Blue (university sport)

A blue is an award of sporting colours earned by athletes at some universities and schools for competition at the highest level.

The first sporting contest between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge was held on 4 June 1827, when a two-day cricket match at Lord's, organized by Charles Wordsworth, nephew of the poet William, resulted in a draw.

[1][2] At the first Boat Race in 1829, the Oxford crew was dominated by students of Christ Church, whose college colours were dark blue.

At the second race, in 1836, a light blue ribbon was attached to the front of the Cambridge boat, as it was the colour of Gonville & Caius College.

A full blue is the highest honour that may be bestowed on a Cambridge athlete, and is a much-coveted and prestigious prize.

By 1880 a number of smaller clubs involved in varsity matches had successfully requested the right to award "half blues".

The individual's case must be presented to the Blues Committee in person and must be backed up by substantial evidence and references.

Both Presidents along with the Director of Sport represent Oxford at any meetings of a Joint Blues Committee held with Cambridge.

The purpose of the Joint Blues Committee is to discuss issues of eligibility for the varsity match and to settle any disputes between the sporting communities of the two universities.

These include Aberdeen,[8] Bath,[9] Birmingham,[10] Edinburgh,[11] Glasgow,[12] Heriot-Watt,[13] Liverpool,[14] Robert Gordon,[15] St. Andrews[16] and Stirling.

[17] The Victoria University of Manchester awarded 'Maroons' in place of the usual Blues, the Athletic Union having chosen the sporting colours of maroon and white in 1905.

Initially, awards were made automatically to all participants in an intervarsity contest, with the level (full or half blue) dependent on the sport.

In 1911, this model was replaced with the formation of a 'Blues Advisory Board' to determine the awards based on an individual's performance.

Blues have been awarded for outstanding performances in club fixtures, representative games, and inter-university competitions as well as for international representation whilst studying at the university.