Celebrating achievements through UoM Sport’s headline competitions

University of Manchester (UoM) Sport is celebrating a landmark year of student achievement across three of its headline competitions: The Christie Championships, Manchester Varsity, and Manchester Universities Rugby 7s. Together, these events highlight not only sporting performance but also the strength of collaboration between universities and the dedication of students, staff, and partners who bring them to life.While UoM Sport delivers a wide and diverse competitive calendar, these three events stand out for their scale, heritage, and the collaborative relationships that underpin them. From long‑standing regional rivalry to national‑level tournaments, each competition has provided students with unforgettable opportunities to compete, perform, and represent The University of Manchester with pride.

The Christie Championships

The Christie Championships continue to be one of the most significant interuniversity competitions in the Northwest, bringing together institutions with a shared commitment to sporting excellence. The Christie Championships is the second-longest-standing varsity in the UK (behind the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race). With a broad range of sports and a strong focus on participation and performance, the Championships reflect the enduring value of regional collaboration.

UoM recorded 18 first‑place finishes at The Christie Championships 2026, achieving victories across a wide range of team and individual sports, including badminton, basketball, fencing, football, hockey, racket sports, water sports, and volleyball, highlighting the depth and versatility of UoM’s student sporting performance.

The University produced a strong overall performance at The Christie Championships, finishing third with 96.5 points in a tightly contested event. UoM recorded several first‑place finishes across the event, highlighting the depth of talent across multiple sports. In the final standings, Leeds secured first place with 100 points, followed closely by Liverpool in second on 99.5 points, with all three universities separated by a narrow margin.

Discover more about The Christie Championships as we return in 2027 as the host university for the event.

Manchester Varsity

Few student sporting events carry the scale, intensity, and tradition of Manchester Varsity. Defined by its electric atmosphere and long‑standing rivalry, Varsity has become one of the most iconic fixtures in the Manchester student sport calendar, bringing together students, and supporters from Manchester Metropolitan University and The University of Manchester for a packed and continually evolving schedule of competition.

Delivered through close collaboration between the two universities, Manchester Varsity continues to grow year on year. Building on the foundations of its first two editions, this year’s event marked a clear expansion of the Varsity format, with an increased number of fixtures, larger audiences, and enhanced event delivery.

The most recent Varsity carried added significance, with the overall series level at one win apiece heading into the competition. Following a decisive victory for The University of Manchester, now leads the overall Varsity series 2–1, marking an important milestone in the rivalry and highlighting the performance of its student athletes on one of the biggest stages in the student sport calendar.

The event concluded with volleyball as the closing ceremony fixture, providing a high‑energy finale that brought the Varsity programme together and showcased the event’s growing ability to deliver standout moments. With strong momentum and clear potential for further expansion, Manchester Varsity is set to continue growing in scale, impact, and reputation in the years ahead.

Further information about Manchester Varsity is available at
manchestervarsity.co.uk

Manchester Universities’ Rugby 7s

The inaugural Manchester Universities Rugby 7s Tournament took place in April, bringing together 31 university teams from across the North of England. As the only mixed university 7s event of its kind in the region, the tournament is intended to act as a platform for future northern university competitions, including ambitions for a women’s-only 7s event to support the continued growth of the women’s game.

The tournament was delivered by staff from the University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University, supported by student volunteers and referees from MadRefs. The winners were the following: Performance Women’s Cup – Durham; Performance Women’s Plate – UoM Purple; Intermediate Men’s Cup – UoM Purple; Intermediate Men’s Plate – UoM Gold; Intermediate Women’s Cup – Durham; Intermediate Women’s Plate – Sheffield; Half Pitch Men’s Plate – Oak House; Half Pitch Men’s Cup – Naughty Boys; Half Pitch Women’s Cup – Lancaster; and Half Pitch Women’s Plate – Nottingham Trent University.

Organisers hope the event will become a regular fixture in the university rugby calendar with ongoing support from local universities and the Rugby Football Union (RFU). To see the highlights and stay on the ball follow Manchester Universities 7s.

Together, Christie Championships, Manchester Varsity, and Manchester Universities’ Rugby 7’s showcase the scale, ambition, and variety of opportunities available through UoM Sport. While each event has its own identity, format, and audience, all three are driven by strong collaboration with partner universities and a shared focus on delivering standout sporting experiences for students.

From historic regional rivalries and city‑wide showcases to high‑energy national tournaments, these headline events play a vital role in celebrating performance, strengthening sporting communities and creating unforgettable moments for University of Manchester students at every level. Lisa Morton‑Smith, Sport Programmes Manager at UoM Sport, said:

“These events represent the very best of university sport. They give students the chance to perform on big stages, be part of something special and create memories that will stay with them long after they graduate. Seeing the passion, pride and commitment across all three competitions is incredibly rewarding and a real testament to everyone involved.”

To revisit some of the highlights, go to the UoM Sport Instagram.