Varsity 2014 – BACK IN TERM TIME, BACK IN SOTON

That’s right, after the organisational shambles that was last year’s Varsity Cup, the organisers for 2014 have gone back to basics. With a Southampton venue and a provisional date of […]


That’s right, after the organisational shambles that was last year’s Varsity Cup, the organisers for 2014 have gone back to basics. With a Southampton venue and a provisional date of 9th March being announced on VP Sports Development Evan Whyte’s blog, this year’s competition has been placed back firmly where it belongs.

These initial details, in particular the date, will come as a relief to many sports teams whose members were inexplicably blind-sided at last year’s event after a date outside of term time was announced. Despite this, Southampton still managed to narrowly lose; a loss which SUSU accepted, much to the disagreement of our dedicated and deserving athletes. Many are hoping that this year’s competition turn’s out to be a much more straightforward affair.

While last year’s cup did yield some impressive wins in events such as karting, roller-hockey, men’s fencing and rowing, teams such as women’s football will want to take advantage of the chance at a fair fight and avoid last year’s thrashing by actually putting out a full team. It was comical mismatches like this that made the previous year’s cup all the more farcical and adds pressure on new Sports Development VP, Evan Whyte, to get it right.

Here is what he had to say:

 After some of the issues around the Varsity date last year, me and Lucy Dowdall [AU officer] decided that a date for Varsity was key. So we decided on a date and communicated that to Pompey asap. We are happy that the date has been agreed so early, so that we can inform our clubs and put out our best team. In addition, I hope it will give us more time to deliver a high-quality event to both AUs.”

Evan has also announced that, in an effort to avoid long-winded disputes over results, there will be a dedicated Varsity committee to help solidify the rules, programme and general running of the event. This will be comprised of five members from each union and should be a welcome addition to for all concerned.

Although Southampton have now won four of the five Varsity Cups, it remains to be seen what Portsmouth have to throw at us this year, and with the previous tournament still being the subject of a never ending dispute, the competition will be fiercer than ever. One thing however, is for certain; the University of Southampton will rightfully be able to call upon their full arsenal of sports stars, a luxury that was painfully absent last time around.

Are you going to be playing at Varsity, if so are you happy with the date? What would you like to see changed from last year? Let us know in the comments section!