With Sheffield Varsity coming up this month, Forge Press has done a deep dive into the history of the beloved event – right back to the very first edition…
The story of Sheffield Varsity started in 1997, where the inaugural edition was hosted by the University of Sheffield. All the events took place over one day, and the hosts overcame Hallam 9-5.
It was hailed as a great success, and sixteen sports were played by people of all genders, and ‘at any merit level’.
The next edition, hosted by Hallam, was less of a success: A golf club couldn’t be found, Hallam failed to show up to the swimming event, Uni of’s captain forgot the water polo existed and, as The Steel Press’ (our predecessors) sports editor snarkily put it, “the facilities at Goodwin and the Cofield Pool were required as Hallam, despite running numerous sports-oriented degree courses, do not have the facilities”.
Good to see that the rivalry was just as deep even when many of us weren’t even born yet!
Uni of had the last laugh that year too, in a huge 10-2 victory on ‘Varsity Day’ – badminton, sailing and squash were amongst the big events, with no sight of ice hockey.
Despite early Uni dominance, the noughties were very much maroon, and Uni of had a nine-year drought: the only Varsitys not won by Hallam between 2004 and 2012 were the 2008 and 2009 editions, which culminated in historic draws – the only times it has ever happened.
Varsity 2024 is finally here! 🏆
With Ice Hockey, American Football, Athletics, Cycling
and Trampolining fixtures all taking place, this week is
not one to miss!Last minute tickets are on sale for Wednesday's Ice
Hockey, don't miss out! pic.twitter.com/0Gilgy4zi1— University of Sheffield Sport & Physical Activity (@sheffunisport) March 18, 2024
Taking place in 2006, ‘Varsity X’, as it became known, was the tenth edition, and marked a huge change in the structure.
Much more like today, the fixtures took place over the course of 13 days, rather than just one, with the then-Uni Sports Officer, Tom Howard, saying the idea was to have “a proper festival style atmosphere”.
This was the time period where there were actually two Varsitys, as there was such a thing as ‘Winter Varsity’ for a few years. This was the only time that Uni of had any success for a long time, winning the 2008 edition.
The showpiece event in recent years has been the ice hockey, boasting crowds upwards of 8,000. While Winter Varsity existed, the sport wasn’t even part of the main event, with football fixtures at Hallam FC or Bramall Lane, and later Hillsborough, taking the crown.
The overall leaders were Hallam for a long time, but Uni finally overtook them in 2019 to be the side that have won the most Varsitys – and the lead has only been extended since then.
Nowadays, of course, it’s a team affair: both universities host events, a far cry from the nineties, where it was all at one uni, on one day.
That “proper festival style atmosphere” that Tom Howard spoke of back in 2006 can very much be felt today, with thousands of students flocking to Hallam’s Sports Park, Uni of’s Octagon and the ‘neutral ice’ of the Sheffield Arena.
Hallam is often the side that wins the ‘big’ events – boxing, football and ice hockey – but Uni won all three in 2023, as part of a huge, comprehensive victory, that may have brought back memories of the 10-2 thrashing of ‘98.
In fact, Uni of won the ice hockey for the very first time in 2023, with Yuki Higuchi’s historic penalty save putting an end to almost two decades of hurt for those in black and gold.
Speaking of history, Uni of could, this year, make it the first time that either side has won ten editions in a row.
The Coronavirus caused 2020 and 2021 to be cancelled, but Uni’s winning streak stretches back to 2013, which was then the first win in ten years, causing wide-spread celebrations in this half of the city.
The Steel City rivalry runs just as deep now as it did all those years ago.
We’ve been bringing you coverage of every single Sheffield Varsity, in our various forms, and we’ll continue to provide insight and reports of the 2024 edition across our platforms.
Varsity kicks off with a Sheffield Arena curtain-raiser on Wednesday, 20 March with the ice hockey, and finishes on Wednesday, 24 April at the brand-new Canon Medical Arena.