The Free State will have three teams as representatives in this year’s Varsity Football Cup, South Africa’s premier university football competition.
The Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, will compete in both the men’s and women’s tournament while the University of the Free State (UFS) will compete in the men’s section only.
This is the second time the province will have three clubs in the football tournament, which features top eight university clubs comprising both men and women. The CUT’s women’s outfit returns to prestigious competition having last featured in 2019.
The team qualified for this year’s edition after finishing top in the University Sports South Africa (USSA) championship staged in Cape Town, Western Cape.
Despite record participation, the province’s two university men’s teams are yet to annex the sought-after championship. The UFS’ men’s team came close in 2021 when they lost 1 – 4 to the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in the final.
The CUT men also almost tasted success in 2016 when they lost 1 – 2 to the University of Pretoria (UP) in the final played in Bloemfontein.
The men’s competition is set to run from 25 July, ending on 26 September with the final.
The women’s tournament is scheduled to commence on 26 July with the grand final taking place on 9 August, tying with the commemoration of national Women’s Day.
Lisa Roux, head of Varsity Sports, highlights the incredible opportunities and life-changing impact of the football tournaments.
“Varsity Football is the birthplace of future football stars and the stage where their talents shine. It is a place where dreams take flight, and lives are transformed.
“This season will not just be another competition; it will be a celebration you cannot afford to miss! The #iyachesa atmosphere, the community spirit, and the limitless potential that defines Varsity Football,” said Roux.
The other men’s teams in the competition are the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), University of the Western Cape (UWC), Durban University of Technology (DUT), UP, and the Vaal University of Technology (VUT).
In the women’s tournament are the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), North-West University (NWU), University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), UWC, UJ, TUT, and the UP.
