The unmistakeable sky blue jacket of the Hawks’ Club has, for many Cambridge students, connotations of institutionalised elitism and an arrogant core of laddish jocks. However, the stigma and stereotypes attached to the Hawks’ Club are seemingly unwarranted as the club promotes itself as an accessible venue with a relaxed atmosphere where the celebration of sporting achievement is always top of the agenda.

Since being established in 1872 the Hawks’ Club has been the meeting place for generations of top athletes including sporting luminaries such as Rob Andrew, Michael Atherton and Chris Brasher. Membership of the prestigious club is open to anyone who has represented the University in a Varsity fixture against Oxford; the spurious claims that club membership is decided through having the right background or ‘connections’ are ostensibly based on nothing more than ignorance. Indeed, the mistaken impression that the all-male club is filled with initiations and drinking games, coupled with the honorary memberships given to Prince Philip and Prince Charles, have arguably made the club an easy target for accusations of exclusivity and privilege. The Hawks’ Club President Ilia Cherezov vehemently rejects these criticisms and believes the club is now a friendly environment that welcomes any elite athletes from around Cambridge, including international students and players of minor sports, “There is a deep mutual respect between all two hundred resident Hawks, regardless of their chosen sport, and a great sense of communal pride in every sporting success.”

The current Hawks’ Club committee are determined to continue to dispel any myths surrounding perceived restrictedness by making the club appear more inviting and offering guided tours of the building. The club is hoping to give exposure to the availability for non-members to hold functions and prop up the bar alongside Blues members, as Ilia states, “If they are accompanied by a Hawk anyone is welcome to come and enjoy the club’s special Hawk Burger with their friends. We try and make it is as comfortable as possible with no dress code and a subsidised bar”. Charities and the local community have also benefited from club initiatives as the annual May Ball, in conjunction with members of the Ospreys, last year raised £4,000 for ‘Right to Play’ which aims to help disadvantaged children access sporting initiatives. In addition, Hawks’ are often visible around Cambridge helping with club nights in order to boost links with the local town and, like every other student, to sample the delights of the city’s night life.

Ultimately, for members of the club the celebration of sporting success is paramount and notions of elitism are outdated as there is a real eagerness to “promote the club to the rest of the University as a relaxed and friendly atmosphere”. The next generation of sporting talent is already emerging from the Hawks’ club with a number of former members competing in the Olympics and first class cricketer Zafar Ansari potentially a star of the future. Overall, there is hope that strengthening the links between the Hawks’ Club and the student population will help boost support at University fixtures and perhaps encourage even more sporting achievement in the future.