Recreation and Lifestyle Unit (RALU)

Recreation and Lifestyle Unit (RALU) was created in late 2015 as part of Maties Sport’s new strategy and aligned to the Stellenbosch University’s objectives of “creating a Transformative student experience; purposeful partnerships; and inclusive networks”. RALU aims to provide access to a diverse recreation and active lifestyle programme to focus on recreation and wellness for the greater Maties student experience. RALU is a unit that provides internal and external events, activities and alternative sport opportunities for the greater student and staff community. RALU’s mandate is to provide sport, recreation and active lifestyle activities for students and staff who do not form part of the High Performance and Competitive Sport codes. Its aim is to create an inclusive environment where people’s differences are celebrated, and people are able to come together, have fun and enjoy.

RALU works closely with the SRC Sport Manager who is the link between the Student Communities and Maties Sport. The unit further collaborates with Centre for Student Communities through residence clusters for the provision of Maties Recreational games to give the broader student community an opportunity to participate in shorter versions of the traditional sport codes.

RALU caters for the following recreational sport codes: Cheerleading, Ultimate frisbee, Wall Climbing, Tug of War, Volleyball, Equestrian and Judo.

RALU Annual Program

  • Welcoming festival, which is an annual event that takes place during orientation week for first year students. The purpose of the fair is to introduce the students to the extramural activities offered by Stellenbosch University, in the form of various Sport Clubs and Societies.
  • Societies Fair has a similar setup as the Welcoming Fair however the Societies Fair is mainly aimed at returning students. Maties Sport clubs and the different Societies have stalls where they showcase what they have to offer potential club members.
  • Varsity Cup Fan Park which serves as entertainment for the students attending Varsity Cup Rugby Home games before the start of the match. There are different activities which the students can participate in at the Fan Park which add to the atmosphere and entire experience of each home fixture. The aim is to provide entertainment as well as contribute to building ‘gees’, Gooi Mielies!!!
  • Maties Recreational Games are late night/ weekend sport games running between April and September providing an opportunity for students to participate in some form of sport to be active. Variations of traditional sports are played, such as Futsal, Basketball 3v3, Tag rugby etc. The games are regulated by the students themselves and the Sport Clubs provide equipment and the facilities which are used for the games.
  • Indigenous Games Day – RALU in collaboration with the Western Cape Sport Department (DCAS), hosts an indigenous games day for Stellenbosch University students. The students are given the opportunity to learn various indigenous games and compete against each other for fun. The students are grouped in teams according to their various clusters/residences. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness about the various indigenous games and for the students to be able to have some recreational fun.
  • Heritage Awareness - During heritage month RALU will create a drive to educate the university students on different cultures. Through the Centre of Student Communities, the residences will be allocated cultures to learn about and make a short video which will be posted on social media on the culture which they have learned about. The videos will be shared on the Maties Sport social media pages.
  • Active Study Break Sessions – These are activities that are organised when students are in Exam Season and during the test series, RALU in collaboration with the Maties Gym provide activities for students to participate in so that they are able to stay active during this period. A healthy body contributes to a healthy mind, which will help students with their academic performance.
  • International week of University Sport (IWUS) - IWUS is an annual event where University Sport is recognized globally. During this week University Sport is celebrated and FISU sends out communication each year stating how the different Universities can participate in the event. RALU’s role in IWUS is to communicate to Stellenbosch University students how they can participate and organize/coordinate the activities.
  • International Day of University sport (IDUS) - IDUS is a celebration of University Sport which helps multiple university sports stakeholders promote their sport events and create a dialogue about University Sport. IDUS aims to create a platform for University Sport entities to exchange ideas, practices, opportunities, and challenges which they face within the University Sport space.
  • World Walking Day - World Walking Day is an initiative coordinated by the Association for International Sport for ALL (TAFISA). It is an inclusive and accessible walk around the world which has seen millions of participants around the world in 160 different countries. World Walking Day is a global sport for all movement which aims to promote inclusive sports for all. RALU will be organizing a walk for Stellenbosch University staff and students to participate in on this day.