FearLeics Varsity champions to defend unbeaten record
The sporting stage is set for a trial of skill, teamwork, determination and prowess.
More than 60 teams of students will compete in nearly 30 sports over eight days to be eventually crowned Varsity Champion – a title that the University of Leicester has won every year since records began in 2000.
Varsity kicks off on Wednesday 7 March – and you can be part of it.
This year, University of Leicester and Leicester Students’ Union invite everyone to ‘be part of it’ by joining the crowds at any of the more than sixty games taking place at venues across the city, including football, netball, basketball, tennis, badminton, squash, cricket, swimming, hockey, American football and cycling. The familiar homes of legendary Leicester sports teams will be the backdrop for many of the games, including the Leicester Tigers stadium on Welford Road and the Leicester Riders Arena.
Varsity is an annual competition which pits sports teams from the University of Leicester, commonly known as Team Leicester, against teams from local neighbours De Montfort University. Despite the rivalry which runs between students of both institutions the matches are played in good spirit and is the highlight of the year for many competitors.
Last year’s Varsity was one of the closest ever, with DMU taking an early lead but Team Leicester clawed back to victory with 30.5 points to 18.5. The Varsity Series will run until Wednesday 14 March when the games will culminate with both institutions’ basketball teams going head-to-head on the court at Leicester Arena, and a white-knuckle race down the river Soar by the boating clubs. Varsity officially ends when the cricket teams don their whites in May.