A few years ago Francois Pienaar brought along the Varsity Cup and lives changed immensely. Monday nights had meaning, families had feuds, my sister and I waged war over Tuks and UJ. This was just the starting point of Varsity Sports in South Africa and the past 6 years have seen the brand grow with the addition of Hockey, Netball, Athletics and Soccer. This weekend it will also be the second festival as Camps Bay will welcome Womens beach Volleyball and Men’s Sevens Rugby.
I met with Francois for an interesting breakfast on Monday morning and he chatted about all things varsity sports. There is a fundamental belief that there was too much of a gap between school sport and the professional step and that is really the niche in which Varsity Sports have aimed to operate. They have also seen themselves as a brand that encourages innovation. This innovation has seen the adjusted scoring system in rugby, power plays in netball, pyrotechnics in athletics and awesomeness in sport.
This weekend they combine the sport with entertainment or as Francois puts it, “Sportainment”. The golden coast of Camps Bay, one of the most beautiful stretches of beach in the Western Cape will be transformed as University of Western Cape attempt to defend their Varsity Sports crown in the beach netball and Maties attempt to defend their 7’s rugby title won in Plettenburg Bay last year. This is what Francois had to say about this weekends festivities.
“Varsity Sports strives to remind everyone that sport is fun, while showcasing South Africa’s sport stars of the future. This tournament will be no different. Varsity Cup Rugby has been a great success and we plan to lift 7s rugby, beach volleyball and the other sports in the Varsity family to similar heights. Taking these competitions to Camps Bay really was a no-brainer for us. It is a place with a great look, feel and vibe and I’m sure the students and spectators will have a great time. The decision to go there was met by huge support from all the role players.”
Of course there will also be tons of prizes up for grabs for the competitors as sponsors in the likes of Samsung, Cell C, FNB and Steers have all delivered something for a standout achievement on the weekend.
If you are in the Cape area this weekend, make sure you get down to Camps Bay, there will be live entertainment, drinks, party, but mostly good fun. For more information check out the varsity sports website here or follow them on twitter.