Written by Lola Kveton
London Varsity tickets are on sale now!
If you are new to UCL or just haven’t really looked into it until now, you might not know what Varsity is.
It is an institution of the UCL-KCL rivalry dating back centuries. From the day they were born, both universities have had trouble getting along with each other. One would define their relationship by “this town isn’t big enough for the both of us”. Over the decades, UCL students stole KCL’s mascot Reggie the lion, and King’s student then took it upon themselves to steal the head of our founder Jeremy Bentham.
For all of these actions ended up creating more bad press than anything, the students then came to a different arrangement to deal with their frustration: Varsity. A sporting event where the two universities fight each other in most of the sports offered by the union.
Last year – when I was still part of the “enemy camp”, a KCL student – I went to one of the most followed events of these micro-Olympics: the infamous Rugby face off.
You will have to travel a little bit via tube to get to the stadium, but it is entirely worth it – and not just because you will finally get to catch some non-polluted fresh air. Getting there, you will be able to first grab a beer (for a decent price!) and other delicacies with your mates, which you will be able to bring to the bleachers with you. And once you get there, it's like scenes from Romeo and Juliet: two opposing teams of supporters waving flags at each other from opposite ends of the stadium.
The game finally starts, people are chanting in their seats, frantically dancing awkwardly to show their love for their team and school.
Now, I am not one for sport watching or following, yet this is one of the most fun adventures I embarked on, one where you can truly feel the excitement and adrenaline filling the stadium.
Moreover, not only will you be able to enjoy a decent game, but you also be able to witness the great routines demonstrated by our cheerleaders. This year, the end game is Football.
A long procession of happy students will evacuate the premises to get on with their journey inside the London tube, where the party is already starting. Most will probably be going to the after-party and dance till down celebrating the end of yet another year rivalry and comradery: of Varsity.
You can find all the additional information on how to purchase tickets and game times on the website: