For Jack Bond (Sports Officer at Newcastle) and Louis Farish (Northumbria VP of Sport), bringing the event back is exciting, but it also brings uncertainty. What sort of reception will it get from both new and returning students? Will enough people buy tickets? And above all, how will the reunion of Varsity affect the students who are supposed to be at the centre of the event?
The ticket price will still be £5, even though the event is not expected to make a profit, since this aligns with its broader objective. Varsity is meant to be an event *for and by students*, not a commercial show. Its aim is to reproduce the spirit of previous Varsity events while also giving a new generation of students their first experience of university sport.
For Jack, this is closely linked to one of his major pledges from his election speech: a "sense of belonging". Since university can be a rather isolating experience, especially for students who have moved to a new city without a group of friends, he thinks sport can create a sense of community. Even for people who have never seen themselves as particularly sporty.
We know that sport does so much for those involved in the action of it.
Jack also thinks sport is a vehicle for belonging because it brings people together and lets a community share a memory. ‘We know that sport does so much for those involved in the action of it, but it should never be underestimated the power of just being present and what it could do for someone.’
Louis Farish also had similar thoughts. He stated that he was ‘really excited to see Kingston Park Varsity take place during Big Welcome Week this year.’ For him, this is not just a sporting event; it’s a real ‘welcome to Newcastle event’ and a chance for students to immediately feel part of the Northumbria community and experience the rivalry with the Russell Group university. He also stated that ‘it has the potential to create an amazing atmosphere and set the tone for the whole year’.
That is why the organisers want to extend their appeal to students who are already taking part in Athletic Union clubs, and those who aren’t. The Clash is seen as a chance to get students interested in university sports and to encourage them to take that first step toward getting involved in the sporting community.
Reaching Kingston Park, on the other hand, can seem like an obstacle. Students who do not know the city or the stadium might find it intimidating to get there on their own at a big sports ground. A suggested solution is to arrange group travel so students who feel intimidated going alone can meet at a central location and travel together. The objective is straightforward: make attending feel less like walking into a strange crowd and more like joining one.
The objective is straightforward: make attending feel less like walking into a strange crowd and more like joining one.
Jack admits he is worried about how things will turn out, since there is always some uncertainty when something of this magnitude takes place. "In the case of such events, you naturally think about whether or not people are going to get involved."
The sporting programme is intentionally focused; this game will include the men's rugby team, with the organisers aiming to get a viewpoint from the captain or vice-captains. The women's rugby team is also exploring options for its own main match, and talks of a joint event are still ongoing.
‘The boys are really excited for another opportunity to showcase ourselves at Kingston Park next week’, stated Cam Ellis, captain for the Men’s Rugby Union 1VX. ‘We've had a really good pre-season, Varsity was a great experience last year, and it is a great opportunity to get a massive crowd in to support the team. Hopefully we can come away with another victory and make a strong start to the season’.
The boys are really excited for another opportunity to showcase ourselves at Kingston Park next week.
Something we'll really miss is the cheerleading side of the game. Due to lack of time, the Newcastle Angels and the Northumbria Northstars won’t be able to perform during half-time, but they are really excited to support the players from the sidelines and do their iconic pom-pom tunnel before the game begins.
The Clash is more than a rugby match; both universities have revived a tradition that disappeared during the pandemic by holding a major joint event to close the Big Welcome weekend.
For new students, it might be their first proper experience of Newcastle's sports culture, while for returning students it offers the chance to recover something that was lost.
If The Clash is a success, its greatest achievement might be only weakly connected with the final score; it might merely be that more students are able to get through the gates, into the crowd and, in the end, into the clubs which make university feel like home.