University's 80th anniversary kicks off with special Sports Festival – University of Reading
13 February 2006
This year, the University of Reading is extremely proud to celebrate its 80th Anniversary. As part of the celebrations the University is hosting a special Varsity Sports Festival on Wednesday 22 February at its Whiteknights Campus. Over 600 competitors are in training for what promises to be a fun yet fiercely fought day. From 11am to 6pm guest teams from the Universities of Surrey, Winchester and Bath Spa will be battling it out in a range of sports including football, rugby, netball and mixed hockey. A prize-giving ceremony is to take place at 7pm in the University Students' Union with plenty of awards to play for. An overall trophy will be presented to the winning institution. Away from the action there will be plenty to entertain competitors and spectators. The Ultimate Frisbee Showcase Team are set to show off their skills while the University's own Reading Bunnies - who were last year's National Student Cheerleading Champions - lend support from the touchlines. The Red Bull Girls are going to be on hand throughout the day, providing much needed refreshment. Radio 2-Ten FM's Black Thunders also hope to join in the festivities, armed with stickers and giveaways galore. The University of Reading and Students' Union boast over 40 sports clubs. More than 10 of these clubs compete in the national inter-university sports leagues organised by the British University Sports Association (BUSA). Event organiser Sam Hibbs, believes the day represents a real chance for everyone to get involved: "Not all students get the chance to represent their University in the BUSA system. The idea behind this sports festival grew from the Students' Union initiative to increase sport participation for non-BUSA players. "The day promises to be enormous fun with plenty of hard but fair competition. We are extremely proud of our University and this event is a fantastic opportunity for students and the town to get involved in its 80th anniversary celebrations. Hopefully the local community will turn up in numbers, support their University and enjoy some great sporting action." For more information on this event, please contact festival organiser Sam Hibbs on (0118) 986 5136 or email s.hibbs@rdg.ac.uk. End For media enquiries please contact James Barr on: Tel. 0118 378 7115 Email. j.w.barr@reading.ac.uk