Cambridge United are offering discounted tickets to students tonight for their fixture against Bristol Rovers, in a bid to entice more members of the university to make the trip to the R Costings Abbey Stadium.

Tickets, which are discounted to just £6, include £3 entry to Life afterwards, and are being sold through the TeamFirst app, allowing £1 of the proceeds to be reinvested back into a University club or society of the ticketholder’s choice.

Cambridge United manager Richard Money, speaking at the pre-match press conference yesterday, spoke of the importance for the club that students make the trip to the Abbey.

“We want the people in the city to really support this football club; we want people to understand that this club is not just about the people within it; it’s about representing the city of Cambridge, and that means everybody who works or comes here for any period of time.”

Money believes that tonight is a chance for students to see what the club has to offer.

“If you come to university in Cambridge, you probably support something far bigger than Cambridge [United], but while they’re here it would be really nice if they also understood that we’ve got a really good football club in the city.”

Speaking ahead of the event, Danny Kerrigan, the Cambridge United Community Trust manager and former University Blue, also believes it is crucial for the Us to continue to attract students on a match day.

“We would like to see as many students at the Abbey as possible this evening, but more important to us is the hope that this promotion may attract some students to Cambridge United who have never been before.”

“We hope that this initial nudge will help the student population to realise that our stadium really isn’t that far away, and that it is just about possible to escape beyond a mile radius of Market Square in term-time!”

For those who do venture outside of the city centre, an opportunity awaits to see a Cambridge United side fresh from a 3-2 victory over Yeovil Town at Huish Park last weekend. Money’s men, who sit fourteenth in League Two, have the opportunity to leapfrog a newly-promoted Bristol Rovers side sitting just one place above them.

Kerrigan believes that last season’s high profile games in Cambridge, both against Manchester United in the FA Cup, as well as hosting the Varsity Match against Oxford, boosted the club’s appeal and profile to students.

“Over recent years, Cambridge United’s success on the field has given the Club the confidence to explore new opportunities. The FA Cup match against Manchester United meant that for two weeks, Cambridge United were as famous as Cambridge University, and among a group of students, a ticket for the Abbey was as sought after as a ticket for John’s May Ball.

“We also hosted the Varsity Football match in March last year, which saw a crowd of over 1300 descend down Newmarket Road to support the Light Blues. Evidently, games of this profile are the exception rather than the rule at the moment, but we would love to engage students on a more regular basis – and our evening games especially are great for club socials.”

Richard Money echoed this.

“You could see from the cup tie last year how much interest was generated not just in the football club, but in the brand name of Cambridge which is so important for us, it’s unique, and it gives us a real opportunity to do things like we’ve done [for tonight’s game].

“Hopefully we can keep those students coming for many more games afterwards for however long they are in the city.”

Cambridge United are already involved with the University Men’s football side, with Chief Executive and former U’s manager Jez George forming part of the coaching set up alongside Kerrigan. But the club is eager for ties to continue to develop.

“We see our relationship with the University as very important, and it is something we are working to grow.

“The Director of the Judge Business School, Christoph Loch, is now a Trustee of our charity, Cambridge United Community Trust, and we are currently working on a business project with a number of MBA students. As the Club continues to grow, there will be more and more overlaps with the University, and we hope to continue to build links with the students, colleges, faculties, and all other agents within the organisation.”
Kick off is at 7.45pm, and halloween costume is actively encouraged. Students can purchase tickets via the TeamFirst App, which is available on iOS and Android smartphones.