Intramural sports

Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise.^[1] The term, which is common in North America,^[1] derives from the Latin words intra muros meaning "within walls",^[2][3] and was used to describe sports matches and contests that took place among teams from "within the walls" of an institution or area. The term dates to the 1840s.^[2][3] It is contrasted with extramural, varsity or intercollegiate sports, which are played between teams from different educational institutions.^[4] The word intermural, which also correctly means "between institutions",^[5] is a common error for "intramural".^[6]

History

Elmer D. Mitchell, University of Michigan Director of Intramural Athletics, 1919

Sport within the University of Oxford and University of Cambridge in England became established in the 19th century,^[7][8][9] although the earliest references to medieval football at the universities date back to the 14th century, originating from English public school football games.^[10][11]

The first intramural sports departments were established in the United States in the 20th century at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan in 1913.^[12][13] Elmer Mitchell, a graduate student, at the time, was named the first Director of Intramural Sports at the University of Michigan in 1919. The first recreational sports facility in the country opened at the University of Michigan.^[14] Mitchell is considered the "father of intramural sports" and taught a class in intramural sports taken by William Wasson, founder of the National Intramural Association (NIA), the forerunner to the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA).^[15]

Mitchell later authored Intramural Athletics (ED Mitchell - AS Barnes, 1928), and Intramural Sports.^[16] He co-authored Intramural Sports with Pat Mueller.^[17]

Today, "intramural" tournaments are still organized within a specific community or municipal area, between teams of equivalent age or athletic ability. For example, intramural sports programs are often organized on college campuses to promote competition and fun among the students and teachers sometimes.

For most schools and campuses, intramural sports are used to promote wellness and allow students who do not compete on a national (NCAA) level an opportunity to be active.

In the United States

See also: Collegiate club sports in the United States

NIRSA: Leaders in Collegiate Recreation, formerly known as the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association, a professional organization based in Corvallis, Oregon, provides a network of more than 4,500 highly trained professionals, students and Associate Members in the recreational sports field throughout the United States, Canada and other countries. In most of the world outside North America, sports scholarships and college sports on the North American model do not exist so the distinction between college and intramural sports is not as significant.

In Canada

The Canadian Intramural Recreation Association (CIRA) organized intramurals within Canada from 1976 to 2002. CIRA Ontario has been the major intramural organization in the Canadian province of Ontario since 1969. CIRA Ontario is an incorporated, non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage, promote, and develop active living, healthy lifestyles and personal growth through intramural and recreation programs within the education and recreation communities. They fulfill their mandate through resources, workshops, conferences, newsletters, awards, and other means.^[18]

In the United Kingdom

Universities in the United Kingdom offer recreational sports within the university. At universities with constituent colleges, particularly Oxford and Cambridge (collectively termed Oxbridge) and also Durham University, recreational sport takes place between colleges ("college sport", "inter-collegiate sport" or "college teams").^[19][20][21] More generally, recreational sport within a university in the United Kingdom is often called intramural sport.^{[22][23][24][25][26]} Recreational sport exists alongside varsity matches with rival universities and inter-university competitions organized by British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS).^[27][28]

See also

• College sports
• Physical education class
• Team sport