University of Leicester renames buildings after English Premier League Champions

Issued by University of Leicester Press Office on 13 May 2016

A map of the re-vamped campus and list of buildings ‘before’ and ‘after’ available to download at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/e547z2hfc5d3nd2/AADKMOO3Zebjvbb6JW-_et0ga?dl=0

For one day only, the University of Leicester will rename its buildings after the Leicester City Football squad in celebration of their remarkable Premier League success and to show its support on the day of the team’s victory parade.

On Monday 16 May an open-top bus parade and ‘Vardy party’ in Victoria Park -adjacent to the University of Leicester- will mark the Foxes’ momentous achievement in becoming the champions of English football for the first time in the club’s 132 year history.

To mark the occasion, which will conclude with celebrations on the outskirts of the campus in Victoria Park, the University’s tallest building – the Attenborough Tower will be renamed after the team’s leading goal scorer, Barclays Premier League Player of the Season and Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year Jamie Vardy.

The David Wilson Library will represent the brains behind the whole operation, manager Claudio Ranieri and the Fielding Johnson Building, which houses the University’s Leadership Team, will be named after skipper Wes Morgan.

He’s pulled off some spectacular saves this season, but the Kasper Schmeichel Centre for Medicine is aimed at saving lives rather than goals.

The Bennett Building, which hosts the Geology department behind the ‘Vardyquake’ phenomenon, will be named the Leonardo Ullola Building after the Argentinian who made the earth move when he scored a late winner against Norwich at the King Power stadium in February.

University of Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) discovered King Richard III under a car park, and his reinterment has been linked to the rise in Leicester City’s fortune. Therefore the building housing the service will be named after another King, long-serving midfielder Andy King.

Other building name-changes include:

·         Physics and Astronomy Building -  N’Golo Kante

·         Danielle Brown Sports Centre – Danny Drinkwater

·         Percy Gee Building – Nathan Dyer Building

·         George Porter Building - Christian Fuchs Building

·         Charles Wilson Building - Riyad Mahrez Building

·         Attenborough Seminar Block - Shinji Okazaki Seminar Block

Dave Hall, the University’s Chief Operating Officer and Registrar, said: “We hope that renaming our buildings conveys the sheer pride that the University and the city have in the players and staff behind Leicester City’s momentous season in winning the Premier League title for the first time. We share in their joy and that of Leicester City Women who won the Women's Premier League Midlands Division One title with a 100% record - winning 22 games, scoring 93 goals and conceding just 19.

“We are doing the renaming of buildings as a one-off, but we hope Leicester City’s achievement isn’t.”

The buildings will return to their original name-sakes on Tuesday 17 May.

Ends

Notes to editors

For interviews and more information contact Jim Butler, Head of Corporate Events at: jtb9@le.ac.uk

A round-up of all of the University’s LCFC related activity and stories available at: http://www2.le.ac.uk/news/blog/2016-archive/may/university-shows-support-for-leicester-on-victory-parade

The buildings 'before' and 'after' renaming are available below: