Girls Sport Victoria

Girls' Sport Victoria
Formation 2001
Headquarters South Yarra, Victoria, Australia Australia
Membership
 23 member schools
Official language
 English
Secretary General
 Christine Jenkins
(Korowa Anglican Girls' School)
Website gsv.vic.edu.au

Girls' Sport Victoria (GSV) was established in 2001, and is one of the largest independent school sporting association in Victoria, with 24 member schools from around Melbourne.[1]

GSV provides approximately 16,500 girls, from years seven to twelve, with the opportunity to be involved in over 20 sports through weekly competitions, carnivals, tournaments and skill development programs.[2]

Schools

Current member schools

Member School[3] Location Enrolment Founded Denomination Day/
Boarding		 Year Entered
Competition		 School Colours
Camberwell Girls Grammar School Canterbury 753 1920 Anglican Day 2000         
Fintona Girls' School Balwyn 456 1896 Non-Denominational Day 2000         
Firbank Grammar School Brighton 1,068 1909 Anglican Day & Boarding 2000             
Genazzano FCJ College Kew 1,095 1891 Roman Catholic Day & Boarding 2000             
Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School Ivanhoe 970 1903 Anglican Day 2000             
Korowa Anglican Girls' School Glen Iris 619 1890 Anglican Day 2000         
Lauriston Girls' School Armadale 766 1901[4] Non-Denominational Day 2000         
Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak 1,002 1924 Roman Catholic Day 2000         
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School Essendon 802 1920 Anglican Day 2000         
Melbourne Girls Grammar South Yarra 882 1893 Anglican Day & Boarding 2000         
Mentone Girls' Grammar School Mentone 667 1899 Anglican Day 2000             
Methodist Ladies' College Kew 2,059 1882 Uniting Church Day & Boarding 2000         
Our Lady of Mercy College Heidelberg 1,139 1910 Roman Catholic Day 2000         
Our Lady of Sion College Box Hill 889 1928 Roman Catholic Day 2015         
Presbyterian Ladies' College Burwood 1,409 1875 Presbyterian Day & Boarding 2000             
Ruyton Girls' School Kew 752 1879 Non-denominational Day 2000         
Sacré Cœur Glen Iris 730 1888 Roman Catholic Day 2000         
St Catherine's School Toorak 636 1896 Non-Denominational Day & Boarding 2000             
St Margaret's School Berwick 925 (548 Girls) 1926 Non-Denominational Day 2000             
Shelford Girls' Grammar Caulfield 434 1898 Anglican Day 2000             
Siena College Camberwell 712 1940 Roman Catholic Day 2010             
Star of the Sea College Gardenvale 1,093 1883 Roman Catholic Day 2000         
Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar School Canterbury 708 1924 Baptist Day 2000         
Toorak College Mount Eliza 636 1874 Anglican Day & Boarding 2000             

Former member schools

School Location Founded Years
Competed		 Denomination Day/
Boarding		 School Colours
Kilvington Grammar Ormond 1923 2000–2011 Baptist Day             
Tintern Schools Ringwood 1877 2000–2009 Anglican Day & Boarding             

History

In 1999, the Principal of Melbourne Girls Grammar School, Christine Briggs, held a meeting of Principals of girls' schools at the Lyceum Club. She felt the need to organise the meeting after receiving a letter of invitation from the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS) inviting her school to join their association.[5]

Many APS boys' schools had introduced co-education and were finding it difficult to provide adequate inter-school sports experiences for their female students. As the oldest schools association, APS felt it was in a strong position to convince independent girls' schools to become members. Briggs was concerned that the APS saw girls' schools as the solution to their problem, and was aware that girls' schools were fragmented into so many sporting associations, that the approach might be successful for the APS, whilst negatively impacting on girls' schools.[5]

Briggs put the issue of girls' sport to the Principals at the meeting, and it was agreed that it was time to consider the idea of a new sports organisation catering for the needs of all-female schools. It was stressed by many that the heritage of girls' sport built over more than a century by the involved schools could not be abandoned or seriously affected.

Following this meeting, a forum was led by Diana Bowman, the former Principal of SCEGGS Darlinghurst in New South Wales, who had much experience with the successful and foremost girls' sporting association in her State, the Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association (the sporting arm of the Association of Heads of Independent Girls' Schools). It was at this forum that the decision was made to create a new sports organisation to which the 24 girls' schools could belong, and that existing Associations would then cease to exist. In the same year, the name "Girls Sport Victoria" was selected for the new organisation. Further, it was acknowledged that creating "Girls Sport Victoria" would take time, and therefore a Project Officer was needed to undertake the task. Fiona Preston was the person selected, and began work immediately in order to complete preparations for the commencement of the sports program in 2001. She was supported by a Committee of Principals, a Committee of Heads of Sport, and working committees for each sport.[5]

Preston, along with the first Executive Officer, Ms. Meredith Prime, and a small group of staff, created a program of sports and three major carnivals, track and field, Swimming and Diving, and Cross Country in three Divisions. Zoned groups of schools were established for weekly interschool competitions in Netball, Basketball, Softball, Tennis, Indoor Cricket, Hockey, Waterpolo, Soccer, Volleyball and Badminton. In addition, Saturday morning sport, which was especially attractive to boarding schools, offered Golf, Australian Rules Football, Taekwondo and Triathlon. Also organised were seasonal competitions in Cricket and Surf League, and 'fun days' for students in Years 7 and 8.[5]

Many challenges were met by the organisers, such as the vast geographic spread of the schools; the varying size of schools, ranging from 300 to almost 2000 students; the differences in quality and number of sports facilities within and outside schools; the difference in strength between schools and within sports; the cost to schools to meet their responsibilities; concern about potential loss of academic time through travel to venues; the determination of GSV rules and regulations; talent identification; promotion of leadership opportunities; and the availability of quality umpiring.[5]

Previous associations

Prior to the establishment of Girls' Sport Victoria, there were seven girls' schools sporting associations catering to the sporting needs of the 24 GSV schools, and a small number of other schools. These associations were subsequently disbanded in 2001.[5]

(N.B. Year of entry to an Association in brackets.)

Associated Anglican Girls’ Grammar Schools (1920 - 2000)

Church Secondary Schools Sports Association, later the Associated Anglican Girls’ Grammar Schools (AAGGS), was created in 1920 and conducted the first combined girls’ schools sports day in Victoria on 30 April 1930, at Toorak Park, Armadale.

School Years
Competed
Camberwell Girls Grammar School - 2000
Firbank Girls' Grammar School 1920–2000
Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School 1926–2000
Korowa Anglican Girls' School 1920–2000
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1926–2000
Melbourne Girls Grammar 1920–2000
Mentone Girls' Grammar School - 2000
Shelford Girls' Grammar - 2000
St Michael's Grammar School 1920 - ?
Tintern Girls Grammar School 1920 - ?

Girls' Schools Sports Association (1920 - 2000)

The Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA), later the GSSA was formed in 1920. For many years the Association had been the "Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association" (GSSSA), but "Secondary" was dropped from the name in the 1990s.[5]

School Years
Competed
Fintona Girls' School 1920–2000
Korowa Anglican Girls' School ? - 2000
Lauriston Girls' School 1920–2000
Ruyton Girls' School 1920–2000
St Catherine's School 1920–2000
Tintern Girls Grammar School ? - 2000

Zone Sports Association (1968 - 2000)

School Years
Competed
Firbank Girls' Grammar School 1968–2000
Loreto Mandeville Hall 1980–2000
Mentone Girls' Grammar School 1968–2000
Sacré Cœur 1991–2000
Shelford Girls' Grammar 1968–2000
St Michael's Grammar School 1968–1994
Cato College (later Wesley College - Cato Campus) 1968–1989
Wesley College, Prahran Campus 1988–1989

Girls’ Schools Sports Association (1993 - 2000)

The "Girls’ Schools Sports Association" was formed by girls' schools then in the Eastern Suburbs Association (ESA). The ESA had earlier permitted girls from the co-educational Carey Baptist Grammar School to enter its competitions. In 1993, ESA member schools were Camberwell Anglican Girls' Grammar School, Carey Baptist Grammar School, Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School, Melbourne Girls Grammar School, Methodist Ladies' College, Presbyterian Ladies' College and Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar School, with Genazzano FCJ College as a non-voting member. When the ESA was dissolved and the new GSSA was constituted at the end of the same year, the name of the new Association identified its members as "Girls' Schools".[5]

School Years
Competed
Camberwell Girls Grammar School 1993–2000
Genazzano FCJ College 1993–2000
Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School 1993–2000
Melbourne Girls Grammar 1993–2000
Methodist Ladies' College 1993–2000
Presbyterian Ladies' College 1994–2000
Strathcona Baptist Girls' Grammar School 1993–2000

Girls’ Private Schools Victorian Sports Association (1991 - 2000)

School Years
Competed
Loreto Mandeville Hall 1991–2000
Melbourne Girls Grammar 1991–2000
Methodist Ladies' College 1991–2000
Presbyterian Ladies' College 1991–2000
Tintern Girls Grammar School 1991–2000
Toorak College 1991–2000

Secondary Catholic Sports Association (? - 2000)

School Years
Competed
Genazzano FCJ College ? - 2000
Loreto Mandeville Hall ? - 2000
Our Lady of Mercy College ? - 2000
Sacré Cœur ? - 2000
St Columbas College ? - 2000

Southern District Sports Association (? - 2000)

School Years
Competed
Assumption College ? - 2000
Kilvington Girls' Grammar ? - 2000
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School ? - 2000
Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School ? - 2000
St Leonard's College ? - 2000
St Margaret's School ? - 2000
Toorak College ? - 2000

NB: For a brief period, two Associations existed with the name "Girls' Schools Sports Association".

Presidents of the Association

Term[6] President[6] School[6]
1999 – 2001 Mrs Christine Briggs Melbourne Girls Grammar
2001 – 2002 Dr Anne Hunt Loreto Mandeville Hall
2002 Ms Rosa Storelli Methodist Ladies' College
2002 – 2003 Dr Jane Munro Firbank Grammar School
2003 – 2006 Mrs Margaret Webb Toorak College
2007 – 2012 Dr Susan Stevens Loreto Mandeville Hall
2013 – Present Christine Jenkins Korowa Anglican Girls' School

Sports

Students from Girls Sport Victoria member schools participate in a wide range of sporting activities including:

Weekly Sports
Carnivals
Sport Skills Program
Other Events
Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta
Further information: Head of the River (Victoria)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partners". About. Mentone Girls Grammar School. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  2. ↑ "Sport". Girls Grammar. Tintern Schools. 2007. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  3. ↑ Mawkes, Leonie (2005). "Member Schools". Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  4. ↑ Butler, Jan (2007). "womenleading@global.edu" (PDF). The Alliance of Girls' Schools Annual Conference (Melbourne, Vic.: The Alliance of Girls' Schools, published 2007-06-15). p. 2. Retrieved 2007-10-02..
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Otzen, Roslyn (2005). "Girls’ Schools Sport & Girls Sport Victoria - a History" (PDF). Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 2007-10-02.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mawkes, Leonie (2005). "Acknowledgements". History. Girls Sport Victoria. Retrieved 2007-10-02.

External links