The annual Varsity press conference was held at The Headingley Stadium on the 13th March 2024. It was an occasion which marked the preparation for the most anticipated sporting event in the student calendar.
Sports teams from both Leeds Beckett and The University of Leeds gathered to talk all things Varsity. From reflecting on last year’s event, discussing the rivalry of the fixture, and predicting who will come out on top, the press conference is where the athletes get to talk the talk before walking the walk.
The key talking point of the event is always the rivalry between the two universities. The rooted desire to bring home the bragging rights from all involved, whether that’s fans or players is what drives the excitement of the event.
Whether you bleed green or purple, varsity makes students come together to celebrate a year of sport, so despite of the colours you wear, the sense of community and the positive relationships created is what makes the event so special.
With Leeds varsity on the horizon, the event is renowned for being about the fierce rivalry stemming back to 2004, but it’s also about the friendship and camaraderie that comes with it. Amidst the competition, the balance of friendship and the competitiveness to win creates an emotional rollercoaster on and off the field.
Izzy train from Leeds Beckett netball and Gemma Lant from Uni of Leeds netball certainly know this feeling.
With the pair playing together away from university at Leeds Rhinos netball, it has allowed them and other netballers from the rival universities to form a bond competing against other clubs in Yorkshire and come together as a team.
Train however stressed the importance of not letting their friendship get in the way when it comes to varsity: “We’re all friends and all want to stay friends but it’s the switching off. When we’re warming up and smiling that has to stop just because we need to get in the mindset.”
Lant added: “Me and Izzy play opposite positions so at varsity we will be up against each other even though we play on the same team every weekend, we train with each other twice a week, but at varsity you do have to switch your brain off.”
The theme of friendship as well as rivalry branched across many sports at the varsity press conference with netball not being the only sport where athletes have the chance to shine outside of university.
Cricket is one of these sports with the MCCU being a UK university cricket programme which spots talented men and women student athletes across the country. These selected students from the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett get the opportunity to play for the Leeds/Bradford MCCU.
When it comes to varsity, Emily Patten-Hall of Leeds Beckett said: “I think there is a certain factor that you’re there to win, but you are there with your mates as well, so I think it’s very 50/50.”
Patten-Hall went on to say that “It’s quite nice to know who you’re going to come up against, and you already have quite a good bond with those people as well, so it’s nice to play against them and it’s a bit of a rivalry as well.”
With Varsity drawing ever closer, the press conference gave athletes and sports teams the chance to share their personal excitement for the event as well as talking about their achievements over the season. It also generated a buzz and built anticipation for the athletes regardless of being friends or fiends.
So, despite some players being friends with the opposition, one thing that’s for sure is the want to win for all athletes involved. Captain Madison Hunting from Leeds Beckett rugby union said: “It’s (varsity) something we all look forward to each year no matter how the season goes in BUCS, so every year everyone’s trying to push for that shirt coming to the end of the season to play varsity in, in front of the big crowd.”
Vice-captain Elsbeth Innes from Leeds Beckett women’s rugby union added: “There’s definitely an added excitement… as this year this will be our one and only game against them… we’re had a lot of build up and I think that will show on the pitch.”
With the press conference done and teams preparing to piece together their finishing touches in training, we wait to see whether the long-standing rivalry will cancel out all smiles on the day.
