With efforts to advance intramural sports on campus, the University of Northern Iowa is seeing the highest number of students participating in intramurals in 10 years. 

“The mindset of the staff who oversee me has been to grow the program as much as possible. The focus has been to give the students what they want,” said Wes Privett, competitive sports coordinator at UNI. “We had really strong numbers for our top sports, so part of that growth was just to offer more of it.”

In addition to offering more semesters of a sport, the staff has also experimented each semester with new ideas. They’ve tried adjusting the number of fields used in flag football and even adding futsal (a modified form of soccer played on a smaller, indoor court) as an intramural sport for the current spring semester. “I feel like that experimentation has allowed for unique offerings that students are drawn to,” Privett said. 

A stronger marketing plan has also helped boost numbers this year. With the new mobile app, FusionPlay, students can create, manage and join intramural teams from their phones. “The implementation of our new app has allowed for ease of access when registering and getting the word out,” Privett said.

Privett and staff have examined which sports have gained popularity and offered more opportunities to push numbers even higher. In fall 2023, there were 23 flag football teams, and in fall 2024, there were 34 teams. 

“That was really great to see,” Privett says. “We also decided to offer fall 5v5 basketball and year-round indoor volleyball that helped push those numbers.” 

With the spring semester underway, there are many opportunities for students to get involved in intramural sports. Right now, the Wellness and Recreation Center is offering 5v5 men’s basketball, futsal, women’s 6v6 volleyball, and CoRec volleyball. Later in the spring semester, 4v4 flag football will start, as many students enjoyed this offer.

 If you are interested in watching instead of participating, there are a handful of one-day events and tournaments offered every Sunday throughout the academic year. For more information, you can view their schedule or page.