Sports & Societies
Wolfson College boasts a wide range of clubs, sports teams and societies, all of which are overseen by the Social and Cultural Committee (SCC).
AMREF Health Africa is the largest health development NGO on the continent of Africa, and has been the College’s chosen charity for nearly 40 years. Wolfson’s support contributes to AMREF’s research activities, the training of healthcare professionals, the provision of laboratory and health infrastructure, and clinical outreach and education. This includes the ‘Wolfson/AMREF Bursary’, which makes available £3,000 each year for the assistance of students taking AMREF’s healthcare and medical training courses in Nairobi.
The Wolfson/AMREF Group was formed in 1992 to coordinate fundraising. The group is responsible for organising events including the famous Wolfson Fireworks which take place on or around Bonfire Night every year.
The Wolfson AMREF Group is informal and friendly, and does not require a great commitment. If you are interested, then please come along to one of their termly meetings. Meetings are held at 1.30pm on Tuesday of Week 1 each term.
Get in touch.
Wolfson boasts an incredibly vibrant arts scene. Each term is packed with events including lectures, concerts, plays, competitions, dinners, exhibitions and seminars. We host artists-in-residence, often musicians, and a Creative Arts Fellow.
Wolfson also has a well-established reputation as the college in Oxford that takes contemporary art seriously. The Arts Society aims to bring together members of College, from different cultures and disciplines, who are interested in the visual arts. The Society organises exhibitions, displays, art classes and runs a picture loan scheme. The committee meets twice a term at 12.30pm on Wednesdays of Weeks 0 and 5. Find out more.
Astroclub is a new society formed in 2023 for Wolfsonians interested in astronomy. Meetings of the club involve talks and sessions with the Wolfson telescope – for seasoned stargazers and novices alike.
‘BarCo’ is the student committee in charge of the Cellar Bar and Games Room. One of the hubs of Wolfson’s community, the Bar is operated by trained volunteers on a rota system. If you would like to get involved, please contact the BarCo Chair.
The Cellar Bar is open to members of College and Common Room only, and any guests must be signed in. Payment can be made by University card (Battels) or debit card.
Opening Hours
- Sunday-Thursday: 20.00-23.30
- Friday-Saturday: 21.00-02.00*
- Bops: 21.00-01.30
*No music after 01.00
Wolfson College Boat Club is one of the premiere college boat clubs within the Oxford University system. The club trains year-round on the Isis and competes in regattas in Oxford and beyond. The club is open to members of both Wolfson College and St. Cross College.
Founded in 1969, WCBC is a dynamic community of students and fellows and is very active in the life of the College. Social events take place throughout the year, including crew dates, barbecues, bops, and the famous boat club dinners after each major regatta. The club has been very successful in recent years and welcomes new joiners.
Find out more.
The Wolfson Board Games Society was founded in 2017, and boasts an extensive collection – from games of strategy through to casual options for larger gatherings.
The Wolfson Choir is an inclusive, relaxed, non-auditioning choir, singing a wide range of musical styles. The choir meets every Tuesday evening during term time, from 19.00-20.30, in the Leonard Wolfson Auditorium.
No previous singing experience necessary, and all are welcome (at any point in the term). Rehearsals are followed by light refreshments.
The choir is directed by Liam Johnson. All inquiries should be sent to wolfson.choir@gmail.com.
EngSoc is a new society, formed in 2023, to bring together Wolfsonians interested in questions of engineering. The society runs regular talks and events, all of which can be found in our events calendar.
Wolfson Feminist Society provides a venue for Wolfsonians to engage in questions surrounding feminist theory and practice. The society hosts flash presentations, tea conversations, reading groups, film screenings and panel discussions.
Wolfson Film Society hosts regular screenings in the Leonard Wolfson Auditorium during term time, programming themed seasons over the course of the year.
The Foxes Women’s Football team is open to all identifying as women or non-binary from St Cross, St Anthony’s and Wolfson College. All levels of experience welcome. The team normally trains at Iffley Road Sports Centre.
The Wolfson-St Cross men’s Football team plays in the MCR (Middle Common Room) league in Oxford.
Wolfson has an active Music Society with regular concerts in the Leonard Wolfson Auditorium featuring professional musicians, including artists in residence. If you would like to get involved please email the Art Administrator.
The Punt and River Club is responsible for Wolfson’s fleet of punts and canoes. The Punt and River club organises excursions during punting season under the direction of the Admiralty.
Punts can be booked via the Hub (permit required).
The Wolfson Reading Group has run continuously since 2005, except for a break during the pandemic. There are meetings twice a term to discuss a book read by the group, before the next book is chosen for the following session. Meetings are usually around six weeks apart.
The Wolfson College Squash Club trains in Wolfson’s Squash Courts and fields teams to play in the intercollegiate squash leagues.
Wolfson College tennis club welcomes beginners to the sport as well as advanced players. Training on Wolfson’s courts, the club organises subsidised sessions with a professional coach and fields players for the University tennis league.
Wolfson participates in the University Ultimate Frisbee League, made up of weekly meets which culminates in a single-day ‘Cuppers’ event in May.
SCC
Social and Cultural Committee (SCC) meets twice a term to discuss the social and cultural life of the College and to allocate and approve money for the College’s clubs, societies and social functions. Its sub-committees include the Arts Sub-Committee, the Ball Committee and BarCo. Find out more.
Activity Funding and Grant Awards
The College provides funding to support societies and individual members through the Common Room Fund.
- The Common Room Fund can assist with the expenses of those who play in University teams (‘Blues’) and towards celebratory dinners for clubs that win the league or “Blades” at Torpids or Summer Eights. If you want to join a University Club not on offer in College we offer up to £25 per annum (maximum) per person towards that subscription. For further information please contact the Common Room Administrator.
- High Profile Grant Awards of up to £200 are available to support individual graduate students who are striving towards the peak of success in sports, music or the arts. These awards are made by the Social and Cultural Committee to applicants who demonstrate a long-term commitment to the activity.
- Arts awards are intended to contribute to travel/subsistence costs incurred in participating in national or international level competitions, festivals, workshops, performances or exhibitions. Candidates should be able to give evidence of sustained effort and high achievement in music, drama, public speaking, writing or the visual arts.
- Sports awards cover either (i) training activities for contenders for Blue/half Blue, county or national status or (ii) competition at national or international level. Applicants must demonstrate a long-term commitment to the sport and the worth of the training activity.
- All our sports clubs and societies are financed by the Common Room Fund through grants. To propose a new club or society, please complete the form below, following the Club Guidelines.
