{"id":56654,"date":"2024-03-18T16:47:05","date_gmt":"2024-03-18T16:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/?p=56654"},"modified":"2024-03-18T16:47:06","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T16:47:06","slug":"sheffield-varsity-2024-kicks-off-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sheffieldwire.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/03\/18\/sheffield-varsity-2024-kicks-off-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Sheffield Varsity 2024 kicks off this week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sports teams from the University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University will face off once again for this years\u2019 annual Varsity matches. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheffield Varsity is a series of sports competitions between the two universities that take place in March and April, with the aim of celebrating and promoting sport in the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There will be 45 sports teams competing this year, with around 12,000 people expected to come and watch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first match this year will be the mixed ice hockey at Utilita Arena on Wednesday 20 March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben Hodgkins, president of the Sheffield Sabres, Sheffield University\u2019s American football team, says this is his third and final Varsity match. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said: \u201cFor a lot of us, it\u2019s the end of an era and the last chance to play with this team. We want to win. It\u2019s been a long time since The Sheffield Sabres have won a varsity game so we want to do all we can to change that, and kick off the varsity period on a high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery year, the Varsity game is billed as the biggest and this year is no exception. Me and the team just want to win, and break this streak that\u2019s been plaguing us for the last decade.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sheffield\u2019s first Varsity matches took place in 1997. The matches were cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, but returned in 2022 for the 25th anniversary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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