It’s safe to say Mark Brian knows a thing or two about university sport. Combine over a decade leading the biggest student sports programme in Europe with BUCS, plus 7 years at the helm of Britain’s highest ranked team sport university - and the result is a truly glittering set of credentials. This January, Brian traded the athletic prowess of Durham purple for a fresh light blue challenge, plunging himself into a directorial position that faces both unparalleled obstacles and vast opportunities.

After all, just how do you spearhead the sporting blueprint of an institution where excellence is ordinary, terms last a manic eight weeks, and incessant academic pressure looms indomitably large? Speaking to Brian mere weeks into his lofty assignment, it would have been utterly unreasonable to have expected all the answers, yet I was quickly taken aback by his keenly perceptive understanding and total embrace of Cambridge’s highly distinctive sporting landscape. An ever-affable and candid presence, Brian’s responses bled genuine sincerity, not to mention a wholehearted enthusiasm for all that awaits in the role.

With the hostilities of Varsity season firmly upon us, I was keen to see whether Brian had been swept onto the rivalry bandwagon just yet. “Ah yes, GDBO with an expletive, or so I’ve heard!”, he laughs, adding: “ I’ll definitely get into the slightly partisan opportunities that arise, I’m sure.”. Playful jibes aside, Brian had clearly bought into the Varsity buzz, recognising: “Clearly, for many, many, that fixture is the be all and end all of sport here, and I can completely understand why it is so attractive. It is an absolutely unique set of circumstances that the two universities have, and what a fantastic opportunity.”.

“Ah yes, GDBO with an expletive, or so I’ve heard!”

Being at the apex of academia for centuries certainly brings its sporting rewards - Cambridge students compete in some of the world’s longest running fixtures, perform at iconic venues, and even receive televised coverage - but such a weight of scholarly brilliance comes with its difficulties, too. As Brian was to discover at the earliest possible opportunity, there is one priority here that inevitably forces its way above the rest. “During the interview process, I spoke with (Blues players) about whether sport played a part in their choice to go to Cambridge. And every single one of them said no!”. Quick to empathise with the constant juggling act Cambridge’s athletes have to perform, Brian acknowledged: “The challenges are more stark for students here. Academic flexibility is always something that plays on the minds of the sports students. It’s a complete misnomer, that it’s just Wednesday afternoons.”.

A quick glance at the overall BUCS standings for 2024-25 shows Cambridge occupy a very respectable 23rd place, having racked up a tad under 2000 points across 53 sports. Yet these impressive numbers pale in comparison to Brian’s former posting; Durham sit 3rd nationally and are currently galloping towards a staggering 5000 points - all while ranking among the very upper echelons of academic league tables. So what exactly gives Durham such a marked edge in elite sport, and might Cambridge have a lesson to learn?

“At Durham there was no compromise on academic attainment, but there were formally recognized mechanisms right across the university that would enable student athletes to take time off from study, from lectures, and from tutorials - and a mechanism for them to catch up.” Alongside these wide-reaching forms of support, the university would enlist its top talent right from the get-go: “We had a staff member that looked at every successful UCAS application and filtered them for anything that mentioned sport. And then we’d look at the level, and decide whether (Team Durham) should have a conversation with them.”. Proactivity so often translates to success, and Brian reveals that Durham also “had a very good postgraduate recruitment tool. If we went out and found three or four volleyball players in America, we would speak to the Business School because that’s what they would probably want to come and do, and - as long as they had the grades - they would generally get an offer.”.

Although performance sport perhaps inevitably snatches the limelight, it’s actually the mass-participation and wellbeing opportunities that Brian is most eager to cultivate in Cambridge. “It feels like we’re on the cusp of something really big with the Active Students and Staff programme, and the Give it a Go sessions. We’re working hand in glove with Student Services and their support teams to look at how we roll them out, and how sport can be a central part of the university's broader well-being strategy - it’s really exciting stuff.” As Brian perfectly encapsulates: “Sport at whatever level can play a really important part in decompressing from a very intense eight weeks of term, and students need that outlet.”.

“The challenges are more stark for students here”

Brian’s keen appetite for improvement hardly ends there, with capitalising on alumni networks and developing fresh facilities up next on his hit list. “We’ve got a nice base (of physical activity spaces), but we are at capacity.”, Brian discloses. However, “a real opportunity” could await in Cambridge West: “We’ve got a big tract of land there that has outlined planning permission for sports facilities. I need to really think hard about what we can do with that space, how we can best utilize it.”. It’s not just untapped lands that are out there for university sport to reap the benefits from - there’s also a wealth of untapped minds too. “We really need to re-engage that fantastic network of people that have come here, played sport, and have gone on to do amazing things. Not just for giving, but for students; for careers advice, for development, for mentoring, for leadership opportunities.”.

And finally, though he may now be Director of the Light Blue operation, where do Brian’s deepest sporting loyalties lie? “I support Stoke City, so you can take that or leave it with regards to whatever you think about my knowledge of sport if I support Stoke,” he quips with a wry smile. Even if his football team are desperately scrapping for their Championship survival, one thing’s for certain - in Mark Brian’s immensely capable hands, the horizon looks bright as ever for Cambridge University sport.