism in Sport Task Force’. Marcus Henson from Warwick’s SU emphasised how O’Brien has used UWWFC’s large membership “to benefit other women’s clubs across the University”.

Evidently, O’Brien has had a great impact on women’s football, and women’s sport, at the University of Warwick and is therefore extremely deserving of the BUCS Chris Potter Award.

“Katy’s tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed by those in the club, and we are so glad that her work has been recognised on a national level”

University of Warwick Women’s Football Club

UWWFC told The Boar Sport that they are proud of O’Brien’s achievements. They said: “Katy’s tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed by those in the club, and we are so glad that her work has been recognised on a national level. This award is a true reflection of Katy’s selfless nature.”

Recently, it was announced that the University of Warwick was awarded 3* status within the BUCS Football Accredited Universities programme for the 23/24 academic year. This is the highest rating that a university can attain. There is no doubt that O’Brien’s impact helped the University to achieve this.

Henson described O’Brien as leaving “a lasting legacy” on UWWFC, making her extremely deserving of being awarded ‘Student Volunteer of the Year’.