CSSA Wednesday Sport
How Wednesday afternoon sport works for Years 7–12 at St Mary's College: the CSSA competition 1:20–3:25pm, seasons and sports, buses and venues, what students wear and bring, the non-team options (fitness, yoga, walking group and more), nominations and cancellations.
Every Senior School student (Years 7–12) takes part in sport on Wednesday afternoons. Most play for a College team in the Catholic Schools Sports Association (CSSA) competition against six other Catholic colleges in Melbourne's north-east; the rest choose a non-team activity on campus. Wednesday sport is part of the curriculum, not an optional extra — it is compulsory, and absences are treated like absences from class.
The timetable
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 8:40am | Team members wear sport uniform to school on Wednesdays during their season |
| 1:20pm | Lunch begins; buses for away games depart the Senior gate at 1:20pm (students collect lunch to eat on the bus or at the venue) |
| 1:50pm | Home games start (Sports Centre, Main Oval, Lower Field, Hall, courts, Wattle Creek Hockey Centre) |
| 2:00pm | Away games start at the host school |
| 2:45pm | Non-team activities finish; normal Wednesday 2:45pm early dismissal for students not at a fixture |
| 3:25pm | Team members return to the College by 3:25pm and are dismissed; late buses and Kiss-and-Drop operate as normal |
Wednesday is the Senior School's early-finish day (2:45pm) for staff professional learning. Students at a CSSA fixture finish at 3:25pm; parents of team members should plan for the later time during the season. Students may be collected directly from an away venue only if a Portal permission form was submitted by 9:00am that day and the student signs out with the coach.
The CSSA competition
The CSSA is made up of seven colleges: St Mary's, St Bede's (Hillview), Marian College (Riverbend), Aquinas College (Kingsley Park), Loyola College (Ferntree Rise), Emmaus College (Greenhaven) and Sacred Heart College (Millbrook). Each sport runs a home-and-away draw, semi-finals and a Grand Final, in three divisions — Junior (Years 7–8), Intermediate (Years 9–10) and Senior (Years 11–12) — with A, B and sometimes C teams.
| Season | Terms | Sports | 2026–27 dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | Terms 2–3 | Netball, Football (AFL), Soccer, Hockey, Basketball | Round 1 Wednesday 22 April 2026; Grand Final Wednesday 16 September 2026 |
| Summer | Terms 4 and 1 | Cricket, Tennis, Volleyball, softball, touch football | Round 1 Wednesday 7 October 2026; finals Wednesday 24 March 2027 |
Softball and touch football are entered when numbers allow (in 2026–27 we field Senior Mixed softball and Intermediate touch football; contact Mr Ferraro). CSSA also runs the one-day swimming, cross country and athletics championships in which our squads compete.
Remaining Term 3 2026 rounds
Round 6 Wednesday 26 August; Round 7 Wednesday 2 September; Semi Finals Wednesday 9 September; Grand Finals Wednesday 16 September. Opponents and venues for each team are on the individual sport pages. Year 9 students are on City Experience in Week 8 and miss Round 7.
Saturday sport
1st teams (1st XVIII, Boys and Girls 1st XI soccer, Open A netball, Senior A basketball, 1st XI hockey; in summer 1st XI cricket and 1st IV tennis) also play in the CSSA Saturday morning competition. Saturday fixtures are listed on each sport page; parents transport players.
Nominating for a team
- Nominations open on the Learning Hub Sport page in the second-last week of the previous season (summer 2026–27 nominations: Monday 7 – Friday 11 September 2026).
- Students choose a first and second preference. Where a sport is oversubscribed, extra teams are created; students are not turned away.
- Trials are held in Week 1 of the new season; team lists are posted on the Learning Hub and emailed to parents.
- Students who do not nominate are placed in a non-team activity.
Students remain in their team for the whole season. Changes mid-season need the approval of the Director of Sport and are normally granted only for injury or timetable reasons.
Non-team options
Students who do not play a CSSA team sport choose one of the on-campus activities below. Each runs 1:20–2:45pm and is supervised by staff. Choices are made on the Learning Hub at nomination time and may be changed each term.
| Activity | Where | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Fitness & Gym | Sports Centre gym and Court 3 | Circuit training, strength (Years 10–12 with induction), boxing fitness. Run by Mr Jordan Blake |
| Yoga & Pilates | Dance Studio | Mats provided; students bring a towel. Run by Ms Renee Carter |
| Walking Group | Wattle Creek Linear Park (from the Senior gate) | 5–6km at a talking pace; wet-weather alternative is the Sports Centre walking track. Run by Mrs Siobhan Reilly |
| Badminton & Table Tennis | Hall | Social round-robin ladder each term |
| Bike Riding | Linear Park trail | Years 9–12; own bike and helmet, checked by staff; permission form required |
| Sport Leadership & Umpiring | Sports Centre classroom, then Junior Friday sport | Years 10–12 complete a Level 0/1 umpiring or coaching course and assist with Junior NDPSA sport (leadership hours credited) |
| Community Fitness (Term 4 only) | Wattle Creek Aquatic Centre | Lap swimming and aqua fitness; $6 entry per week charged to fees |
Year 11 and 12 students may apply for Study Sport (supervised study in the Library) during exam periods only — Year 11 exams Monday 7 – Friday 11 September 2026; Year 12 Practice Exams finished Friday 28 August.
Buses and travel
Chartered buses leave from the Senior gate on Chapel Road at 1:20pm and return by 3:25pm. Students travel in sport uniform with their bag; valuables stay locked in lockers. Buses to neutral finals venues further afield (for example hockey at the State Hockey Centre, Parkville) may leave earlier — check the sport page. A staff coach or manager travels on every bus.
What to bring on Wednesdays
Sport uniform worn to school (team members), playing kit issued by the College, sport-specific protective gear (mouthguard, shin pads), drink bottle, hat and sunscreen, lunch, and any medication. Non-team students bring their sport uniform to change into at 1:20pm.
Cancellations
A cancelled round is announced by Parent Portal notification by 12:30pm Wednesday; no notification means sport is on. Cancelled Wednesdays run indoor activities until 2:45pm. See Extreme Weather & Cancellations.
Attendance and behaviour
Wednesday sport is a timetabled class. Students who are unwell need a Portal absence note; students injured but at school attend as scorers or officials. Uniform, sportsmanship and behaviour expectations are the College's normal ones — a student sent from the field or court for poor conduct meets with the Director of Sport and their Year Level Coordinator under the Behaviour & Restorative Practices Policy.
Contact
Mr Luke Ferraro, Director of Sport — sport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au — (03) 9555 0100. Sports Centre office, open 8:00am–4:30pm.