Three kilometres of physical distance separate the city centre from the Cledara Abbey Stadium, but you could be forgiven for feeling they were worlds apart. Long gone are the dreaming spires, the gaggles of selfie-snapping tourists, and verdant collegiate lawns. Situated next to a retail park, Cambridge United’s endearingly ramshackle home lies in the city’s most deprived ward, where life expectancy for a male is a staggering 11 years lower than in Cambridge’s more privileged areas.

Yet despite the apparent polarities between the cosy privilege of the University and the Abbey Ward, or world leading academia and League One football, the University of Cambridge and the city’s premier sports team stand increasingly united. In October 2023, the two institutions announced a strategic partnership, and as Cambridge United CEO Alex Tunbridge is keen to tell me, “the football club is really invested into engaging with the University, engaging with its colleges.” His lofty words certainly don’t ring hollow either, with students being privy to a plethora of opportunities since the joint endeavour was agreed; whether it’s engaging with four eminent voices on the writing of football through the ongoing Footnotes series, or volunteering with the Cambridge United Foundation, whose sports-based community and inequality initiatives reach over 10,000 local people. This March, the Cledara Abbey Stadium will once again play host to the focal point of the light blues’ footballing calendar, offering players the thrill of competing in an elite setting, after over 2000 students attended last year’s Varsity fixture.

“The football club is really invested into engaging with the University, engaging with its colleges.”

The partnership’s fruitful beginnings appear to defy the insular yet deeply rooted notion of a ‘town and gown’ divide in Cambridge. Although the purported rift has historical precedent in football, thanks to an infamous 16th century fracas during a ‘town versus gown’ match which took a bloody twist, Cambridge United’s CEO was unequivocal that he sees no such division. “I think it’s about having a mindset that it’s one city,” affirmed Tunbridge, adding, “As a football club, our perspective in the last few years has been that we’ve got some fantastic institutions in the city. Let’s go and open our doors. Let’s create these partnerships.” Perhaps those whose mentalities remain within the narrow confines of the University bubble could take wisdom from the football club’s refreshingly open outlook, encapsulated by the top brass’s unwavering principle that: “We say to all of our players and staff […] there are all different sides to the city, all different communities that sit within it. Go and experience all of it… because it’s what makes the city so special.”

With Cambridge United currently undergoing a brand rehaul, the University’s place within the club’s identity has, quite literally, come to the fore. Over the summer of 2024, the club held a wide-reaching consultation over its visual image, toying between three alternatives for their would-be crest –including a ‘book and ball’ design. Cambridge University has left a defining mark upon a myriad of arenas, and sport is no exception. In Alex’s words: “[The book and ball identity] is a reference to the rules of association football being formed by Cambridge students. It’s very close to the history and the heritage of the football club.” Ultimately, the design lost out to its rivals, however the book and ball will form one of the club’s eight sub-identities, alongside the academia-inspired ‘bookmark.’

While the University’s looming shadow must undoubtedly pose challenges for the city’s other institutions at times, its sheer scholarly excellence has undoubtedly imbued the Cambridge name with international prestige. Wrexham FC may have their Hollywood sparkle, but few other League One clubs can boast of a name that commands attention in overseas markets like Cambridge does. As Alex tells me: “It’s certainly been within our thoughts as we’ve gone through the rebrand process. Definitely. I think you will see us be more targeted towards international audiences once we’ve rebranded.”

“Currently, the club targets Tuesday fixtures, marketed as a 10-pound-a-ticket student night”

The beating heart of the beautiful game will forever be its fans, and so it’s unsurprising that one of the strategic partnership’s core missions was for Cambridge United to tap into the city’s considerable student population. “We see students as a key demographic,” Alex acknowledged, stating, “We’re trying to be adaptive and create an experience that suits students.” Currently, the club targets Tuesday fixtures, marketed as a 10-pound-a-ticket student night, to engage a group that often finds itself both time and cash-poor.

Aspirations aside, reaching the city’s university demographic isn’t without its obstacles. Unlike Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge University has notoriously short terms, and students’ itinerant nature leaves Alex to concede: “It can provide challenges. It’s different to lots of other university towns, most certainly.”

Student attitudes towards the football club also appear to be lagging behind. A football supporter’s group is conspicuously absent from the University’s glut of societies. Even institutions with unshakably elitist reputations such as Durham, or academic stalwarts like Bath and Warwick, have societies that cheer on local sides, many of whom dwell in the doldrums of the sixth tier. Additionally, in a recent survey of Cambridge University students, less than 25% of respondents affirmed a “medium” or “strong” attachment to the city’s football club, while the majority felt “very little to no attachment.” Just a mere 19% knew the division Cambridge United play in and the manager’s name, with most blissfully unaware of even the most rudimentary information about the U’s.

There is still a way to go for students to wholeheartedly embrace Cambridge United - but with the club’s open-armed attitude, alongside the fruits already born out of the University’s relationship with the football team, you can see why Alex is confident of “a really bright future ahead for both the organisations.”