Warwick and Coventry SUs in conflict

With the annual Varsity sporting event just over the horizon, the Students’ Union (SU) of Warwick has come into conflict with Coventry University.

The Coventry SU WordPress page posted a blog announcing that “Varsity is fast approaching and the banter has already started from our friends down the road”.

Its author seemed to ask for a reply, equating the post to fishing bait and saying that a “better quality” response was expected.

The blog post went on to make jokes about the video made by Warwick’s football team of last year and Warwick’s media outlets. It particularly focused on the recent news story about Nigel Thrift’s controversial pay rise.

Warwick SU’s Facebook page posted a response which quickly prompted almost 300 likes.

The reply began: “Dear Cov Uni, cheers for your enjoyable attempt at stirring the fires of Varsity Rivalry with your latest blog post.”

The author of the reply responded to Coventry’s jibes by criticising the spelling and grammar in the original post, and attempting to give Warwick superiority by mentioning that the University has beaten Coventry in every Varsity competition so far.

Although some Warwick students feel that the conflict has gone too far, many disagree, and think that the competition between the universities is healthy.

Daisy Clarke, first-year Ancient History student told the Boar: “I think that it’s absolutely hilarious.

“People shouldn’t take it too seriously – it’s sport. It’s supposed to be competitive and without the banter it would be boring!”

Alex Price, third-year Sports Management student from Coventry University, agreed: “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of harmless banter. If Warwick can’t keep up, perhaps they should hit the drawing board to come up with better ideas to beat us this year.”

Nick Swain, president of the SU, said: “I think that friendly banter is fine as long as it is in the spirit of the competition and not something more malicious.

“Some of the things Coventry SU posted were crossing this line, but it is definitely not for us to stoop to the same level. The best thing we can do now is simply to win Varsity once again!”

The Varsity competition includes a range of different sporting events including football, netball, rugby league and swimming, amongst others.

It is a tradition between the two universities which has continued for many years, and is considered a highlight of both sporting calendars.

The annual series takes place throughout term 2, coming to a peak on Varsity Day at the end of Term 2. The grand finale commences at a local sporting arena.