December 10, 2018
March 12, 2018
Alumni sports day is back and bigger than ever before with over 20 clubs joining us for our annual friendly day of competition.
Loved your time at Leeds? Want to relive your university days? Then dust off your old kit and catch up with old teammates as we invite you to return to Leeds for a day of fixtures against our current Gryphons on Saturday 5th May.
We’re delighted to thank Endsleigh who for the second year running are the official supporters of the Alumni Sports Day 2018.
The fixtures confirmed for this year are:
University Campus:
| Team | Venue | Pitch | Time |
| Badminton | Gryphon | 3 courts | 2-5pm |
| Basketball Mens | Edge | Hall 1B | 2-4pm |
| Basketball Womens | Edge | Hall 1B | 12-2pm |
| Fencing | Edge | Hall 1A | 2-6pm |
| Handball | Edge | Hall 1 | 4-6pm |
| Korfball | Gryphon | All | 12-2pm |
| Netball | Edge | Hall 1A | 10-12pm |
| Netball Development | Edge | Hall 1A | 11-2pm |
| Squash | Gryphon | Squash Courts | 1:30-4:30pm |
| Table Tennis | Cromer Terrace | Cromer | 1pm-4pm |
| Volleyball | Edge | Gryphon | 2-5pm |
Sports Park Weetwood:
| Team | Venue | Pitch | Time |
| American Football | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| Football Men’s | Weetwood | Soccer 1 | 4pm |
| Football Women’s | Weetwood | Soccer 1 | 2pm |
| Hockey Men | Weetwood | SD1 | 4pm |
| Ultimate Frisbee | Weetwood | 3G | 1-3pm |
| Lacrosse Men | Weetwood | 3G | 4.30-6pm |
| Lacrosse Women | Weetwood | 3G | 3-4.30pm |
| Rugby Womens | Weetwood | Rugby 1 | 1pm |
| Cricket Women | Weetwood | Cricket 2 | 2pm |
Swimming & Waterpolo will take place on Sunday 6th May in The Edge pool from 3.45 – 5.15pm. An alumni rowing event will also be taking place on May 12th.
Get involved:
With over 20 sports involved, there’s plenty to see on the day. Fixtures are based either on University campus or up at Sports Park Weetwood so please feel free to spectate on the day.
Alumni can get involved by heading here to find out more and sign up.
Students, please sign up here in order to get your free alumni sports day t-shirt.
On the day:
Alumni, please be sure to register upon your arrival. Here you’ll be able to collect your free t-shirt to remember the day.
There are refreshments available to purchase on site up at Sports Park Weetwood. Plus there are a number of cafe’s/shops in close vicinity for those based on Campus.
Photo taking is encouraged, we’d love to see your team snaps! Join in the conversation either on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and use the #sportsday18.
November 17, 2017
Since it’s launch in 2015, This Girl Can has swept the nation encouraging and empowering women to get physically active. Each academic year British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) coordinate a special week of female-focused action, engaging with universities across the country.
That’s why as part of the ‘BUCS Girls Can’ week, we’re highlighting all the fantastic things you can get have a go at. Have a look at whats on offer below.
Whats on?
We’ll also be featuring one of our very own Leeds Gryphons Women’s teams as our #onetowatch on BUCS Wednesday so tune in to the @Leeds_Sport twitter account to catch the live action!
October 16, 2017
Thank you to Mark Webster for donating his time for photography: www.markwebsterphotography.com
In light of men’s mental health awareness the University of Leeds Rugby League and American Football clubs have teamed up to raise money for the James Burke Foundation and CALM. Both charities work to raise awareness of male mental health and provide support services, with the James Burke Foundation being set up in memory of a University of Leeds student.
“In April of this year we lost a teammate named James Burke to suicide. This affected not only the club but everyone who knew him. We wanted to do something to make a difference and raise awareness of mental health to make sure this never affected another club in our university again. After speaking to American Football we found out they were in a similar situation so with both clubs having been affected by mental health and suicide we decided to pull together and make a collective effort to change the stigma that comes with mental health.
We want to encourage both men and women to speak out and know that its ok, to not be ok”
Andrew Marks, Rugby League
Kyle, who was a teammate of James has written a blog about what happened and you can read it on our Leeds Sport blog.
You can support the clubs throughout November to help raise funds and awareness of mental health by getting involved in one of the many exciting events:
Clean Shave
Whats in store?
To kick off the month of events the guys from Boris&Co are coming to University Square in LUU (opposite Santander) to give out free cutthroat shaves from a professional barber (worth £25).
So if you’re planning to do Movember, or just haven’t had a shave for a while then come along and get a clean shave and throw a few coins into the donation buckets to support the mental health charities.
———————
Where? Opposite Santander, LUU
When? 1st November, 10am – 4pm, drop in whenever
Cost? Throw a few coins into the buckets to support the charities
Pizza & Pool
Whats in store?
Come and enjoy some free pizza and pool in the Loft (above Blackwells, opposite the Parkinson Building). it’s a great place to chill out with some mates and have a chat.———————
Where? The Loft, above Blackwells, opposite the Parkinson Building
When? Fridays in November 2-4pm
Cost? FreeMove for Mental Health - 4th November, 9am
Whats in store?
Support the American Football and Rugby League clubs by getting involved in the Woodhouse Moor parkrun with them. This free fun 5k run (or walk) is a great way to start your weekend!———————
Where? Woodhouse Moor, Red Boots Statue opposite the Business School
When? 4th November, 9am
Cost? FreeBirthday Game
Whats in store?
Come and watch the University of Leeds Rugby League Club take on Leeds Beckett in this Varsity re-match at Bodington Playing Fields. Taking place on the birthday of James Burke there will be a minutes pause before the match in his memory.Our University cheerleaders will also be at the match with a half time routine and following the game there will be a post match party at Pyramid in LUU, details below.
———————
Where? Sports Park Weetwood
When? 8th November, 2pm KO
Cost? FreePyramid Party
Whats in store?
Drinks, a raffle, and a player pledge auction to help raise money for both of the amazing causes that support men’s mental health awareness.
As if that wasn’t enough, freestyle dance will be performing and the cocktails that each of these teams has designed; Cool Rummings and Pornstashe Martini will be on sale at the event and throughout the whole month of November, with a pound of each cocktail sold going to the charities. Non alcoholic drinks will also be available at the bar.
This is the perfect place to start your Wednesday night and support these mental health charities.
Yorkshire Carnegie v Bristol
Whats in store?
Get down to Headingley to see Yorkshire Carnegie take on Bristol on Friday 17th November. As well as the rugby, there will be live music from Hyde Park Brass Band ahead of the game and at half time. Plus you’ll spot the boys bucket shaking around the ground raising money for our two fantastic causes. If you see them, throw a few pennies their way!
Movie Night
Whats in store?
Come and enjoy a film in the comfort of LUU, there’ll even be popcorn! American Football have chosen The Longest Yard, and Rugby League have chosen Cool Runnings. We’ll be heading to twitter to vote for the one you’d like to watch so check out @leeds_sport on Monday to get your votes in.———————
Where? Pyramid Theatre
When? Friday 24th November, Bar Open 6pm, Film Starts 6.30pm
Cost? Pay as you feelMovember Fruity
Whats in store?
Everyone’s favourite Friday night out will have a Movember twist! The American Football and Rugby League club will be there with donation buckets so make sure you drop in a few coins to support the charities and get yourself to Terrace for some pre-fruity cocktails made by the clubs; Cool Rummings and Pornstache Martini. A pound from these goes towards the charities.———————
Where? Terrace and Stylus, LUU
When? 24th November, 7pm
Cost? £4.50 for Fruity and make sure you throw a few coins into the buckets to support the charities
If you would like to donate to the charities then you can give as much or as little as you like online below.
Check out everything that’s happening by following Leeds Sport and the Clubs on social media…
October 10, 2017
Into its 13th year of the competition, Leeds Varsity 2017 was as competitive as in recent years, resulting in the Gryphon’s narrowly missing out with an overall score of 32 – 29 to Leeds Beckett University. The score reflects the closing of the gap between the two where just one or two fixtures could have clinched it for the University of Leeds.
Leeds Varsity, the ultimate university sporting competition see’s University of Leeds take on local rivals Leeds Beckett in a calendar of fixtures beginning in January and finishing with a grand finale in October. The October events kick started on the Saturday with parkrun Varsity in which 177 students, staff and alumni got out of bed at 9am to represent UoL and claim an easy victory over rivals Beckett who only managed a mere 36.
Following last year’s successful introduction, Varsity Netball returned with well over 300 spectators who cheered the University of Leeds as they took on the Beckett side who currently play in the BUCS league above. Despite a highly competitive game, Beckett came out on top to win the game 38-29.
2017 saw the introduction of another new Tuesday night event; Varsity Hockey where both the Men and Women’s first teams took to Sports Park Weetwood to battle it out for two all important Varsity points. With close results in both it was Beckett who claimed both points with the men winning 1-0 after a goal in the last five minutes. In the women’s game, the final score finished 3-1 to Beckett despite an impressive drag flick converted by the University of Leeds’ Katie Hopkisson.
The finale Wednesday was packed with intense competition and both universities battled hard against each other throughout the day. The Gryphon’s started the day off trailing 8-2 so had to work hard to try pull some points back. They dominated in the pool, effortlessly winning both the Men and Women’s Swimming gala and securing victories in both Men & Women’s Waterpolo making them undefeated for the 8th year running.
There was fierce competition elsewhere at The Edge with the University hosting the Basketball and Korfball. After some hard battled fixtures, the University came out on top in the Korfball with an impressive 13 – 4 victory. However, Beckett did the triple in the Basketball with victories in all three fixtures.
Indoor rowing, usually a certain victory for the Gryphons, ended up being voided as a fixture due to Beckett racing rowers in incorrect categories.
Over at the Gryphon Centre, the home teams took easy victories in the squash with 4-0 and 5-0 victories. It was a different story in the handball though, with Beckett securing wins in both the men and women’s games.
Meanwhile up at Sports Park Weetwood, it was evenly match in the women’s football with the Gryphons 3rd team taking a 2-1 victory, the 2nd team just missing out as a result of penalties, and the 1st team losing 2-1. In a dramatic extra time finish, the Women’s Lacrosse team edged the victory over their rivals 6-5. A comfortable win in both Men’s Hockey games added two points to the Gryphons tally.
Down the road at Beckett, the university netball teams put in a sterling performance with wins from the 3rd and 4th teams with the 2’s only just missing out 35-33. Beckett used the home turf advantage with a white wash of victories in all 6 tennis matches for the second year in a row. Playing away didn’t deter volleyball with 3-0 wins in both men and women’s fixtures.
The Varsity day culminated with the men’s rugby union finale at Headingley Carnegie Stadium. In an unusual year with the crowds separated behind the goal posts, the overall scores were nail bitingly close leaving the rugby union side going out on to the field trying to reduce the gap to just a single point. The boys put in a valiant effort but it was a physical, league above, Beckett side who pulled away with a 29 – 8 victory.
Claiming that final Varsity point settled the scores at 32 – 29. Congratulations to Leeds Beckett University for their overall victory and well done to all players, coaches, volunteers, staff and spectators for the huge commitment and dedication to Leeds Varsity 2017. Thank you also to RAG for raising an impressive £362 for a fantastic cause, State of Mind, and to our student media societies for their coverage of the game.
A full list of the results can be found here, and keep an eye out on our social media channels for photo’s and videos from the day.
September 5, 2017
Leeds Varsity are excited to announce a brand new event in the 2017 series. Varsity Hockey will see the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett University battle it out for two Varsity points on the Tuesday evening the night before Wednesday’s Big Finale.
With both the women and men’s teams taking to the field, the event is set to be an evening of fierce competition. Given the clubs are two of our largest sports societies, the atmosphere is set to be electric. Even if you’re not familiar with the game, there will be commentary to keep you informed on the game and more importantly, the score.
To keep you entertained, there will be performances from LUU’s Freestyle Dance and Leeds Beckett Dancers on the night. Refreshments will be available from Dodsons catch Fish & Chips, our exclusive caterers for the evening, and drinks will be available from the view bar.
When? Tuesday 3rd October. Gates open 6pm. Women’s 1st XI pb 6.45pm, Men’s 1st XI pb 8pm.
Where? Sports Park Weetwood. Limited parking is available on a first come first served basis or the venue can be easily accessed by the number 1 or 6 bus from outside Parkinson steps for just £1 with your student card.
How much? FREE
If that’s not enough to convince you, hear from the club captain of the women’s hockey club herself, Molly Bret:
“We are extremely excited to be hosting the new hockey opener event this year! With all the hard work gone into planning the event we are sure it’s going to be a great evening and it would be great to see as many people there as possible. So please wear your uni colours, show your support and we will do our very best to grab hold of that much desired varsity point!”
To find out more about other Varsity events, head to the official Varsity Website or head to the Leeds Varsity social media channels; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
August 15, 2017
Leeds Varsity are excited to announce that following last years success, Varsity parkrun is back for 2017.
If you’ve always wanted to be involved with the greatest sporting event in the university calendar, you can! So how does it work?
Each runner and volunteer will score a point for their University, the University with the most points wins parkrun Varsity.
When? Saturday 30th September, 8.30am
Where? Woodhouse Moor
How? Register with parkrun then simply turn up on the Saturday morning wearing your University colours to take part. Staff, students and alumni are welcome. parkrun is a 5km run which you can take as slow or as fast as you like. If you are keen to get involved but can’t run, don’t worry, you can volunteer for your University and you’ll still count towards your universities total. There will be 3 funnels after you’ve finished, you simply need to make your way down the funnel allocated to your University and hand in your token.
Who wins? You will only score a point for your university if you register and wear your University colours. The University with the most participants (runners and volunteers) will be the parkrun Varsity champions!
Helpful Information for on the day
- Register beforehand
- Print off and bring your barcode
- Leave bags and coats at the finish line not the start line
- Get to the start line for 8:50am
- Please listen carefully during the run briefing
- It’s a run not a race, you’re an ambassador for your university. Please be considerate to other runners and park users
- Wear your university’s colours, GREEN for Uni, PURPLE for Beckett.
- Try to seed yourself on how fast you think you’ll be able to complete the run
- Cross the finish line the third time it comes into sight
- After crossing the finish line stay in order until given a finish token
- Get your barcode and finish token scanned at your University-specific scanning station
May 13, 2017
On Wednesday 3rd May, players, coaches, students and staff from Leeds Sport celebrated a fantastic year of sporting achievements. The Sports Colours Awards dinner was a fabulous evening, just one of many nights that made up the over arching celebrate week, which culminates with Friday nights grand finale; The Riley’s.
The evening was opened by host Activities officer Taiwo Ogunyinka alongside Sports, Dance, & Martial Arts Reps Ruan, Lauren, and Sam. This lead us in to the first awards of the evening, Club Colours, presented by the reps and Full Colours, by Sports Coordinator and BUCS guru, Rob Fairley. These are awarded to individuals who have gone above and beyond for their society or who have consistently performed highly for their team. This year there were a phenomenal 101 Club Colours awarded showing the fantastic commitment of Leeds Sport club members. There were also a huge 40 Full Colours awarded highlighting the talent of the athletes here at the University.
After a wonderful meal provided by the University of Leeds refectory, attendees were treated to a sensational performance by Dancesport to open the second half of the evening. The performance set a fantastic tone to the evening and showcased the talent among our dancers here at Leeds. The Sports Colours Awards evening also allowed Leeds Sport to celebrate its strength and depth of Sport Scholars whom it supports throughout their time at University.
Following these celebrations, we awarded this years White Rose and Gryphon Award winners who again have excelled either through commitment to their club or their performing excellence respectively. This years White Rose winners were:
- Olivia Carter (Squash)
- James Nicholson (Hiking)
- Ayesha Lee (Cricket)
- Shona Macloud (Football)
- Frances Robbs de la Hoye (Rugby)
- Will Carter (Ultimate Frisbee)
- Grace Galbraith (Dancesport)
- Tom Harding (Rugby Union)
- Jack Bullock (Football)
- Natasha Shafquat (Hockey)
- Luke Bowen (Snowriders)
- Ciaran Lennon (Ice hockey)
- Nigel Sibanda (Volleyball)
And our Gryphon Award winners, were:
- Rachel Newborough (Football)
- Rosie Blout (Cycling)
- Robert White (Ultimate Frisbee)
- Fionnuala Crosbie (Netball)
- Ciara Crosbie (Netball)
- Savvas Hadjigeorgiou (Hockey)
- Felix Titherley (American Football)
- Josh Blower (Lacrosse)
- Sarah Donnelly (Kick boxing and Krav Maga)
This lead in to our top 9 awards for the evening beginning with 2 new awards; Social League Team of the Year which was awarded to Law Netball, and the newly introduced this year Gryphon Leadership Award, awarded to Hannah Clarke for her outstanding contribution to the Netball Umpire Academy. The next two rewarded our coaches for their hard work to get the teams to where they are. This years Sue Jacklin Club Coach of the Year went to Hockey’s Chris Golding who coached 3 of the hockey clubs teams this past year. Our Mike Brook Performance Coach of the Year went to Women’s Cricket head coach Rick Holland who has gone above and beyond his role in the past 12 months to deliver an excellent coaching experience to the Women’s Cricket Club and the newly formed Women’s MCCU side.
Most Improved Athlete of the Year was awarded to Rowing’s James Boak who since starting rowing from scratch in 2016, was selected for the Club’s new group of ‘Performance Scullers’. In November James entered the National BUCS Indoor Rowing Series, where he placed Silver in the whole of Great Britain, an achievement which no one from Leeds has done on recent records. He has continued to break other Club records, posting the best 30 minute time on the rowing machine to date. He is driven and always gives his all. He is now setting his goals towards the water.
The Chris Hatton Most Improved Team of the Year went to the American Football who’s team went undefeated and become the BUCS 2A North conference champions, scoring an average of 35 points a game as the number 1 ranked offense in the country. The team also made it to the BUCS Northern Conference Cup finals.
This year’s Roberts Athlete of the year award went to Triathlon’s Sam Dickinson, one of the Universities Sports Scholars. Sam claimed 1st place in the Time Trial Qualifier at the 2016 Kitzbuhel ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup, and 1st in the main Triathlon event. He also took 1st in the 2016 Holten ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup, and 8th in the 2016 ITU World Triatlon Grand Final Cozumel. Sam also achieved Gold in the BUCS Sprint Triathlon 2016 beating Gordon Benson, GB triathlete and Leeds Alumni in the process. He’s definitely one to watch for the future.
Rugby League were the winners of this years Team of the Year, who’s award has now been renamed in memory of James Burke who tragically passed away in April this year. Rugby League are one of the few teams at Leeds that currently compete in the BUCS Premier division. This year they finished an impressive 3rd behind Leeds Beckett and Northumbria, their best league finish in over 10 years. They reached the BUCS Championship semi-finals narrowly missing out on the finals to league winners Northumbria. The team were also victorious in a new event this year, the Yorkshire Varsity, which took place at the Headingley Stadium against a side made up of the best students from across Yorkshire Universities.
The Chief Executive of Leeds University Union, Aidan Grills took to the stage to present the final and most hotly anticipated award of the evening, Club of the Year. For the second year running, Women’s Hockey, were announced winners of this award having sent in an impressive nomination excelling in all criteria for the award. The 24 strong club committee efficiently manages 8 teams and uses its strength in numbers to boast as a leading society for charity fundraising. They have created their own website and have been heavily involved with getting involved in the community with their annual ‘Quicksticks’ tournament. Not only that but they have continued to develop relationships with alumni and aid player personal development opportunities with their ‘Hockey Works’ scheme. Congratulations ladies on a well deserved award!
February 17, 2017
On Friday 17th March, our Rugby League team will go head to head with a side made up of the best rugby league players from universities across Yorkshire in order to be crowned Yorkshire Varsity champions.
This year, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of student rugby league, which originated here at the University of Leeds, with a week of events culminating with our brand new Yorkshire Varsity event. This will see the Leeds Gryphons take on the ‘Best of Yorkshire’ at Headingley Carnegie Stadium as a curtain raiser to the Leeds Rhino’s vs Wakefield Trinity Super League fixture.
As the event falls on St Patrick’s day, there will be facepaints, irish dancing, and plenty of pre-match and half-time entertainment. Finish the night off at Leeds University Union for a St Patrick’s day fruity, our official Yorkshire Varsity after party.
Get involved:
Tickets for students cost only £13 and include entry to both the Yorkshire Varsity game and Leeds Rhino’s Super League fixture, plus a free drink voucher. Tickets are for the South Stand, the standing terrace along the side of the pitch, undercover, providing a great atmosphere for St Patricks day.
To purchase your tickets, visit the Leeds University Union helpdesk, call 0371 423 1315, or visit the Leeds Rugby Store at Headingley Carnegie Stadium.
To book online, head to the Leeds Rhinos website and follow these steps:
- Go to the Rhinos v Wakefield match on the home games page
- Select South Stand Student ticket and proceed to checkout
- Input the promotional code varleeds to redeem this offer
Fruity Early Bird Tickets:
With the hotly anticipated St Patrick’s Fruity sure to be a sell out, we’ve got 40 discounted tickets left to sell alongside the Rugby League Yorkshire Varsity tickets. These are available from LUU helpdesk.
Please note all bookings are subject to a £1.50 booking fee and when booking online please DO NOT select the ‘Print @ Home’ option as it will not generate your free drink voucher.
December 2, 2016
Leeds Varsity back already? Yes, you’ve read that right. With the New Year comes the new Leeds Varsity 2017 series and we hope you’re as excited as we are!
Kick starting this year’s series is our Cross Country Varsity. Into its 6th year, this annual event has seen some impressive names battling for those all-important Varsity points; Alistair and Jonny Brownlee, Gordon Benson, Non Stanford and Tom Bishop to name a few. Don’t let that put you off though, because anyone can take part in this fantastic event.
Much like our parkrun Varsity, students, staff, alumni and members of the public are welcome to take part in this event. The top 6 women and top 12 men finishers will then gain points for their respective universities. With two separate races, an 10km male race, and a 6km female race, there are a total of 2 points up for grabs (more than the Rugby Union finale!). Last year the University of Leeds took both points and the cross country club will be looking to start the season as they mean to go on, and retain wins in both events.
So how do you get involved?
Student runners from their respective Universities will be pre-registerd by their coaches and are required to bring £2 on the day which goes straight to the race charity.
All other entries can be made on the day at the Leeds Beckett track pavilion on Saturday the 14th January. The women’s race will begin at 2pm on West Park fields (adjacent to Leeds Beckett) and the men’s at 2.30pm, so please arrive at least an hour before your race. Please bring £3 to enter the race, all proceeds go to the Hope Pastures charity who use your donations to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home horses, ponies and donkeys in need. You’ll even get to meet a few of their beneficiaries on the day!
The University of Leeds cross country coach, Greg Hull, has high hopes for the event:
“Varsity is always a fantastic day in the cross country calendar, seeing not just our students, but staff and members of the public taking part in an inevitably great race. The rivalry between the University of Leeds and Leeds Beckett’s students is friendly but fierce as in all Varsity fixtures. I’m confident we’ll maintain our winning ways this year and pick up 2 points to start the series”
If you’d like to participate in the event but have further questions, please email sport@leeds.ac.uk.
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