Development Programme

The College Athletics Championships take place in February at the College. From those results, a large team is selected to represent the College at the Auckland Zone competition, including relay teams. The top three from this competition qualify for the Champions of Champions at Mt Smart Stadium. Saint Kentigern has had a lot of success over the years in the Auckland Championships with many students going on to represent Auckland at the North Island Championships. Our relay teams have broken many College and Auckland records in recent years. The National Athletics Championships take place in Term 4 around New Zealand and each year, several of our students qualify. Top Athletes are encouraged to belong to a club for specialised coaching and training.

Trials for badminton take place at the end of Term 1 with competition games in Term 2 played at Lloyd Elsmore Badminton Club, The Y Lagoon Stadium, Li Ning Badminton Centre or Gilles Ave on either Wednesdays or Fridays after school. There is a social badminton competition after school on Tuesdays in Term 2 for Years 9-13 and in Term 3 for students in Year 7 and 8. The Premier Badminton team often enters the New Zealand Secondary School championships. Many students represent their region and country at the highest level while still at the College.

Basketball is the biggest growing sport at Saint Kentigern. We currently have 18 teams for boys and girls, involving over 260 athletes at all levels. Students also take on the responsibilities of referees and coaches required to facilitate the number of teams - this helps build relationships between the Premier players and Juniors. Competition is held during Terms 2 and 3 throughout the greater Auckland area. We have some of the best facilities in the country, with both a two-court gym and a show court, where both the Premier boys and girls compete on a Friday night. Our aim is to be competitive in all grades and have some fun along the way. A big part of our programme is the development of our coaches. We have several student athletes involved in the Premier space who offer their knowledge and experience to the next generation of students coming through. We also have several Alumni who have returned to offer their services and help give back. The Basketball programme is led by Josh Davis who joined the school in 2024, he is working with the Premier boys’ team and Development class to grow the programme.

Cricket is an exciting and challenging game to play, and our coaches encourage commitment and learning as ways to improve, enjoy and have success as both an individual and a team. The cricket season starts in Term 1 and continues in Term 4. Games may be played either at Saint Kentigern or at school venues throughout the Auckland Cricket Zone. Boys’ Cricket is played at the weekend, with Girls’ Cricket played mid-week. Saint Kentigern boys and girls 1st XI teams compete in the Auckland Premier competitions, which culminate in National finals at Gillette Cup and Venus Cup respectively. In addition to premier cricket, we offer 14 limited overs and T20 teams that contest grades at all levels to suit any ability. Saint Kentigern cricket offers coaching, facilities, and a development programme that is second to none. The coaching team is led by Head Coach Mark O’Donnell who brings extensive National and International experience to the college. Mark spent 11 seasons as head coach of the Auckland Aces, during which time the Aces captured 8 domestic trophies. He has also held an assistant coach role with the Blacks Caps, and has had International experience with coaching roles in India at the IPL and in the West Indies in the CPL.

College cycling covers both road and track cycling. During the winter, we focus on road cycling and in spring and early summer, we focus on track cycling. Our programme caters for boys and girls at all levels, including beginners. We have excellent coaches, all of whom have represented New Zealand, who are committed to the cycling programme and nurturing athletes. We have a cycling shed in the Sports Centre, where our equipment is stored, and training commences. We have loan bikes available, for a small seasonal fee, to allow new entrants to try the sport. Tamaki Youth Development Sports Club Inc, TYDSCI, is our support club, run by parents, providing equipment such as wind trainers and racing helmets; funding for international representatives, coaching and other assistance. Cycling is a demanding but fulfilling sport that teaches discipline, teamwork and provides a basis for a strong work ethic. Saint Kentigern College cycling has a proud record, winning many team titles and individual titles. We have cyclists who have represented New Zealand and others who have gone on to ride in prestigious international trade teams in Europe. Cycling provides an excellent opportunity for students to become high performing endurance athletes and leaders.

Following on from the College Cross Country, which is held at the College at the end of Term 1 or beginning of Term 2, a squad of the top 10 students from each grade is chosen to represent the College for the Auckland Secondary Schools Cross Country Championship (an inter-school competition). Saint Kentigern also enters into the Auckland Road Running Championships. Students can qualify to be entered in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships.

Our riders often come from different disciplines and levels of skill, we do make a real effort to get together as a team and support each other during events. Our community typically consists of around 20 riders, with 4-8 attending each event. The equestrian season runs all year, with our earliest event usually at the beginning of Term 1, and our last event in Term 3. Events take place in Auckland, Cambridge and down in Taupo. Any riders are welcome to sign up for events from which teams are selected. Parents are expected to transport riders and their horses to and from events, or to organise transport. A school representative will be at most events to organise teams, timings and updates.

Fencing meets for practice on Wednesdays from 3.30 – 5pm throughout Terms 1-3. Everyone is welcome to attend, though beginners need to start at the beginning of a year when the basic skills are introduced. We have external coaches who come to coach and students may learn either Foil or Sabre as their weapon of choice. Students are welcome to just come to Wednesday training sessions, but those looking to further develop their skills are encouraged to also participate in the Secondary School’s competitions which are held on Saturdays at the Trusts Stadium in Waitakere. These competitions are on an individual basis, and there is also a Teams event in which the College enters a number of teams.

Saint Kentigern has over 30 football teams ranging from Premier through to competitive and social grades. Trials are in Term 1, with boys’ competition games on Saturday mornings. Girls’ games are Wednesday after school. Most teams practise at least once a week after school. The football season runs through Terms 2 and 3, although our Football development classes are all year round. Games are played home and away each week.

Saint Kentigern College Golf competitions and programmes are widely available to all students and those wishing to represent the College in Auckland or New Zealand Golf Competitions. Our teams are always at the top of their respective competitions throughout Auckland and New Zealand. Mondays in Term 1 is for 9-hole stroke play - the Premier golf team championship for Auckland Secondary School teams. The College has several teams entered in the different divisions of the Auckland Secondary Schools golf championships.

Students who want to compete in school gym sport events can be entered by the school sports administrator. There is no school club or trainings, students are members of outside gym sport clubs.

The College is very fortunate to have Brett Leaver as Director of Hockey, who runs all the trials, selects the teams and coaches many of our teams at the College. Saint Kentigern has 8-10 teams representing the College in the Auckland competitions across the age groups. Games are played Monday-Fridays in Term 2 and the first half of Term 3. Students need to have their own stick, mouthguard and shin guards to play and can purchase the uniform at Mungos. Teams will either practise in the morning or after school on the College turf, or down the road at Auckland Hockey. Every year, students are encouraged to represent their region and consistently have over 25 junior representatives, with a few going on to higher honours when they leave school.

Mountain biking is a co-curricular activity offered at Saint Kentigern College, supported by keen parents and the cycling coaches. We welcome riders of all abilities from beginners to experienced. We ride all year round at a variety of forests and parks around Auckland, with trips further afield for the very enthusiastic. We have students racing in a range of disciplines including, cross-country, enduro and downhill, or coming along on group rides just for fun. With a weekend camp once a year in Rotorua, and multiple events throughout the year, the Saint Kentigern Mountain bike team is a great way to build skills, improve fitness and make friends.

Triathlon at the College encompasses triathlon, aquathon and duathlon events. The year starts with an intensive three-day triathlon training camp in mid to late January. Following this, we train after school twice a week, with Auckland and National competitions held throughout Term 1. Our programme caters for boys and girls at all levels, including beginners. Various skills in the open water and on the bike are developed. We have experienced coaches who compete in the sport themselves and bring a love of the sport to training. The College campus provides an excellent training ground with the school swimming pool, access to quiet cycling roads and expansive fields and a walking/cycling pathway to run on. We have a cycling shed facility to store bikes and loan bikes are available for a small fee. Loan bikes and other equipment such as wind trainers are provided by Tamaki Youth Development Sports Club Inc, TYDSCI which is a support club run by parents. The College has a very strong and proud history of individual and team national triathlon titles, and students have gone on to represent New Zealand on the world stage, including competing at the Olympic Games. Triathlon provides a unique challenge tying in three sports, allowing variety for students and great development of endurance. While an individual sport, the team culture provides camaraderie among students and helps bring the best out of each other to develop as people and athletes.

The Netball Programme aims to provide a service to all those that wish to play, coach or umpire. An essential part of our programme is to facilitate a pathway for improvement for all players, coaches and officials. Over the last 10 years, the sport has grown at the College and now over 30 teams compete each week in Terms 2 and 3 at the Auckland Netball Centre, either on a Saturday morning, or Tuesday afternoon for Year 7and 8 teams. All coaches are guided through a mentoring process and regularly observed to maintain high standards. Progression through coaching qualifications is also encouraged. Netball at Saint Kentigern has grown in success with the top teams in each age group regularly placing in the top two of their grade. We are proud to name our teams after Alumni that have gone on to experience success playing at either National Netball Level, ANZ Championship or to represent New Zealand.

Orienteering challenges both the mind and the body. The sprint series in Term 1 is ideal for students to try out the sport, and then this progresses into forest events and rogaines spread throughout the year. Prior to each different type of event, we have meetings to teach students new skills, particularly related to features on maps, use of compasses, orientation of maps etc. Coaches are present at the events to give feedback to students after their course. Students from Saint Kentigern can compete in regional events, North Island Championships and Nationals each year. There is scope for elite athletes to be selected for NZ teams. Each year, a NZ Secondary School team is selected to compete in the Australian championships. There are opportunities to compete on the world stage in this sport, as schools are selected to represent NZ and compete in the World Secondary School orienteering championships every 2 years.

Saint Kentigern College Rowing Club runs a full programme for both girls and boys operating out of the club’s rowing shed, which is located on the banks of the Tamaki River, conveniently situated on the edge of the College campus. We are also very fortunate to have a pontoon so rowers can easily access the water during training sessions. The club ensures that all rowing skiffs are of the highest quality to enable our rowers to compete at the top level at regattas throughout the season. All classes of boats are available from single sculls to the latest eight oar skiffs for all age groups. The success of the club is due to our commitment in ensuring that we have access to the best possible equipment and fully committed coaches to achieve at the highest level. As a result, we have had a number of rowers go on to represent New Zealand at all levels, and also gain entrance into Ivy League Universities in the USA. As a sport, rowing has been recognised as a key part in the development of young students, the discipline and work ethic instilled in our young rowers are attributes that will remain with them for life.

Rugby is a high-profile sport at the College. There are always 8-10 teams competing for the College in the Auckland Secondary Schools competition each year, including the 1st XV in the 1A competition. Rugby competitions run in Term 2 and the start of Term 3 on Saturdays, with two trainings for each team during the week after school. Trials and preseason trainings are run in Term 1.

Saint Kentigern supports and facilitates the entries to Snow Sports events. Each year, we have teams participate in the Auckland Championships at Snow Planet in Term 2 as well as the North Island Championships in Term 3.

Squash competitions are held in the Auckland area during Terms 2 and 3. Students who are experienced squash players are considered for competition entries in Premier or Open A Grade. Students who are new or interested in squash can attend squash training sessions during the week.

Following from the College Swimming Championships, students who place in the top 3 of any of the events have the opportunity to compete for the College at the Zone Championships as an individual or in relays. Students who qualify then represent the College at the Auckland Championships. Competitive swimmers can also be entered into the New Zealand Secondary School Championships.

The College table tennis programme caters for both high achieving table tennis players and those wishing to represent the College on Friday afternoons in a team environment. The College has 24 international standard tables, offering excellent practice facilities and also for hosting the inter-college competition for East Auckland. The Premier team competes at Auckland Table Tennis Stadium in Newmarket on Friday evenings, with all other teams competing at the College. Training is held every Saturday morning during Terms 2 and 3 under the direction of Coach, Chunli Li. Chunli has had extensive coaching and playing experience at both regional, national level and elite level, working with both juniors and adults.

Tennis programmes at the College are very comprehensive, catering for both high achieving tennis players and those wishing to represent the College on Saturday mornings in a team environment. The College offers fantastic tennis facilities, with eight lit hard courts and two covered astro-grass courts. Our students have gained many individual NZ tennis titles and have represented NZ in different age groups. Many of these players accept offers to attend universities in the U.S.A. on tennis scholarships following graduation. Over the past years, 20 students have taken up this opportunity. All students, regardless of ability, have the opportunity to play and represent the College on Saturday mornings or Wednesday after school for premier teams in the Auckland Secondary Schools Competition. Players are selected into teams after trials and play Saturday mornings against differing secondary schools throughout the Auckland region. There are two grades, Juniors for Years 9 and 10 that play in Term 1 and 4, and Seniors for Years 11 - 13. All teams receive coaching in Term 1 and 4 in which the competitions are played.

Touch is a very popular and successful sport at the College. Teams compete in the local zone competitions for boys and girls. All ages practise and compete in Term 1 with the junior grade and New Zealand competitions in Term 4. Zone competitions are held locally afterschool on Tuesdays. Touch is a great team sport and a chance for students to use it as preseason training for their winter sport. The College has had a huge amount of success in Touch in both Auckland and New Zealand competitions. The boys’ team have placed in the top 3 in New Zealand and more recently, the girls’ team were Auckland Champions from 2015-2018 and New Zealand Secondary Schools Champions in 2015 and 2017.

Volleyball continues to develop with our Senior teams competing on Thursday in Term 1 and the Juniors in Term 4 across various East Auckland locations, culminating in the Auckland Championships which is a 3-day tournament.

The College has multiple Water Polo teams competing at various levels. Senior Water Polo is played during Term 1. The Premiers train mornings at Sacred Heart College (6-7:30am) while the remaining senior teams train on selected days. The Premiers typically compete at a pre-season tournament, followed by the Auckland, North Island and National Championships. Juniors Year 7-10 compete in Terms 2 and 3 in both a local league, which is played on a Friday night and in multiple tournaments, including the AIMS Games and North Island competition.

The College provides a mix of sailing opportunities for students both in individual class and team sailing formats. A level of sailing experience is required to join the team. Saint Kentigern main sailing activity is Team Sailing. Team sailing is an exciting sport where skills, tactics and working together as a team combine to make success. Each ‘team’ consists of three boats, each with two crew members. Working together is essential and both helm and crew have equally important roles. The Saint Kentigern Team Sailing squad trains on Tuesday and Thursday at Bucklands Beach Yacht Club (BBYC) during Term 1 and Term 4. A group of four sailors will be selected from the Yachting Squad to represent the College at the NZ Secondary Schools Keelboat Nationals held annually in March. Up to twenty schools are selected to compete over 3-days at the National Championships. The regatta is held at the Royal NZ Yacht Squadron, sailing Elliott 7 keelboats in a fleet racing format. The Auckland Secondary School Fleet Racing Championships are held annually in early March. Students sail in a mix of Junior and Youth class fleets (including Optimist, Starling, Open Bic, RS Feva, 29ers, 420s) with the school’s top 4 results across four fleets contributing towards the Schools’ Cup.

Saint Kentigern is part of the South Eastern Zone Cluster for inter-school sports. Our school teams enter competitions during the school terms and have regular exchanges with other schools throughout the year. On Wednesday afternoons, College students, joined by students from the Girls’ School, take part in physical activity. This can be non-competitive or competitive games. Students can have specialised coaching throughout the year. There is also after school sports teams which our students are involved in. Students will trial for these specific teams. For the last few years, we have entered teams into the Aims Games in Tauranga. Students have had some valuable coaching from Premier coaches and players leading up to this week-long tournament.

Each year the College holds 3 major house sporting events – Swimming, athletics and cross country. All events are run at the College involving all students who want to compete. This enables students to compete for house points for the overall house competition or students can compete to be College Champion and go on to Zone and Auckland competitions These events are important to the College and encourages participation and competitiveness Swimming Sports is the first full college event in term 1. Prelim heats are held over a number of days for students to swim for house points or to make finals. A range of events including freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and medley. Finals day is a full school event with all finalists competing in all events in front of the cheering supporters. Athletics Sports follows on from the swimming with one full day of competition for all students. Many students compete for house points only with a throw, jump or race but others compete for a top 10 position to qualify for the zone and Auckland Championships and to be overall school champion. All track events are offered from 100m – 3000m and field events include high jump, long jump, discus and shotput. The College cross country is run either end of term 1 or beginning of term 2 across the fields at the College. Run in age groups students can then go on to compete for the college or run for house points.

The Saint Kentigern Fitness Centre is a fully furnished gym that includes a wide range of cardio equipment, stationary and free weights, an indoor track area as well as a professionally equipped strength and conditioning rig. This Fitness Centre houses three main programs, these are: - Premier and development sports team’s athletic development programs, which run before and after school. These are led by our 4 coaches that work with all sports codes to deliver the programs. - The functional movement preparation program (FMP), this was developed for both the year 10 and 11 physical education classes. Aimed to educate the student of the importance of health and fitness in regard to health and wellbeing. This program teaches the student the basic fundamental skills to be able to use any fitness centre. - Injury prevention and rehabilitation is facilitated by the onsite Physiotherapist and utilises the equipment that we have in our fitness centre. The Fitness Centre also caters to all individual students, staff, and Alumni looking to achieve their own personal health and fitness goals. Creating a positive and friendly atmosphere where everyone that is part of the Saint Kentigern community can be involved in physical fitness and improve their health and wellbeing.