The fixture list for the opening weekend of the Cambridge University Association Football League’s (CUAFL) Premier League has been released online, throwing up a multitude of exciting fixtures to kick off the college football season.

The league, in which the top 10 teams from Cambridge’s 33 colleges battle it out for the Premier League title over the course of two terms, will begin on the weekend of the 15th October in what promises to be a fascinating set of matches: all five mouth-watering ties have significance in one form or another.

For example, Queens’ I will be hosting Jesus I in a battle between last year’s top two, who were divided only by goal difference – the home side clinched the title by 17 goals, an advantage that was vastly increased after the champions trounced Selwyn by 12 goals on the final day of last season.

And on a similar note, Selwyn I’s trip to Downing I is also a match-up between another previous top two, with the sides meeting again after the tense 2014/2015 season climax where a 0-0 draw (particularly agonising for the Selwynites after they missed a potentially match-winning penalty) granted Downing the title.

Elsewhere, Girton I host St John’s I,  with the newly-promoted side from somewhere outside Cambridge hoping for a repeat of their shock Cuppers quarter-final victory over the Johnians, where Harry Hicks’s goal midway through the second half from a goalmouth scramble and some textbook ‘park the bus’ defending gave the Girtonians victory.

Another promoted side – Cuppers champions, Robinson I – will fancy their chances against Gonville & Caius I, who managed to survive relegation by the extremely narrow margin of two goals after Downing I’s 6-2 victory on the final day of last season over Pembroke I – who had also just suffered an agonising third Cuppers final defeat in a row – sent the Valencians down.

And a ‘Hill Derby’ between Fitzwilliam I and Churchill I looks set to add the final flourish to a weekend of excitement, and the Winston-sponsored side will be keen for revenge after the last fixture between the two teams, where the heroics of Fitzwilliam goalkeeper Henry Warne in a penalty shootout during last year’s Cuppers quarter-finals earned his side the bragging rights.

However, the build-up to this season’s fixture announcement was marred by confusion. Long Road I, the first team from the sixth form college near Addenbrooke's Hospital, topped Division 2 last season with 24 points and looked set for promotion to the Premier League. But the youngsters have been denied: unconfirmed reports to Varsity suggest that Long Road had refused to meet the requirements for weekend matches, as demanded by CUAFL Premier League rule book, thereby allowing lucky Girton I – who finished last season in third place – the chance at the big-time.

The release of the fixture list is the first real concrete sign that the new season is set to begin, and Varsity spoke to a number of the captains of the CUAFL Premier League about their thoughts on their teams' prospects for the coming season

Ben Farrar – skipper of the current champions, Queens' I – explained to Varsity that his side "want to build on last year's success in the coming season. It's the final year for many of the squad so our priority is Cuppers. We've yet to progress past round two so it'd be great to have a cup run. The boys seem really up for it this year and having recruited a few promising freshers we are confident of matching some of last year's performances."

The levels of optimism among the teams differed. Gonville & Caius I's captain, Ethan Sorrell, told Varsity he was encouraged by the fact that, last year, the Caians were "comprised mostly of freshers and a few second-years, and most of the team is still here, so we have a solid foundation of a strong team that's played a season together already. We have a promising group of freshers joining us as well, so I'm confident Caius will be strong competitors this year and that we've got a shot at becoming league champions."

In contrast, however, Selwyn I's (self-appointed) coach James Massey was more reserved in his prediction, telling Varsity that he expected his side to earn a mid-table finish but "be a tougher team to put goals past than last year: after losing prolific striker Lewis Ball, we'll be building the team from the back, with players like Joe Hudson taking centre-stage, rather than the front. Providing we can create chances and work out how we'll line up in attack, I think we will be okay in terms of relegation, though we may be a bit slow out of the blocks in the first few games."

The need for the recruitment of promising freshers was a common point of discussion among the captains: St John's I skipper Ned Compertz observed that "realistically, the team will need some substantial rebuilding having lost numerous quality players over the summer" but also remained optimistic, describing how the Johnians had "been left with a core of hard-working, ambitious, and talented players who, with a strong fresher pool, will be confident of being a force to contend with both in the top division and in Cuppers after last year's shortcomings."

Because of the high turnover of players and the unknown impact of new freshers, the outcome of the CUAFL Premier League is almost impossible to predict. However, having looked at the fixtures, the Varsity Sports team – which notably consists of three Selwyn I players – have used their scant knowledge of the other teams to predict how this year’s CUAFL Premier League might look come the end of the season:

1. Jesus I
2. Robinson I
3. Queens’ I
4. Fitzwilliam I
5. Churchill I
6. Selwyn I
7. St John’s I
8. Girton I
9. Downing I
10. Gonville & Caius I

Cuppers Winners: Robinson I

The full fixture list and league table for the CUAFL Premier League – and all other divisions – are available online. 

Varsity is looking to expand its coverage of college sport this year. If you would like to either contribute or provide information for a match report, or some other news about your sport, please email sport@varsity.co.uk