Univ Football Day 2026

On Saturday 14 March 2026, Univ students, Old Members, friends, academics and staff took part in the annual Univ Football Day. A number of teams battled it out on the pitch in the hope of winning Univ’s coveted Football Cups – The Gerry Fitzsimons Cup and The Bill Sykes Challenge Cup. Peter Chambers (1989, Maths) has kindly provided a detailed report of the event.

Two years ago, University College celebrated the 775^th anniversary of its founding by William of Durham in 1249 (though some claim it was even earlier, 872, by King Alfred). Uncertainty also lingers around the beginnings of the annual Univ Old Members’ Football Day. Various potential dates have been suggested, “sometime prior to 3 December 1977” being one. However, October 2004 is the furthest back a continuous chain can be traced. It seems there was no meeting in only two years since then (2006 and 2020), which would suggest that this was the twenty-first Univ Football Day.

While memories of the earlier of those 21 years generally involve driving rain, howling winds and horizontal sleet (often all three at once), recent years have been remarkable for the clemency of the weather, and this year was no exception – a shining example even – a beautiful cloudless blue sky greeting the organisers who arrived from before 10am to set up for the day ahead, with a record 140 players expected to attend.

The schedule for the day had been set as per recent years, the youth beginning at 11am, the vets later on (for the reason that once they start, they can’t stop – or rather – once they stop, they can’t start again). With minutes to go, as the 11am kick off approached, it didn’t look very likely that the first two games would be 11 v 11, or 7 v 8 even, with most teams only half represented, and at least one player arriving without boots.

Luckily, 4 players came unassigned and looking for a team, and a very late flurry of arrivals saw everything fall into place just in time – JCR (captain Will Morris) v Greens (Sean Ogilvie, 2011) on the New (Near) Pitch, and New Grads (James Raftery 2015) v Rooney’s Grads (Joe Rooney, 2020) on the Old (Far) Pitch. Qualified referee Allan Hayle took charge of proceedings on the Near Pitch, with (ex-Orange) Rob Rickman on the Far.

Andy Carroll carried out the essential task, throughout the day, of ensuring every player knew where they should be and when, without which we might still have been playing at sundown.

The Gerry Fitzsimon Cup holders, the MCR, were not represented this year – captain Cameron had regretfully pulled the team out a week or so earlier due to their top of the league clash being scheduled on this very day. Their absence left the group wide open, all four of the remaining teams surely now fancying their chances.

Two games down however, it was pretty clear that the JCR and Rooney’s Grads would fill the table’s top two slots, and the Greens and the New Grads could only prop it up.

JCR 3 – Greens 0
New Grads 0 – Rooney’s Grads 1
JCR 2 – New Grads 0
Greens 0 – Rooney’s Grads 3

In the final round of games, New Grads scored their first goal in a loss to the Greens, while the JCR and Rooney’s Grads held on to their unbeaten records with a no score draw.

JCR 0 – Rooney’s Grads 0
Greens 2 – New Grads 1

The JCR clinched the top spot by a single goal and qualified for the Gerry Fitzsimons Cup along with Rooney’s Grads. New Grads came rock bottom, having lost every game, and were relegated to the Bill Sykes Cup. Greens (multiple previous winners of the Gerry Fitzsimons Cup) went to the play-offs.

The final table:

JCR – 7 pts (W2 D1 L0 GD 5)
Rooney’s Grads – 7 (W2 D1 L0 GD 4)
Greens – 3 (W1 D0 L2 GD -5)
New Grads – 0 (W0 D0 L3 GD -4)

On to the Vets group stage, which saw the largest number of veteran teams in the history of the competition, Bill Sykes holders Yellow Vets (captain Nigel Holmes, 2000) no longer the youngest vets due to the surprise entry of the New Reds (Alex Watson, 2005), also Gerry Fitzsimons winners on multiple occasions. Their debut vets outing (of very many more to come no doubt) saw off veteran veterans, the Blacks (John Davis, 1988) 1-0, while a stronger than usual looking 90s Reds (Aman Mahal, 1999/ Matt Clothier, 1990) convincingly beat the Oranges (Bob Gamble, 1976) 2-0.

90s Reds 2 – Oranges 0 (Near pitch)
Blacks 0 – New Reds 1 (Far)

Spectators on the Far Pitch were treated (or rather not) to a grand total of two goals across the five group games, Oranges drawing a blank in all three of these games (and their one on the Near Pitch). The Near Pitch by contrast saw goals galore, a total of 13 across the five games.

Far Pitch:

Oranges 0 – New Reds 0 (oldest vs youngest vets, a match also remarkable for the New Reds hitting the woodwork three times, but failing to score)
New Reds 0 – 90s Reds 0
Blacks 1 – Oranges 0
Yellow Vets 0 – Oranges 0

Near Pitch:

Yellow Vets 2 – 90s Reds 1 (an end-to-end thriller)
Blacks 0 – Yellow Vets 3
New Reds 2 – Yellow Vets 2 (the only score draw of the day)
Blacks 0 – 90s Reds 1

The table ended very tight at both ends, the Yellow Vets edging it by a point and going straight to the Gerry Fitzsimons Cup. The 90s Reds’ win in their final game with the Blacks sent them to a play-off against the Greens and the chance to also enter the Gerry Fitzsimons Cup. New Reds ended in mid table obscurity and qualified for the Bill Sykes Cup. Blacks and Oranges would now have to play off, with the loser on the plane home.

The final table:

Yellow Vets – 8 pts (W2 D2 L0 GD 4 )
90s Reds – 7 pts (W2 D1 L1 GD 2)
New Reds – 6 pts (W1 D3 L0 GD 1)
Blacks – 3 pts (W1 D0 L3 GD -4)
Oranges – 2 pts (W0 D2 L2 GD -3)

Two play-offs now took place, the first, on the Near Pitch, to decide who would go to the Gerry Fitzsimons Cup, and who to the Bill Sykes Cup. This game saw the big upset of the day, the (relatively) youthful Greens blown away by the (not so) 90s Reds, 3-1. In the fourth/fifth vets play-off, the Oranges scored their first (and only) goal of the tournament to doom the Blacks.

Play-off 1: 90s Reds 3 – Greens 1
Play-off 2: Blacks 0 – Oranges 1

The first of the games in the Gerry Fitzsimons semis, between the Yellow Vets and Rooney’s Grads, ended goalless and went to penalties, with Rooney’s Grads keeper Joe Stonor using a little gamesmanship, and some great shot stopping to secure the victory. In the other semi, it was a case of a game too far for the 90s Reds, who went down to a well-rested JCR 2-0

Gerry Fitzsimons Semi 1: Rooney’s Grads 0 – Yellow Vets 0 (Rooney’s Grads win on penalties)
Gerry Fitzsimons Semi 2: JCR 2 – 90s Reds 0

In the Bill Sykes Cup, it was another tight scoreless affair between the New Reds and the New Grads, with the New Grads emerging victorious after a penalty shoot-out. The Greens then squeezed out (apologies) the Oranges by a goal to nil.

Bill Sykes Semi 1: New Reds 0 – New Grads 0 (New Grads win on penalties)
Bill Sykes Semi 2: Oranges 0 – Greens 1

Both finals continued the “no score draw” theme of the day, with Rooney’s Grads and New Grads emerging triumphant after the spot kicks

Gerry Fitzsimons Cup Final: JCR 0 – Rooney’s Grads 0 (Rooney’s Grads win on penalties)
Bill Sykes Cup Final: Greens 0 – New Grads 0 (New Grads win on penalties)

A deserved first Gerry Fitzsimons title for Rooney’s Grads, and a textbook display of perfectly judged tournament football from the New Grads: victorious despite finishing bottom of their group after losing every game and scoring just one goal all day. In fact, neither cup winner scored a goal in the knockout phase, while almost every other team did (90s Reds, Oranges, JCR, Greens).

The football done for the day, thoughts turned to the eagerly anticipated hog roast. But first, the presentation, and an important chance to thank all of those who work hard to make this the truly special day that it has become over the last 21 years – especially Julie Boyle and her team at the Development and Alumni Relations Office – and our incredible groundsman, Robbie Eason, along with his team – thank you very very much from all of us for your continued support for this wonderful event, and long may it continue!

Many thanks must also go to the two referees, who ran up and down all day without a break: Allan Hayle, and Rob Rickman. Also to the first aider, Chris, all the supporters (Master Baroness Valerie Amos being one of them), and to the captains who I know from experience have to spend considerable time recruiting, coercing, co-ordinating and so on to ensure that 11 players turn up with the right kit, at the right place, on the right day. Thanks to all.

Another bit of good news arrived around this time – the MCR, who you may recall from the start of this report were in a table topping league decider, had won, game and title. Congratulations to them, and let’s hope we see them back here next year.

As a final thought, the age range of the players this year also set a new record, with Gordon Fogg (1972) on the one hand, and the JCR team (2025 and prior) on the other, a span of 53 years. If the younger members of the JCR continue to play as Gordon has done, they will still be coming to this event in 2079!

At last the hog roast was ready, the rugby was on the TV, and everyone settled down to enjoy their well-deserved food, drink and conversation. Another glorious Univ Football Day.

Peter Chambers (1989, Maths)