Sport is an integral part of student life at Meriden.
Training, matches, carnivals and events are enjoyed by our students who maintain a high rate of participation in both physical activity and sport from Kindergarten through to Year 12.
Meriden offers a wide variety of opportunities across sports, state-of-the-art sporting facilities and a focus on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Students are encouraged to participate in both competitive and non-competitive sports and fitness programs are available to girls who would like additional physical activity.
Meriden has an outstanding record of sporting achievement with many students competing at state, national and international levels. Our specialist coaches and trainers provide expert advice and mentorship that allow every girl, from the beginner to the elite athlete, to achieve her personal best.
Inter-school COMPETITION
The endeavours of Meriden girls in the sporting arena are always positive and passionate as they strive for success.
Meriden’s inter-school sports program provides opportunities for girls to represent their school in a wide range of team and individual sports, with Meriden participating in the Independent Girls’ Schools Sports Association (IGSA) and the Independent Primary Schools Heads’ Association (IPSHA), along with other invitational competitions.
JUNIOR YEARS
Inter-school sport is not compulsory in the Junior School, but participation is encouraged and we’re proud of our strong voluntary participation and enthusiasm from our students. All students from Years 3 to 6 can be involved in inter-school sport and Meriden participates in the IPSHA Saturday morning competition which enables the girls to compete with other girls’ schools at venues in Sydney. In addition to the games held on Saturdays, team members are required to attend one training session per week.
Students with a high level of sporting ability are offered pathways to compete at higher levels through IPSHA, Combined Independent Schools (CIS), and NSW State representation at School Sport Australia.
SENIOR YEARS
All students in Years 7, 8 and 9 participate in sport during the year and are required to accumulate a minimum of two sporting points each year which is the equivalent of playing two Saturday sports. In Years 10 to 12, the majority of students choose to participate in one or more sports each year. The high level of participation in sport at Meriden creates an enthusiastic and energetic environment in which good sportsmanship prevails.
Meriden continues to be one of the most successful schools in the IGSA competition, along with other invitational competitions.
Students involved in inter-school sport have one or two training sessions per week, either before or after school.
Students with a high level of sporting ability are offered pathways to compete at higher levels through IGSA, Combined Independent Schools (CIS), and NSW State representation at School Sport Australia.
Throughout the year, selected students also have the opportunityto represent Meriden at the IGSA Athletics, Cross Country, Tildesley Tennis and various Swimming and Diving events.
Sports Offered AT MERIDEN
The wide range of sporting activities on offer at Meriden means each girl can discover a sport she enjoys, with opportunities to participate in several sports throughout the school year.
JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS AND FITNESS ACTIVITIES
Kindergarten – Year 2
Physio Play (K – Year 2)
Sports Club (Years 1 – 2)
Years 3 – 6
Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Diving
Football (Soccer)
Netball
Running Club
Tennis
Touch Football
Water Polo (Flippa Ball)
Group and private lessons are available through the Meriden Tennis Academy, Artistic Gymnastics is offered through the Australian Academy of Gymnastics, and Dance is offered through Elevate Performing Arts.
SENIOR SCHOOL SPORTS AND FITNESS ACTIVITIES
Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Cross Country
Diving
Football (Soccer)
Hockey
Netball
Student Fitness
Swim Fitness
Tennis
Touch Football
Volleyball
Water Polo
OlympusPROGRAM
For exceptional emerging athletes who dream of pursuing sport at an elite level, Meriden’s Olympus Program is an essential part of the journey to success. The program provides personalised support to each participant, helping her fulfil her academic and sporting potential.
Since the inception of the Olympus Program, the School has supported girls competing at the highest levels in a range of sports, including at the Olympics and other international competitions.
Olympus staff members have thorough understanding of the challenges that face studentathletes, as well as years of experience helping them to navigate these challenges. The Meriden Sports staff, some of whom are former elite athletes themselves, act as mentors who assist girls in maintaining their physical and mental wellness, managing their schedules, and negotiating academic flexibility around periods with intense sporting commitments.
Olympus students are supported in their academic planning to ensure they are reaching their goals in the classroom. All participants have access to different levels of academic support, depending on their needs.
Workshops on sleep, nutrition, injury prevention, time management and resilience are held regularly throughout the year and the Olympus ‘buddy system’ provides an official peer-to-peer support network for the students.
A Junior Olympus Program is accessible to students in Years 5 and 6 who are at an emerging level in their sport and committed to a busy training schedule. The program includes pastoral and academic care for girls who have regular, intensive sporting commitments outside school. Program coordinators also organise lunchtime workshops with guest speakers who provide age-appropriate, practical seminars about staying healthy in mind and body.
OLYMPUS FUTURES
The Olympus Futures program helps student-athletes navigate their post-school options and sporting journeys.
Meriden has formed associations with a number of renowned overseas universities to facilitate a smooth transition for Meriden graduates into that institution’s tertiary sporting and academic environment.
The Olympus Futures program provides advice and guidance in selecting a suitable tertiary institution and identifying and applying for international university/collegiate scholarships. It also assists girls to accelerate development in their sport for national and international representation.
The guidance is tailored to the individual needs and goals of each student.
The Olympus Futures program’s core principle is to support its participants in securing scholarships at higher education institutions that align with the student’s academic standard, tertiary interests and sporting achievement level.
Meriden girls have been offered places and scholarships at leading international universities, including Harvard, the University of California at Berkeley, Rice University and the University of the Fraser Valley, Canada.
MERIDEN
Tennis Academy
Meriden has developed an enviable reputation for turning out some of Australia’s best young female tennis players. Our players are developed through the School’s prestigious Tennis Academy, which is as well-known for its on-court successes as it is for its close-knit squad.
Meriden Tennis Academy offers a range of programs that caters for everyone from firsttimers with a racquet through to Australian-ranked players. Programs range from individual and group lessons through to development squads, strength and conditioning programs and high-performance training.
The Tennis Academy aims to develop in its players:
• Outstanding tennis skills
• Physical fitness and stamina
• Teamwork skills
• The desire to strive for excellence
• Uncompromising values of sportsmanship, commitment and generosity.
Sporting Highlights AT MERIDEN
TENNIS WATER POLO
Tildesley Tennis Champions every consecutive year since 2010 –
Eight International Grand Slam players –
2015 World Schools Tennis Champions
Meriden has nurtured some extraordinary talent in tennis, with players competing in national and international tournaments including the Junior Australian Open. One player competed in four Junior Grand Slams during her time at Meriden. During the past six years, eight Meriden students have competed at the Grand Slam level.
The Meriden tennis team has won the prestigious Tildesley Shield Tennis tournament every year since 2010, the Australian National Schools Tennis Challenge seven times, and has been selected to represent Australia at the biennial World Schools Tennis Challenge on four occasions. Meriden was named World Schools Tennis Champion at the 2015 Challenge held in Qatar.
IGSA Champions seven times –
Thirty-five state representatives and fourteen Australian representatives –
Olympian Head Aquatics Coach
Meriden’s Water Polo players achieve outstanding success at both team and individual levels. Over the past decade, the Senior Firsts have been grand finalists in the highly competitive IGSA Water Polo S01 Division every year since 2010 and have been crowned champions seven times.
Many of the players are selected to represent New South Wales and Australia in competitions. Within the past few years, Meriden has generated more than thirty-five state representatives and fourteen Australian representatives.
Meriden’s Water Polo program develops students from Year 3 through to Year 12 across all levels. Students receive high quality professional coaching from experienced coaches who include current and former Australian and international representatives, as well as Olympians. Ms Chloe Wilcox, Head Aquatics Coach at Meriden, was a member of Great Britain’s Women’s Water Polo Squad at the London Olympic Games and was also Assistant Coach to Great Britain’s Women’s National Water Polo Team for many years.
ATHLETICS
Olympian Athletics Coach –
Strong record of achievement across NSW and nationally –
Training at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre
Meriden’s Athletics program has gone from strength to strength under the guidance of triple-Olympian Mrs Nicole Boegman-Stewart. The program develops students’ athletic potential across all disciplines with year-round training and competition and access to specialist coaches. Meriden’s athletes compete at the annual IGSA and NSWCIS Athletics Championships as well as NSW All Schools, NSW Schools Relays, NSW Schools Nitro Challenge, Little Athletics and Athletics NSW competitions.
Meriden’s representatives have secured an impressive medal tally at the State Athletics Championships and Australian Junior Athletics Championships in recent years.
BADMINTON
Meriden’s fastest growing sport –
World-ranked, Olympic and nationally-selected coaches –
Meriden girls competing nationally and internationally
Badminton is Meriden’s fastest-growing sport and our athletes perform at the top of their school-based invitational competitions across multiple divisions, with a number of girls playing at national and international levels. The School’s Sports Centre hosts badminton training and competitions and, in addition, our girls use tournament-grade badminton facilities in close proximity to Meriden.
Our coaches are themselves professional players with competitive world rankings and they provide invaluable knowledge to all Meriden players of every level of ability, so every girl can reach her on-court potential.
Badminton is much-loved by Meriden girls for its high level of technical skill, healthy competition and camaraderie between players.
