BUCS and promotion are more important than Varsity

“Last year we were missing a lot of first team players at Varsity; not again, not this year.”

It might not seem that important to you or I but the Mens Football team are looking to right the wrongs of last years Varsity situation and aim to take the win. That seemed to be the undercurrent of what the team told us when The Tab went to speak to them.

Varsity is a long way away and there are a huge number of games between the team and that fateful day. How many of those games will be wins? Will the team manage to dominate the league?

Club Captain Seb Betton told The Tab: “We’re in the Midlands 3B League this year along with UEA 2nd’s and DMU 1st’s but we’re a cut above the rest. Our standard is much higher than the level we played at last year and we will be pushing promotion I’m sure.” All the chat from the boys was positive, looking for wins and to keep the standard high. “There were a few poor performances last year that cost us important points, we need to cut out those mistakes.”

At the time of the interview Seb told The Tab: “It’s difficult to know what the full squad will look like at the moment because we haven’t had trials yet.” However, the team looks set to do well this year having won away at DMU in the first game of the season. What better way to start the campaign than by taking 3 points off the local rivals.

Then it got serious; talk turned to Varsity. Last years competition was a bit disappointing for the mens team as their loss was compounded by the fact that a large number of players, many of whom were set to play in the first  team, were banned from playing as they hadn’t paid their membership fees in time. This year that will not be the case, the team don’t want to be put in the same situation and let themselves down.

Varsity 2013

Seb was relaxed about Varsity and played down the expectation that the 1st team will win. He said: “We’ll have a better chance of winning if we have a good, solid season. For us, BUCS points and promotion are the aims of the season. We’re better than the league we’re in and we need to be challenging for the title.”

So it’s all looking rosy for the mens football club in terms of playing, points and varsity; but what can Freshers expect from the club if they’re still thinking about joining?

“The social atmosphere is really good and all the boys get on well with each other.” A good start. “Freshers will quickly get to know the rest of the team, we’re a really inclusive club and everyone is welcome,” said Seb.

But what about the actual socials? Are they good? Is there anything other than drinking available to potential members?

Ulfc international sports day pic.twitter.com/aU9Hlbr7o9

— ULFC (@UoLFC) September 25, 2013

There was a bit of laughter between some of the more senior players and the Seb said: “We’re a big club, we have a lot of members. That’s a good thing, it means that we always have a presence at Red Leicester and that new members can make a lot of good friends.”

“It’s more than just a Wednesday though. Obviously with the pre-varsity drinking ban, we have to go on sober socials and that’s when we get creative. We go on days out, watch Leicester City and go paintballing. We keep it fun but we have to be careful, injuries are a big no-no.”

If you like the sound of the Mens Football team and missed them at Freshers Fair, you can keep up to date with everything they’re up to by following them on Twitter.