One match. Every year.
First played in 1874, the Varsity Match against Cambridge is among the oldest fixtures in world football. It is the moment every Blue trains for.
“The man who began the Varsity match tradition was Charles Wordsworth of Christ Church, Oxford, who in June 1827 arranged a two-day cricket match against Cambridge at Lords. The first Boat Race followed in 1829. It was in the second Boat Race, in 1836, that one of the Cambridge oarsmen tied a light blue ribbon to the bows of his boat (the colours of his school, Eton). Dark blue was then ascribed to Oxford as the colour of Christ Church College, and the colours have remained ever since.”
Every year OUAFC competes against Cambridge University in the Varsity match, one of the oldest regular fixtures in world football. The men's match has been played since 1874, reaching its 141st edition in Hilary term 2026, while the first women's match was played in 1986. Breaks have only occurred during the World Wars and in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Those who compete in Varsity receive the Full Blue, in addition to playing a part in the history of one of football's longest-running rivalries. The first double-header was played in 2017. The tradition for the men and women to play back-to-back has continued ever since.
