September 14th, London – The Varsity Matches will be back at Twickenham this season with a new date and a new sponsor.
Jefferies, the largest independent, global, full-service investment banking firm headquartered in the U.S., has signed an innovative deal that will kick-off with the 150th anniversary meeting of the Oxford and Cambridge men in April, 2022. The women’s teams look forward to their 35th meeting next year.
This year’s Varsity Matches were played at Leicester’s Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium under COVID restrictions and ended with a win for the Cambridge women and the Oxford men. They were the first fixtures since December, 2019 at Twickenham.
The switch from the traditional pre-Christmas date to the Spring has come about after widespread consultation with all stakeholders. With November filled with four or five international events at Twickenham each season, the games will now take place on a Saturday each year post-Six Nations in a bid to capture a new audience.
“This sponsorship deal couldn’t have come at a better time as it will provide us with new impetus as we make a key strategic move in the timings of our matches. November and December have become over-crowded with international matches and it has become harder and harder for people to take time off during the normal working week to attend Twickenham on a Thursday,” said Tim Jones, chairman of the Varsity Match Company.
“Through our new partnership with Jefferies we believe we will be able to better promote not only our 150th anniversary, but also our move to the springtime. This is a major boost for our two showpiece matches and will add extra lustre to our celebration game at Twickenham in 2022.”
“The men’s fixture has had a long association with financial backers dating back to 1976, when the Bowring Group first became involved. As well as providing us with some financial security, the deal also fills us with confidence about the direction in which we are moving with our fixtures.”
“Having added the women’s match to our big day out at Twickenham in 2015, we now offer a double dose of excitement every year. While we are hugely proud of the 150 year rivalry between the two universities, we also realise we have to move with the times to ensure we continue to provide the best possible student rugby experiences for the players at both Oxford and Cambridge.”
“We are hugely appreciative of the backing provided by Jefferies and look forward to working with them over the course of this deal and, hopefully, long into the future.”
Focused on serving clients for nearly 60 years, Jefferies is a leader in providing insight, expertise and execution to investors, companies and governments, with an unwavering focus on serving its clients. “We are delighted to be partnering with the Varsity Matches. When discussing the sponsorship, it very quickly became clear that these historic fixtures represented an outstanding fit for the culture and values we believe in at Jefferies.” said Ed Keen, Head of Equities EMEA at Jefferies.
“In particular, the Varsity Matches are champions for diversity and inclusion in sport, including gender equality through their work as strong advocates for women’s rugby. As partners, we look forward to working with the Varsity Matches to create positive social change and increase career opportunities in financial services, through the power of sport.”
The first Varsity Match was played at The Parks, Oxford, on 10 February, 1872 when Oxford won by 1 goal to 0 in a 20-a-side match. The ‘Oxford Football Club’ was founded on 2 November, 1869, and Cambridge followed suit on 4 November, 1871.
The 139th meeting between the two universities took place at Welford Road, Leicester in July, 2021, played under COVID regulations. The current series stands at 64-61 in favour of Cambridge, with 14 matches drawn, while Oxford lead 21-13 in the women’s series that dates back to 1988.
Full details on the 150th anniversary Varsity Match, along with ticket prices, can be found at:
ABOUT JEFFERIES
Jefferies Group LLC is the largest independent, global, full-service investment banking firm headquartered in the U.S. Focused on serving clients for nearly 60 years, Jefferies is a leader in providing insight, expertise and execution to investors, companies and governments. Our firm provides a full range of investment banking, advisory, sales and trading, research and wealth management services across all products in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Jefferies’ Leucadia Asset Management division is a growing alternative asset management platform. Jefferies Group LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: JEF), a diversified financial services company. For more information visit www.jefferies.com
