Varsity has just finished in the city of Leeds where the University of Leeds faced Leeds Beckett University in a series of head-to-head battles in almost every sport imaginable. The University of Leeds finished on top 64-52, finishing ahead of Beckett for a second year in a row, but despite its competitive nature, varsity means much more to the students than just the results.
To an outsider of the University, it can be understood why it might be confusing as to why people care so much about the whole varsity event, but they may not know the depth in the planning that goes into the event, the closeness it brings to the teams and then how exciting it is for the fans who get to watch and cheers on their friends as they try to get one up on the opposite universities. Varsity gives a sense of togetherness to all the students studying in the city and gives them a chance to relax due to the timing of it being near exams, especially at huge rugby match at Headingley Stadium that’s watched by thousands to top it all off.
Talking about the depth some more, planning for the whole thing starts months and months before it actually takes place as they prepare to try and make every event better than the last. Jo Manyan, the student sports manager at Leeds Beckett, laid out the details about the effort that gets put into it and what the event brings each year.
She said: “It is hard work, we work on varsity throughout the year, when the BUCS seasons finish, it’s constantly what I’m doing and sometimes its hard work and a lot of effort, but when you get to varsity and you see the amazing experience, the students get to play in front of crowds that they’ve not played in front of and you see the bonding, that’s what makes it worthwhile for me.”
Another thing that shows the magic of varsity is the fact that a lot of these athletes don’t get very large crowds during their seasons, but at varsity, they get this opportunity that for some can be once in a lifetime, especially for the huge rugby game played at the Headingley Stadium.
Manyan said; “It’s just a competition that the students can look forward to, for some of them it’s the pinnacle of their career.”
When speaking to the students, you get the sense of how serious they take everything and the friendly rivalry it creates with the other university. After the men’s Basketball game took place, Leeds Becketts centre Reece Warme showed how happy he was and how serious the students take the game.
He said, “It feels good to get a win, especially when it’s against your rivals, they won last year so it’s a good win to try and bring Beckett back on top.”
However, it’s not just the students who play in the big games that appreciate it, varsity is able to shine a light on the less popular sports and give people a chance to learn more about them, such as korfball.
One student who played in the korfball match said,” It definitely brings more support, cause both teams are from Leeds, so it helps to bring the community together.”
Overall, varsity is a place that is planned to the finest detail and a time and place where students, alumni and even the lecturers can get behind their universities to experience things that they can’t experience in any other place. One thing that shouldn’t happen is that it shouldn’t be downplayed.
