Leeds will host Frank Morton Sports Day 2018

LASER quest, crazy golf and sledging were all parts of a successful bid by the University of Leeds to host the 2018 Frank Morton Sports Day. Over 3,000 chemical engineering students from the UK and Ireland are expected to compete in next year’s event, which promises more sports than ever before.

The annual sports day will be held on February 2018 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, UK, and will also include a recruitment fair and evening’s entertainment in the city’s buzzing nightlife.

Frank Morton, a prominent chemical engineering professor, founded the competition in 1961, when he organised a football match between chemical engineering departments at Birmingham University and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. Since then, it has grown significantly to include sports such as badminton, lacrosse and even quidditch.

The president of Leeds’ 2018 bid, Matthew Powders, said: “We’re elated to have won the bid for the Frank Morton Sports Day in 2018. We’re a dedicated team of chemical engineering students and truly passionate about delivering a great event that our students will remember.

“The bid is ambitious, and we’re all determined to deliver the greatest Frank Morton yet – with new sports and fantastic venues it will be a celebration of why Leeds chemical engineering department is a great place for students.”

The University of Leeds School of Chemical and Process Engineering currently has over 1,000 students from 70 countries, making it one of the largest integrated engineering schools in Europe.

IChemE’s director of communications, Andy Furlong said: “The Leeds team submitted an excellent bid, which showed great attention to detail and made the most out of the extensive facilities available to students in the city.

'It’s a great opportunity, not just for students; but also for companies to exhibit at the recruitment fair and meet some of the brightest and the best chemical engineering students in the UK. IChemE will be joining in the fun once again in 2018, with useful advice for students and lots of free stuff.'

The Leeds organising committee is taking the reins from Loughborough University, which hosted the sports day in 2017. Plans are being finalised for the event, and companies interested in being part of it can get in touch with the team via: frankmorton2018@gmail.com

More information about the Frank Morton Sports Day