A comprehensive guide to local off-campus sport

Situated in the heart of England’s beautiful Midlands, Warwick is just a stone’s throw away from an abundance of professional and semi-professional sports teams. If you don’t fancy forking out hundreds of pounds on top of your tuition fees to access sport on campus, then make sure to check out these teams in action.

Coventry City

Needing little introduction, Coventry City are one of the region’s biggest football clubs. Currently managed by Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard, the men’s team looks set to fight for promotion to the Premier League again this season, having twice bowed out in the play-offs in recent years. tab

The club’s Coventry Building Society Arena, which owner Doug King recently purchased to put an end to two decades of turbulence and nomadism, is fairly inaccessible both from campus and the city centre, thanks to its out-of-town location and the always-cramped train service from Coventry station. But with spacious concourses and continental-style steep terraces, the matchday experience is pretty cool.

Leamington Football Club

The most obscure of the immediate local area’s footballing outfits, Leamington competes in the Enterprise National League North, the sixth tier of England’s football pyramid. The Brakes boast a storied history in the semi-professional game, having twice reached the second round proper of the FA Cup.

Like their neighbours in Coventry, Leamington’s ground isn’t the most accessible, but local bus services transport fans from the town centre to the Your Co-op Community Stadium on matchdays. The Brakes Trust also run return minibus services from Leamington railway station, which are sometimes subsidised by the club.

Following promotion in 2024, the Brakes defied the odds to retain their sixth tier status last season, even after losing star striker Callum Stewart to Shrewsbury Town in January. With most Warwick students opting to call Leamington home for their second year of studies and beyond, a Saturday afternoon could be spent much worse than at Your Co-op Community Stadium.

Coventry Blaze

If the American-style sporting experience is more your thing, then be sure to attend an Elite Ice Hockey League game during your time at Warwick. Playing their home fixtures a short walk away from Coventry train station at the Skydome Arena, Coventry Blaze compete in the highest division of ice hockey in Britain.

Expect fast-paced action, players crashing into the boards or each other, and if you’re lucky, legendary club announcer John Dalziel being ejected from the game for taking shots at the on-ice refereeing team over the public address system.

Yes, the American-influenced chants and midgame entertainment might make the seasoned British football fan cringe a little, but there is something incredibly charming about this lesser-known spectator sport in this country. With affordable tickets, the British ice hockey season being perfectly synchronised with the academic year, and the Blaze playing at home at least once a week, an evening at the Skydome is a must-do for all Warwick sports fans.