Varsity Round-Up 2026!🏆

With it being two weeks since VARSITY 2026 - here’s everything you need to know, from scores to highlights…

Students across sport clubs came together on 22 April and 29 April 2026 as Salford University faced Chester University in a packed Varsity schedule full of close contests, standout performances and team spirit. 

Whether you competed or were cheering from the sidelines, Varsity showed exactly what student sport is all about. Want to get involved next year? Check out all of Salford’s sports clubs through the official Students’ Union page: Salford SU Sports Clubs.

Week One: Wednesday 22 April

The opening week saw strong performances from both universities, with Chester taking an early lead after several convincing wins.

Chester’s Highlights

Chester picked up wins in a number of key fixtures:

• Volleyball Club 2nd Team secured victory after a dramatic match, eventually being awarded the result due to a player eligibility query.

• Badminton Club Men and Mixed both added points for Chester.

• Cheerleading Club, Dance Club (SUDS), and Equestrian Club all delivered important wins.

• Men’s Football Club lost 4–1, while the Women's Football Club were defeated 6–1.

• Hockey Club Men narrowly lost 3–2, while Netball Club 1st Team lost 50–37.

• Rowing Club and Volleyball Men also faced tough competition.

Salford’s Strong Response

Salford fought back with important performances of their own:

• Netball 2nd Team narrowly defeated Chester 54–37.

• Fencing Club won 45–26.

• Hockey Women came out on top 7–2.

• Men’s Rugby Union Club earned a commanding 84–17 victory, while Women’s Rugby Union Club also picked up the win.

• Swimming Club claimed a 23–19 result, and Volleyball Women secured a close 2–0 victory.

Several events, including Basketball Mixed and Water Polo Women, were played as friendlies and therefore did not count toward the varsity points total.

Final score of week two: Chester 16– Salford 11

 

Week Two: Wednesday 29 April

The second week proved far tighter, with Salford pushing hard to close the gap.

Chester added important points through victories in:

• Cheerleading 

• Dance

• Football Men’s 1st Team

• Football Women’s 1st Team

• Netball 1st Team

• Netball 2nd Team

• Rugby Union Men

• Squash Club

• Volleyball Women

• Volleyball 2nd Team

Salford responded with wins in:

• Cricket Club Women (internal friendly fixture)

• Equestrian

• Fencing

• Football Men’s 2nd Team

• Hockey Men and Hockey Women

• Muay Thai Club

• Swimming

• Rugby Union Women

 

🔥 Highlights from Varsity 2026

• 🏉 Salford women’s rugby dominate 84–12

• 🏉 Salford men’s rugby win a tight one 32–27

• 🏈 Salford win American football 42–6

• 🤺 Salford sweep fencing 3–0

• 🏀 Salford win basketball 64–46

• 🏊 Salford win swimming 23–19

• ⚽ Chester win men’s football 5–1

• ⚽ Chester win women’s football 6–1

• 🚣 Chester dominate rowing 4–1

• 🏐 Chester win final volleyball sets to finish Varsity

• 💃 Dance ends 1–1 draw

Final score of week two: Salford 14 - Chester 13

Overall Final Varsity Score: Chester 29 – 25 Salford

After two weeks of competition, Chester held onto their early advantage to claim the overall Varsity title:

The close score showed just how competitive Varsity was this year, with Chester and Salford trading wins across a huge range of sports. From football and netball to rowing and rugby, there were big performances, close games and plenty of moments that could’ve gone either way.

But Varsity was about more than just results — packed sidelines, loud support and a great atmosphere across both weeks showed exactly what university sport is all about.