Investment bank Jefferies becomes new sponsor of Varsity Matches
Investment banking firm Jefferies has been announced as the title sponsor of the Varsity Matches, as the Oxford v Cambridge rivalry marks 150 years.
In addition to the new sponsor, the varsity games will now take place on the Saturday after the conclusion of the Six Nations in a bid to attract a new audience.
“We are delighted to be partnering with the Varsity Matches. When discussing the sponsorship, it very quickly became clear that these historic fixtures represented an outstanding fit for the culture and values we believe in at Jefferies.” said Ed Keen, Head of Equities EMEA at Jefferies.
“In particular, the Varsity Matches are champions for diversity and inclusion in sport, including gender
equality through their work as strong advocates for women’s rugby. As partners, we look forward to
working with the Varsity Matches to create positive social change and increase career opportunities in financial services, through the power of sport.”
Last year’s fixtures were played at Leicester Tigers’ Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium instead of Twickenham, due to Covid restrictions, where Cambridge’s women and Oxford’s men came out on top.
Since 2015, the men’s and women’s fixtures have taken place on the same day and same pitch as each other.
“This sponsorship deal couldn’t have come at a better time as it will provide us with new impetus as we make a key strategic move in the timings of our matches,” said Tim Jones, chairman of the Varsity Match Company.
“Through our new partnership with Jefferies we believe we will be able to better promote not only our 150th anniversary, but also our move to the springtime. This is a major boost for our two showpiece matches and will add extra lustre to our celebration game at Twickenham in 2022.”
Jefferies Group LLC is the largest independent, global, full-service investment banking firm headquartered in the US, whose market value has soared in the past year.
The current men’s Varsity series stands at 64-61 in favour of Cambridge, with 14 draws between the two sides. Oxford lead the women’s series 20-13, with zero draws.