This year’s Varsity finale at Carnegie Stadium left the venue with thousands of pounds worth of damage, with some of the pitch invaders being roped in to help with the clean up operation.

University Police Liaison Officer, PC Matt Guy, reported to The Gryphon that this year 70 seats were broken in the stadium, and with each seat costing £56 to replace, this alone caused just under £4000 in damages.

On top of this, eight taps were pulled of sinks in the toilets, 18 toilet seats were broken and a number of sponsor boards were pulled down.

PC Matt Guy affirmed that more damage was caused to the stadium at the Varsity match this year than the stadium received in the rest of the year combined.

Varsity is the biggest sports event on the university calendar and this year a record 15,535 people attended the fixture.

The Gryphon learned from PC Matt Guy that following a pitch invasion a few minutes before the end of the match, a number of students were fined £1000 each. One pitch invader has also resigned his position as captain of the Men’s Hockey team.

Along with the fine, many of the pitch invaders completed a ‘community service’ at Carnegie Stadium on Wednesday, where they helped clean up the damage caused by the event, including fixing seats and sweeping the stands.

Jessica Murray

(Image: Devon Handley)