Sport at St Mary's College
How sport works at St Mary's College from Prep to Year 12: our philosophy, Junior NDPSA Friday sport, Senior CSSA Wednesday and Saturday sport, how to get involved, uniform rules, costs and insurance.
Sport at St Mary's College is for everyone. Around 1,100 of our 1,480 students play in at least one College team each year, from Year 3 Friday netball through to the 1st XVIII on a Saturday morning. We field teams so that students of every ability can play, we train properly, and we expect our teams to compete hard and behave well. This page explains how the program is organised; the individual sport pages have training times, fixtures and coach contacts.
Our philosophy
- Participation first. Every student in Years 3–12 who wants to play is placed in a team. We add B, C and D teams rather than cut players.
- Play the game the right way. Students shake hands, thank umpires and coaches, and represent the College in full sport uniform. Poor sportsmanship is dealt with under the Behaviour & Restorative Practices Policy.
- Development, not just results. Coaches are College staff or accredited community coaches (all hold a Working With Children Check). Training is planned, skill-based and age-appropriate.
- House spirit. Every student belongs to MacKillop (green), Chisholm (blue), Polding (gold) or Romero (red). Carnival participation earns House points regardless of placing — see Houses.
Two competitions, one College
| Junior School (Years 3–6) | Senior School (Years 7–12) | |
|---|---|---|
| Competition | Northern Districts Primary Sports Association (NDPSA) | Catholic Schools Sports Association (CSSA) |
| When | Fridays 1:30–3:00pm | Wednesdays 1:20–3:25pm, plus Saturday mornings for 1st teams |
| Winter (Terms 2–3) | Netball, football (AFL), soccer, tee-ball (basketball in Term 3) | Netball, football (AFL), soccer, hockey, basketball |
| Summer (Terms 4 & 1) | Cricket, basketball, tennis, volleyball, rounders | Cricket, tennis, volleyball, softball, touch football |
| Coordinator | Mr Daniel Ruiz, juniorsport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au | Mr Luke Ferraro, sport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au |
Prep to Year 2 students do Friday PMP (perceptual motor program) and Fun Fridays rather than interschool sport. Details of the Junior program are on the Friday Interschool Sport page; the Senior program is explained on CSSA Wednesday Sport.
Beyond the two competitions, the College runs a swimming squad, cross country and athletics squads that compete at CSSA carnivals, and four whole-school carnivals each year: Swimming (February), Cross Country (May), Athletics (September) and House Spirit Day (September).
Who runs sport
Mr Luke Ferraro, Director of Sport, oversees the whole P–12 program, coordinates CSSA fixtures and coaches, and manages carnivals. He is based in the Sports Centre office and is the first contact for any Senior sport question. Mr Daniel Ruiz coordinates Junior (NDPSA) sport alongside his role as Year 5 Coordinator. Around 45 staff coach or manage a team each season, supported by a small number of external coaches in hockey, swimming and tennis.
How to get involved
- Senior students nominate for a CSSA sport in the last two weeks of the previous term through the Learning Hub Sport page (Term 3 nominations for summer sport open Monday 7 September 2026 and close Friday 11 September 2026). Trials are held in Week 1 of the new season.
- Junior students (Years 3–6) are allocated to a Friday sport by their classroom teacher after expressing a preference at the start of each semester. Parents are notified via the Parent Portal.
- Squads (swimming, cross country, athletics) are open to any Year 5–12 student who wants to train — no trial needed. Sign up on the relevant sport page and turn up.
- Parents can help by managing a team, scoring, transporting or umpiring. All volunteers need a Working With Children Check and the online induction — see Volunteering & WWCC.
A full week-by-week list of every training session is on the Training Timetable.
Sport uniform rules
The sport uniform (navy/gold polo, navy shorts, sport tracksuit, white socks, predominantly white runners) is worn only on a student's timetabled PE/sport day and, for Juniors, on Fridays. Senior students wear the sport uniform to school on Wednesdays if they are playing CSSA sport. For carnivals, students wear their House polo in house colour. Playing bibs, netball dresses and 1st-team guernseys are College property and are loaned for the season. Full details and prices are on the Sport Uniform page.
Costs
Team sport is included in fees. The only regular extras are the hockey training bus ($4 per session, charged to your account) and the swimming squad pool entry ($95 per term). Students supply their own mouthguard, shin pads and runners. Families holding a Health Care Card may be eligible for CSEF ($154 primary / $256 secondary) — see Fees & Payments.
Insurance
All students are covered by the College's Student Accident Insurance policy while taking part in College-organised sport, training, carnivals and travel to and from fixtures. The policy reimburses out-of-pocket medical costs not covered by Medicare or private health insurance, up to policy limits (it cannot cover the Medicare gap by law). Keep receipts and request a claim form from the Business Manager, Mrs Annette Kowalski, within 30 days of the injury. We strongly recommend families hold ambulance cover, as ambulance transport is not automatically covered. Injuries at sport are recorded by First Aid and parents are contacted the same day — see Medication & First Aid.
Weather and cancellations
Sport is cancelled if the forecast at 9:00am is 35°C or above, on days of Total Fire Ban, and for lightning or unsafe grounds. Cancellations are posted to the Parent Portal by 12:30pm on Wednesdays and 11:30am on Fridays. See Extreme Weather & Cancellations.
Contact
- Senior sport (Years 7–12): Mr Luke Ferraro, sport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au, (03) 9555 0100
- Junior sport (Years 3–6): Mr Daniel Ruiz, juniorsport@stmaryswc.vic.edu.au, (03) 9555 0100