Sport at New Hall
Sport is an integral part of life at New Hall. The School is committed to delivering firstclass coaching and teaching across all age groups, offering every student the chance to develop their skills and achieve their personal best. New Hall’s inclusive ‘sport for all’ ethos sits alongside an elite training programme designed to help talented athletes excel at the highest level.
Students benefit from outstanding facilities, many of which are floodlit. These include: a Learn-to-Ride centre with two horse simulators and an arena; 8 netball courts; 2 all-weather hockey pitches; 2 outdoor basketball courts; 5 rugby pitches; a 3G rugby and football training pitch; 7 football pitches; an athletics track; 4 cricket wickets with indoor and outdoor nets; a 25m, 6-lane indoor swimming pool; 10 tennis and netball courts; a Sports Hall, and a state-of-the-art Fitness Suite featuring a full range of cardiovascular equipment and free weights. For golf, students train at Little Channels, which offers a driving range and a nine-hole course.
New Hall provides the ideal foundation for sporting success, with many alumni continuing to achieve at competitive levels. Each year, numerous leavers secure scholarships to prestigious sporting universities. The School’s Sport Department also tours internationally, expanding students’ horizons while enhancing their athletic development. Last summer, 54 students travelled to South Africa on one of New Hall’s long-haul sports tours, competing in netball, hockey and rugby fixtures, and taking part in specialist coaching sessions with local professionals.
Meet Our Sport Department
Director of Sport, Mr Jason Bigara
Mr Bigara is a passionate advocate for sport and takes great pride in the outstanding sport programme at New Hall.
Together with his team of 37 coaches, Mr Bigara is committed to delivering exceptional training and opportunities for every student, ensuring that each individual is empowered to reach their full potential in every aspect of their sporting journey.
Mr Bigara has a wealth of coaching and playing experience in a great number of sports. He has played and coached at all levels, including at national and professional level in hockey. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education, and majored in Mathematics and Psychology.
Sport Administrator, Miss Lucia Knight
Miss Knight plays a central role in the administrative organisation of the Sport Department. Miss Knight is passionate about all sports, and takes an active role in the smooth running of fixtures, practices and training. One of her recent highlights was hosting the Essex U12 Rugby Sevens Tournament, involving 34 teams and more than 500 players, coaches and parents.
Miss Knight enjoys all sports, and coaches one of our netball teams. She is also a Level 2 Swim Teacher and Level 2 Fitness Instructor.
Head of Athletics, Mr Sebastian Cirillo
Mr Cirillo, Head of Athletics, achieved a Master’s Degree in Sport and International Development from the University of Brighton. Passionate about all things athletics, Mr Cirillo trains students in both track and field. He also competes in middle and long distance running, from 1500 metres to half marathons.
Head of Basketball, Mr Kenrick Liburd
Mr Liburd has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration, with a focus on education and a Master’s degree in Leadership, both earned at universities in the United States. Over the past seven years, he has coached various Great Britain youth teams, leading the U16 and U18 women’s teams to multiple European Championships. A qualified teacher, Mr Liburd is passionate about student development and has extensive coaching experience across the British Basketball pathway, from grassroots to elite levels.
Head of Cricket, Mr Eddie Ballard
Mr Ballard is an ECB Level 3 Performance Coach with a degree in Physical Education & Sports Coaching, and has played and coached professionally. He is Head Coach for Bedfordshire and has played for MCCYC, and Surrey, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire County Cricket Clubs. Mr Ballard is also the East Anglian Representative for the MCC.
Head of Football, Mr Marcus Spremulli
Mr Spremulli has served as a coach for Ipswich Town and as a scout for teams including Colchester United and Gillingham.
He has held roles such as Head of Recruitment at Bowers & Pitsea FC and, since joining New Hall, he has developed an ambitious football programme at the School.
Head of Golf, Miss Olivia Locke
Miss Locke is an all-round sports enthusiast. In her youth, Miss Locke played golf for the Suffolk Ladies in many competitions and now enjoys playing rounds in her spare time. In the winter, she is also a keen ex-national league hockey player, having captained her team in the East Prem, and plays cricket for Suffolk CCC in the summer. Miss Locke gained her degree with The Open University in Sports Coaching and Fitness, and has since completed her PGCE, as well as being a Level 2 Hockey and Cricket coach.
Head of Hockey, Mr Matthew Blair
Mr Blair comes to New Hall from Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where he has coached and worked in school sport since 2011. Mr Blair most recently held the position of Head of Sport at St George’s Preparatory School as well as being the Director of Keeper Club, a private hockey goalkeeper academy. Throughout his career, Mr Blair has coordinated regional hockey tournaments, indoor hockey leagues and an indoor hockey franchise. He brings a wealth of coaching experience across teams from U8 to U18 levels. Mr Blair has played hockey at local premier league and provincial hockey level in South Africa.
Head of Netball, Miss Emma Payne
Miss Payne graduated from the University of Bath with a Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science, where she also represented the university in the BUCS Netball Premier League. Alongside her studies, she coached multiple university teams (Women’s BUCS and Mixed & Men’s teams) and for the Team Bath NSL franchise. She plays for her club in the national Premier League and represented Team Bath at all academy age groups. She brings a wealth of coaching experience from various age groups, building an environment where students create a lifelong passion for sport.
Head of Rugby, Mr Joshua Toms
Mr Toms studied at Loughborough University, where he represented the university at every level in BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) and National League.
He has played semi-professional Rugby for Eastern Suburbs RUFC in Sydney, Australia. On returning to the UK, Mr Toms coached at Loughborough University before becoming Head of Rugby at New Hall.
Head of Swimming, Mr Kevin Ayers
With an illustrious career spanning more than 25 years, Mr Ayers has coached some of the brightest talents in British swimming, from European Junior medallists to British and English champions, as well as record-breaking Scottish athletes. Renowned for his leadership and vision, he has become a respected figure in the swimming world, particularly for his exceptional work in developing school swimming programmes. As Head of Swimming at Berkhamsted Collegiate School for nine years, and later as Director of Swimming at Bede’s Senior School for another nine, he built powerhouse teams, nurtured champions, and inspired the next generation of athletes to reach their full potential.
Head of Tennis, Mr Samuel Jakes
Mr Jakes is an accredited LTA Level 3 Tennis Coach and graduated with a BSc in Sports Coaching. Having coached tennis for fifteen years at school, university and club level, he takes pride in developing players of all ages and abilities.
Meet Our Physical Education Department
The Physical Education Department is driven to achieve the highest standards of learning and teaching, inspiring students to embrace Physical Education as both an academic pursuit and as a foundation for leadership, teamwork, and future success in sport and beyond. In addition to providing core PE for students up to Year 9, the School offers GCSE PE, A Level PE, and the BTEC Level 3 National Diploma in Sport.
Head of Physical Education, Mr Lewis Tombs
Mr Tombs holds a Bachelor’s degree and PGCE from Brunel University and has 12 years of teaching experience. He brings a diverse background in both playing and teaching a wide range of sports, with a particular passion for football and tennis, having played at county and university level, respectively. Most recently, he taught at a British international school in the UAE, where he gained valuable experience working with students from various cultural backgrounds, enhancing his ability to connect with and inspire young athletes from around the world.
Head of Upper School & Teacher of Physical Education, Mrs Sarah Norman
Mrs Norman brings a wide range of expertise across Physical Education and Sport, ranging from swimming and tennis to horse riding and skiing. Mrs Norman holds a degree in Sport Science and a PGCE from De Montfort University and has played hockey at club, county and regional level.
Teacher of Physical Education, Mr Tom Johnson
Mr Johnson has worked across all Divisions at New Hall for over fifteen years. He achieved a BSc (Hons) in Sport Science and a PGCE. Through Mr Johnson’s love of all sports, he is able to teach students important life skills such as teamwork, discipline, resilience and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle.
Second in PE & Head of Skiing, Mr Daniel Bacon
Mr Bacon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from Brighton University and has a Masters in Education. He has been teaching for fifteen years and is passionate about helping students to achieve their full potential. Mr Bacon has an impressive handicap in golf, experience in semi-professional football and has more than ten years of experience in skiing.
Meet Our Sport Coaches and Visiting Sport Coaches
Cricket Professional, Mr Ravinder Bopara is an internationally-renowned cricketer with more than 150 appearances for England across all formats. Mr Bopara has played and coached for franchises across the world and is part of the coaching team for New Hall Cricket.
Sports Coach, Mrs Karen Cooper graduated from Loughborough University where she studied PE, Sports Science and Mathematics. Mrs Cooper has played county and regional hockey, and recently won a gold medal with the England O50s Women’s Masters Hockey team at the World Cup.
Assistant Head of Boarding and Sport Coach, Ms Sacha Robinson is an enthusiast of all sports, with specialist expertise in Athletics, Cricket, Hockey and Football. She is also a qualified Personal Trainer.
Sport Coach (Boarding), Miss Jessica Brook Watt is originally from New Zealand and has a background in sports science and psychology. During her university studies, she gained valuable coaching experience in netball, basketball, and rowing. In 2024, she moved to the UK to take up a position at a Welsh boarding school, before joining New Hall in 2025.
Swimming Coach, Miss Siobhan George is an ex county-level swimmer, and has had over six years of coaching experience at different levels. She is a Level 2 Swim Coach and holds her Swim England Land Training qualification.
Swimming Coach, Miss Catilin Mascall has over seven years of experience in coaching and is a Level 2 Swim Teacher and qualified Level 3 Personal Trainer.
Swimming Coach, Mr Matthew Titman graduated from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Sports Exercise and Coaching Science. He has been involved in competitive swimming for over ten years, achieving national podium places.
Sports Assistant, Mr Jonathan Garnett is passionate about all sports. He gained experience coaching rugby at university while playing at the BUCS level. He has also worked at summer camps, coaching players across a range of age groups.
Meet Our Sport Coaches and Visiting Sport Coaches
Visiting Rugby Coaches, Mr Martin Jones and Mr Paul Lovewell are highly qualified rugby coaches and bring a wealth of expertise from their work with London Welsh RFC, Saracens and the Essex Player Development Group. Mr Jones has extensive international experience, having also worked overseas, including as a Head Coach in Sri Lanka and as a rugby consultant in Italy. Mr Lovewell is also a qualified physiotherapist.
Swimming Teachers, Miss Livia Knight-Dainty, Ms Tina Franklin, Ms Joanne Gardner, Ms Rosemary Haskey-Jones and Miss Katie Lucas are all Level 2 qualified Swimming Teachers who teach the Learn-to-Swim programme at New Hall. Swimming teachers support and develop students of all ages and abilities to swim with technical skill and confidence.
Visiting Tennis Coaches, Mr Sam Bayda, Miss Claire Dixey, Mr Maxwell Hayford, Mr Daniel Lowe, Mr Michael Richardson and Mr Ben Wallace are highly qualified and experienced LTA coaches, dedicated to developing each individual to reach their maximum potential.
Visiting Golf Coaches, Mr Jack Cole and Mr Matthew Mahoney are PGA golfers. They have numerous club championship victories between them and Mr Mahoney is the course record holder at Belfairs Park.
