By Beds SU
Tuesday, 21 March 2023
A brief history
The 2018/19 academic year saw the end of a long-standing matchup against the University of Hertfordshire and ushered in, what would be the start of a budding new rivalry against none other than the University of Northampton.
The first edition was held in 2019 at our very own Bedford campus and with strong performances across the day, we came out victorious and won the coveted Varsity Trophy. This sparked the beginning of a new rivalry as Northampton would not forget. As a result of the pandemic in 2020, Varsity was cancelled and did not happen again until last year. This time, we took the trip to Northampton in an attempt to retain the Varsity Trophy. Unfortunately, as a result of some strong performances by our new rivals, we couldn’t defend the title and lost the Trophy to the hosts.
But it is a new year and Varsity is back! The third instalment in the story is ready to be written and the rubber match is on. The University of Bedfordshire vs the University of Northampton. Tied 1-1. Who breaks the deadlock? Not long left until we find out…
What to expect this year
This year, Varsity is being held at the Bedford Campus and it’s a free to enter event for all students! 12 teams will be competing against each other from both institutions. However, it is more than just bragging rights on the line as the winner will also contribute wins to the overall university total and the university with the most wins will win the coveted Varsity Trophy and extend the lead to 2-1 in the series.
This year the University of Bedfordshire student athletes will be led by Varsity Captains Erin Wilkinson and Taylor Richardson as they look to recapture the Varsity Trophy. The action will begin with Swimming at 9pm on the 24th March at Trinity Pool before the rest of the scheduled matchups take place on the 29th. For more information regarding scheduling, follow the University of Bedfordshire Sport Instagram and Twitter page or visit the website.
There is also a free Varsity t-shirt on offer so be sure to get yours by clicking here.
There will be food and drinks on sale throughout the day so you can really immerse yourselves in the Varsity experience! The day isn’t finished after the final whistle is blown. Make sure to join us in The Hub from 9:30pm for the Varsity After Party with DJ Kieron Faruquee to close out the night in style!
Top tips to enjoy the Varsity experience
Our top tips to having the best Varsity experience are as follows:
Sign up for the free travel buses from Luton to Bedford run by the University here
Collect your Free Varsity T-shirt here
Follow the University of Bedfordshire Sports socials listed above and #NVBVARSITY to keep updated with the latest Varsity news
Follow the 12 clubs team pages - Swimming, Archery, Football (M), Netball, Volleyball, Football (W), Basketball, Cheerleading, Rugby, Hockey, Futsal
Make sure you eat and drink to keep your energy up and stay hydrated. Supporting is no easy task!
Join us for the Varsity Afterparty in The Hub from 9:30pm
If you do all these things, you can be sure that, you’re experiencing the Varsity experience to the fullest!