St Margaret’s offers a holistic extra-curricular program, complete with 21 different sport programs. Each program aims to provide an enriching experience, developing a student’s sense of competence, confidence, connection and character.
Participation Guidelines
St Margaret’s recommends students participate in 1-2 sports at any given time within the school years.
Students should not participate in any more than three sports at any given time within the school year without sought permission from the Director of Sport.
• Students can only participate in one (1) seasonal sport in the Autumn and Winter seasons:
o Autumn Season must choose between Basketball, Soccer or Touch Football.
o Winter Season must choose between Hockey, Netball, Tennis or Volleyball.
• Students can only participate in one of either Netball (QGSSSA and/or Club) or Rowing.
• Students who participate in Rowing cannot participate in Winter Season Sport.
Program Communication
The St Margaret’s sport program information is accessible via the POD platform. Students and parents are encouraged to join the Secondary Sport POD page to stay up to date with all the latest information. Students who sign up for a particular sport will be automatically added to the respective sports POD Page. The POD is accessible through the School App and notifications can be received via smart phone.
Sport Expectations
There's a way in which we strive to do things at St Margaret's; a way in which we seek to treat people throughout our community; and a way in which we aim to serve others. Underpinned by our school values, our St Margaret’s way extends itself to the way in which we behave and perform in sport.
It is expected all students selected within St Margaret’s representative teams will attend all required trainings and fixtured matches. If unable to do so, for legitimate reason, communication with Sport Coordinator is expected.
Further Information
If you require any further information regarding the Sport & Activities program at St Margaret’s please do not hesitate to get in contact. Please contact activities@stmargarets.qld.edu.au.
Secondary Sport Year in Review 2023
At the completion of 2023 the Sport & Activities Department took moment to reflect on the outstanding achievements of students’ involvement within the St Margaret’s Sport program. As we step into 2024 I wanted to revisit this reflection and reiterate the purpose and intention of our program and its delivery.
The St Margaret’s Sport program prides itself upon both the performance and participation it encourages within its engagement. Throughout 2023 there were many outstanding performances that we have had the pleasure of celebrating with our community. However, as I reflect on the year that was, I am particularly proud of the incredible participation we have witnessed by our Maggies in all their sporting endeavours.
At St Margaret’s, within our non-compulsory sports program, 89% of students participate in school sport. This statistic is significant because it bucks the growing trend of decline in female youth sport participation witnessed Australia-wide. The 2023 AUSPLAY: National Sport and Physical Activity Participation Report indicates a significant 3% decline in sport or physical activity participation in female youth populations.
One of the top identified barriers and drivers for this decline is associated with the perception and reality that there ‘is not enough time or too many other commitments’ taking place in young adults’ lives. It is worth noting that of our 2023 Year 12 cohort, 78% took part in school sport, establishing a healthy balance with their increased academics and wellbeing pursuits… healthy bodies pave the way for healthy minds.
Similarly, at an age when burn-out and drop-off are most relevant our 2023 Year 9 cohort contrasted this with 94% participating in school sport and together with the Year 7s, they were identified as our most engaged year groups in school sport last year. Our boarders also thrived in the opportunities seized at St Margaret’s, with 92% of 2023 boarders involved in school sport. Their enjoyment and thirst for challenge and learning provides a healthy environment for all to excel.
To foster such strong participation our program continues to deliver holistic outcomes, incorporating both the physical and psycho-social needs of those who participate. Taking reference from the Positive Youth Development through Sport Framework (PYD) our program aims to instil a sense of competence, confidence, connection & character, which ultimately lends itself to the more intrinsic forms of motivation of fun and social connection that fuel our program and align closely with the top motivations identified with the AUSPLAY report.
The AUSPLAY report identifies Running, Swimming and Netball as the three of the most popular sports participated in by youth females. These are all sports that form an integral part of the St Margaret’s sport program, with Netball being our most popular with 33% of secondary students engaged within our QGSSSA Netball and Club Netball programs. To match contemporary trends, our school has invested in our strength & conditioning space and program offering, with fitness/gym identifying as the number one non-sport-related activity for young females. Similarly, esports is another program trending highly in participation and one that St Margaret’s continues to foster. Both new activities, like traditional sports, continue to develop the self-regulatory skills that form self-confidence, connection with others and character in application. These skills continue to transcend beyond life at school.
I continue to be blown away by the participation and enjoyment of sport shared by our girls, staff and wider school community. As we move forward into 2024, we will continue to encourage the intrinsic forms of engagement; enjoyment, social connection and character development, just as much as we do the more extrinsic values of achievement, success and accolade. We will continue to encourage girls to give new things a go and support each other in the process.
Good luck for the year ahead,
Lloyd Knight
Australian Sports Commission. (2023). AUSPLAY: National Sport and Physical Activity Participation Report. In https://www.clearinghouseforsport.gov.au/research/ausplay/results.
Côté, J., & Mallett, C. J. (2012). Review of Junior Sport Framework: Draft Briefing Paper Topic: Positive Youth Development through Sport. In UniQuest. Australian Sports Commission.