Sport

At Abbotsleigh there is a place for your daughter, whatever her level of sporting prowess. From ‘learn to…’ programs to elite training opportunities, girls demonstrate remarkable performance levels across a broad range of sports.

Abbotsleigh has a proud tradition of sports participation and performance. While sport is not compulsory at Abbotsleigh, it is strongly encouraged and widely taken up. More than 80% of our Senior School students play at least one Saturday sport a year and approximately half of the Senior School is involved in a Saturday sport each term. A further 10% of girls are normally involved in mid-week and carnival sports all year round.

Team sports at Abbotsleigh are very popular. Our largest sports are netball, touch football and basketball, with more than 260 Senior School girls involved in each. Football (soccer), softball, hockey badminton and tennis are also incredibly popular, with water polo and cricket being our smaller sports. AFL and Rugby 7s were introduced recently and they are certainly growing each year.

In badminton, basketball, football (soccer), hockey, netball, softball, tennis and touch football, our senior firsts play in the top (S01) division. Our recent S01 successes include badminton and touch football and in 2019, our football (soccer) firsts recorded their first ever win in the S01 division.

In our carnival sports, Abbotsleigh does incredibly well across the board. The Senior School has placed 3rd or better in athletics, diving, cross country swimming or rhythmic gymnastics for the past several years (out of approximately 26 schools in the IGSA – Independent Girls’ Schools Association – system). In 2018 and 2019, Abbotsleigh were back-to-back champions in cross country.

Whether the girls are competing in state or national competitions or simply having fun in a social team, they are encouraged to do their best while learning the benefits of teamwork and building their physical coordination.

Junior School Sport 2023

Students participate in a range of sporting programs in the Junior School.

School based trials and carnivals are held in athletics, cross country, diving and swimming. Girls may also nominate for other major sports such as rhythmic and artistic gymnastics, equestrian, mountain biking and snow sports. Representative opportunities in basketball, cricket, football (soccer), golf, hockey, netball, softball, tennis and touch football are offered throughout the year.

IPSHA sports

Abbotsleigh is part of the Independent Primary School Heads’ Australia (IPSHA), which organises carnivals, major sports and Saturday competitions for students in Years 3-6. This inclusive program is designed to promote skill development, team spirit and engagement.

IPSHA Saturday sport runs for all four terms with a range of activities available. Training sessions are held once a week after school, 3.20-4.30 pm, for Year 6 on Monday, Year 5 on Wednesday and Years 3 and 4 on Thursday. While involvement in sport is optional, we encourage girls to participate regardless of experience or skill.

IPSHA carnivals are held throughout the year for athletics, cross country, gymnastics and swimming and diving. Girls may then be selected to compete at NSW Combined Independent Schools (CIS), state competitions (NSWPSSA), and School Sport Australia national (SSA) levels.

Saturday sport for Year 2

Our ‘friendly’ Saturday sport program is offered to Year 2 girls in Terms 3 and 4. These sessions are designed to help prepare the girls for the IPSHA Saturday Sport competition as well as develop overall skills and to foster a love of sport. The Term 3 program comprises netball (run by Netball NSW development staff) and AFL (run by AFLNSW development staff). Soccer (football) and minkey (modified hockey) are delivered by experienced coaches and round out the program in Term 4

Junior School Sport

Mr Paul Guirreri, Head of JS Sport and PDHPE
Phone: +61 2 9473 3217
Email: guirrerip@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au

Senior School Sport

Interhouse competitions in swimming and diving, athletics and cross country are held throughout the year and all girls are encouraged to participate.

IGSA competition

Abbotsleigh is a member of the Independent Girls Schools' Association (IGSA) and much of the Senior School sport is based around the IGSA – Sport calendar. IGSA has up to 30 member schools, including country schools such as PLC Armidale, NEGS and Frensham. IGSA offers two Saturday sports per term as well as carnivals for athletics, cross country, diving, gymnastics, swimming and tennis (Tildesley Shield).  

Saturday sports by term

 
*These sports are played on a Saturday afternoon.

Other sports

Abbotsleigh also offers other mid-week or weekend activities.

• Equestrian (competitive)
• Golf (introductory)
• Snow sports (competitive)
• Sport aerobics – now aerobic gymnastics (competitive)

Fitness classes are run on a weekly basis. Classes are free and are open to students of all fitness levels. These are drop-in classes with no ongoing commitment required.

Other sports including dance and fencing are offered through the AbbSchool extended tuition program. Year round squad training for swimming is available through the Aquatic Centre.

All sports by term

Major carnival results 2022

• Swimming: 4th
• Diving: 3rd
• Tildesley Shield tennis: 10th
• Cross country: 4th
• Athletics: 6th
• Gymnastics: 8th

Senior School Sport

Ms Lauren Archer, Head of Sport
Phone: +61 2 9473 7783
Email: archerl@abbotsleigh.nsw.edu.au