150 years of Varsity football
Rare photos from the Cambridge archives revealed for the first time to celebrate historic Oxbridge anniversary
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity football match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity football match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity match.
Vintage-style posters designed for this year's 150th Varsity match.
On Friday 15th March 2024, the will be played between Cambridge and Oxford Universities, marking one of football's longest-running rivalries.
In honour of this annual tradition the 探花直播 of Cambridge has released archive material to the public for the first time, showing its footballers, team sheets and programmes from the 1800s and early 1900s.
These images, never before digitised or seen outside of the archives, are presented here alongside images of this year's teams. Since 1987 women's teams and matches have been a welcome addition to the annual Varsity tradition.
Originals of the following images are held in the archives of .
Be part of this centuries-long tradition,
探花直播1893-94 season's team. 探花直播Varsity Match of 1894 was referred to as ‘the felt soles match’ after Cambridge put felt on their boots to grip on the frosty ground. 探花直播game was played at Queen’s Club where, unexpectedly, Cambridge won 3-1, changing their tactics from short passing to ‘kick and run’. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1893-94 season's team. 探花直播Varsity Match of 1894 was referred to as ‘the felt soles match’ after Cambridge put felt on their boots to grip on the frosty ground. 探花直播game was played at Queen’s Club where, unexpectedly, Cambridge won 3-1, changing their tactics from short passing to ‘kick and run’. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1894-95 season's team. Cambridge lost the Varsity Match 0-3 this year despite being captained by Lewis Vaughan Lodge, the England international. After 50 years, this was the last season when all 探花直播 and College home games would be played on Parker’s Piece, where anyone was able to walk across the pitch during the game - not the ideal setting to play teams such as Blackburn Rovers and the Corinthians. From 1895 Grange Road was used. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1894-95 season's team. Cambridge lost the Varsity Match 0-3 this year despite being captained by Lewis Vaughan Lodge, the England international. After 50 years, this was the last season when all 探花直播 and College home games would be played on Parker’s Piece, where anyone was able to walk across the pitch during the game - not the ideal setting to play teams such as Blackburn Rovers and the Corinthians. From 1895 Grange Road was used. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
“It’s incredible to look back and see the players that came before us and what an incredible legacy we all get to be a part of. It’s an honour to be captaining our teams in such an important year when the rivalry and talent is stronger than it’s ever been."
- Captains Cai La Trobe-Roberts, Abbie Hastie and Emilia Keavney
探花直播1904 Denton's Match. Knowledge of who Denton’s was, as a team or individual, has been lost in the century since this was taken. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1904 Denton's Match. Knowledge of who Denton’s was, as a team or individual, has been lost in the century since this was taken. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1906-7 season's team. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1906-7 season's team. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
“Walking out at Wembley Stadium in 1982 to represent Cambridge against Oxford in the annual Varsity match was my proudest sporting moment. This pride has grown with the realization today I was not only playing for the ‘oldest football club in the world’, but one that had also shaped the modern-day rules of the game in the mid 19th century. This is all the more extraordinary, considering football is the most popular sport in the world today."
- Nigel Fenner, Cambridge 探花直播 Football Blue, also related to Frank Fenner, creator of Fenner’s Cricket Ground and author of
探花直播1924-25 season's team. Although Cambridge lost the Varsity Match 1-4 this year, they had also drawn 1-1 against a strong Chelsea XI playing at Stamford Bridge. Later in the season they played Arsenal at Highbury, and whilst they lost 3-5, this was considered a ‘very encouraging performance’. One character of interest in the team photograph is the person back right labelled Hayward, who is believed to be Daniel Martin Hayward, the Custodian of the Cambridge 探花直播 Cricket and Football Grounds at the time. As a Hayward, Daniel was a member of an impressive local sporting family dynasty. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播1924-25 season's team. Although Cambridge lost the Varsity Match 1-4 this year, they had also drawn 1-1 against a strong Chelsea XI playing at Stamford Bridge. Later in the season they played Arsenal at Highbury, and whilst they lost 3-5, this was considered a ‘very encouraging performance’. One character of interest in the team photograph is the person back right labelled Hayward, who is believed to be Daniel Martin Hayward, the Custodian of the Cambridge 探花直播 Cricket and Football Grounds at the time. As a Hayward, Daniel was a member of a Cambridge Town’s impressive sporting family dynasty. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
Date unknown but it's suspected to be the early 1900s, as close inspection reveals the players are wearing the same style of shirts as photos taken in 1907. 探花直播individual second from the left (behind the goal with the step ladder) is believed to be Daniel Martin Hayward, who also features in five other photos from 1902, 1904, 1910, 1912 and 1925. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
Date unknown but it's suspected to be the early 1900s, as close inspection reveals the players are wearing the same style of shirts as photos taken in 1907. 探花直播individual second from the left (behind the goal with the step ladder) is believed to be Daniel Martin Hayward, who also features in five other photos from 1902, 1904, 1910, 1912 and 1925. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
Footballing literature from the Cambridge archives
A postcard of a team list for a Freshmen's Match on Parker's Piece in 1891. MH Stanbrough (centre forward for the white team) was later an England international. L.V. Lodge played for Small Heath (which later became Birmingham City) and five times for England, which he played for whilst still a student. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
A postcard of a team list for a Freshmen's Match on Parker's Piece in 1891. MH Stanbrough (centre forward for the white team) was later an England international. L.V. Lodge played for Small Heath (which later became Birmingham City) and five times for England, which he played for whilst still a student. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
Front cover and back page of a CUAFC season programme, 1891-92. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
Front cover and back page of a CUAFC season programme, 1891-92. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播inside pages, listing the matches for the 1891-2 season. It's understood that in Christmas 1890 CUAFC went on tour playing Aston Villa, Bootle, Preston and Blackburn Rovers over the Christmas holidays. During this academic year, Cambridge won the Varsity Match 5-1, captained by MH Stanborough. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
探花直播inside pages, listing the matches for the 1891-2 season. It's understood that in Christmas 1890 CUAFC went on tour playing Aston Villa, Bootle, Preston and Blackburn Rovers over the Christmas holidays. During this academic year, Cambridge won the Varsity Match 5-1, captained by MH Stanborough. Credit: Mark Box / Cambridge 探花直播 Library.
Cambridge football Blues today
探花直播students, both men and women, preparing to represent Cambridge in the 150th Varsity match.
探花直播2024 men and women football teams combined. Nowadays the teams play in sustainable kit made of recycled materials. Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
探花直播2024 men and women football teams combined. Nowadays the teams play in sustainable kit made of recycled materials. Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
Credit: Alissa Sattentau / Morven Knowles
150th Varsity Matches
A clash of tradition and talent
Friday 15th March
Women's KO: 5pm
Men's KO: 7:45pm
Cledara Abbey Stadium
探花直播photos in this article are reproduced with permission by the Cambridge 探花直播 Library. To request use of them from the Library archives, please reference the following classmarks:
- MS-UA-PHOT-00161-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.161)
- MS-UA-PHOT-00162-A-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.162a)
- MS-UA-PHOT-00165-E-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.165e)
- MS-UA-PHOT-00165-E-000-00002.jpg
- MS-UA-PHOT-00165-B-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.165b)
- MS-UA-PHOT-00179-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.179)
- MS-UA-PHOT-00180-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.180)
- MS-UA-PHOT-00197-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.197
- MS-UA-PHOT-00218-000-00001.jpg (MS UA/Phot.218
探花直播text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Story by Jessica Keating
Historical contributions by Nigel Fenner
Design support by Marco Constantinou
Library archives support by Johanna Ward