Girls' Sport Victoria
AbbreviationGSV
Formation2001 (2001)
HeadquartersSports House
Albert Park, Victoria, Australia
Location
Membership
24 member schools
(~16,500 students collectively)
Official language
English
Executive Officer
Michelle Barry
Websitegsv.vic.edu.au

Girls' Sport Victoria (GSV) was established in 2001, and is one of the largest independent school sporting associations in Victoria, Australia, 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 Principal Day/
Boarding		 Year Entered
Competition		 School Colours
Camberwell Girls Grammar School Canterbury 756 1920 Anglican Debbie Dunwoody Day 2000   
Fintona Girls' School Balwyn 497 1896 Non-Denominational Rachael Falloon Day 2000   
Firbank Grammar School Brighton 1,033 1909 Anglican Jenny Williams Day & Boarding 2000    
Genazzano FCJ College Kew 738 1889 Roman Catholic Loretta Wholley Day & Boarding 2000    
Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School Ivanhoe 855 1903 Anglican Narelle Umbers Day 2000    
Korowa Anglican Girls' School Glen Iris 721 1890 Anglican Frances Booth Day 2000   
Lauriston Girls' School Armadale 894 1901[4] Non-Denominational Susan Just Day 2000   
Loreto Mandeville Hall Toorak 1,235 1924 Roman Catholic Angela O'Dwyer Day 2000   
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School Essendon 838 1920 Anglican Elisabeth Rhodes Day 2000   
Melbourne Girls Grammar South Yarra 1,058 1893 Anglican Toni Meath Day & Boarding 2000   
Mentone Girls' Grammar School Mentone 613 1899 Anglican Natalie Charles Day 2000    
Methodist Ladies' College Kew 2,089 1882 Uniting Church Julia Shea Day & Boarding 2000   
Our Lady of Mercy College Heidelberg 1,178 1910 Roman Catholic Judith Weir Day 2000   
Our Lady of Sion College Box Hill 942 1928 Roman Catholic Tina Apostolopoulos Day 2015   
Presbyterian Ladies' College Burwood 1,514 1875 Presbyterian Cheryl Penberthy Day & Boarding 2000    
Ruyton Girls' School Kew 854 1878 Non-denominational Linda Douglas Day 2000   
Sacré Cœur Glen Iris 680 1888 Roman Catholic Adelina Melia-Douvos Day 2000   
St Catherine's School Toorak 662 1896 Non-Denominational Michelle Carroll Day & Boarding 2000    
St Margaret's Berwick Grammar School Berwick 801 (507 Girls) 1926 Non-Denominational Annette Rome Day 2000    
Shelford Girls' Grammar Caulfield 428 1898 Anglican Katrina Brennan Day 2000    
Siena College Camberwell 784 1940 Roman Catholic Elizabeth Hanney Day 2010    
Star of the Sea College Brighton 1,184 1883 Roman Catholic Mary O'Connor Day 2000   
Strathcona Girls' Grammar School Canterbury 769 1924 Baptist Marise McConaghy Day 2000   
Toorak College Mount Eliza 854 1874 Anglican Kristy Kendall 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 Grammar Ringwood 1877 2000–2009 Anglican Day & Boarding    

Possible future member schools

School Location Enrolment Founded Denomination Day/
Boarding		 School Colours
Catholic Ladies College Eltham 765 1902 Roman Catholic Day   
St Columba's College Essendon 1,031 1897 Roman Catholic Day    

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] The other schools invited included Firbank Grammar School, Genazzano FCJ College, Loreto Mandeville Hall, Presbyterian Ladies' College and Toorak College.

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, but harming 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, 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, water polo, 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,[6] 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]

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 1920, at Toorak Park, Armadale.[7] The first cultural event held by the Associated Church of England Girls’ Grammar Schools was a Combined Choir Festival at the St Kilda Town Hall on Thursday 9 October 1941, in aid of Red Cross Funds with the guest of honour being Miss Una Bourne.[8]

School Years
Competed
Camberwell Girls Grammar School 1944–2000
Firbank Girls' Grammar School 1920–2000
Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School 1925–2000
Korowa Anglican Girls' School 1920–2000
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School 1921–2000
Melbourne Girls Grammar 1960–2000
Mentone Girls' Grammar School 1964–2000
Shelford Girls' Grammar 1944–2000
St Michael's Grammar School 1920–1980s
Tintern Girls Grammar School 1920–1951

Girls' Schools Association (1920–2000)

The Girls' Secondary Schools Sports Association (GSSSA), later the Girls' Schools Sports Association (GSSA) was formed in 1920. In the early 1990s, it changed its name to the Girls Schools Association (GSA).[5]

School Years
Competed
Fintona Girls' School 1920–2000
Korowa Girls' School 1963–2000
Lauriston Girls' School 1920–2000
Ruyton Girls' School 1920–2000
St Catherine's School 1920–2000
Tintern Girls Grammar^ 1967–2000

^Tintern participated in the Swimming Carnivals from at least 1949 – 1953 and the Athletics Carnivals from 1956 – 1958

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 (1975–2000)

The "Girls’ Schools Sports Association", formerly the Eastern Suburbs Association and later the Eastern Sports Association (ESA), was formed in 1975. In 1984, Loreto Toorak was invited to participate as a non-voting member and in 1988, the girls at Wesley College were also invited to participate as a non-voting member. In 1993, Carey Grammar was asked to re-consider its membership of the new GSSA, as it was the only co-educational school in the ESA. Genazzano was invited to participate as a non-voting member in 1993 before becoming a full member the following year following the departure of Carey Grammar. Athletics and swimming carnivals were conducted and students competed in baseball, basketball, cricket, hockey, netball and tennis competitions throughout the year.[5]

School Years
Competed
Camberwell Girls Grammar 1975–2000
Carey Grammar 1984–1993
Genazzano 1994–2000
Ivanhoe Girls Grammar 1975–2000
Melbourne Girls Grammar 1975–2000
MLC 1975–2000
PLC 1975–2000
Strathcona Girls Grammar 1975–2000

Public Schools Sports Association (1904–2000)

The Public Schools Association, later known as the Girls’ Private Schools Victorian Sports Association, was created in 1904 and conducted their first tennis competition soon thereafter.[9]

School Years
Competed
Geelong Girls' Grammar School 1916–1975
Loreto Mandeville Hall 1991–2000
Melbourne Girls Grammar 1904–2000
Methodist Ladies' College 1904–2000
Presbyterian Ladies' College 1904–2000
Tintern Girls Grammar School 1991–2000
Toorak College 1991–2000

Catholic Girls Sports Association of Victoria (established 1980)

The Catholic Girls Sports Association of Victoria (CGSAV), formerly the Secondary Catholic Sports Association (SCSA) is a sporting body that promotes and provides sporting carnivals for a group of Catholic girls schools in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia[10] established in 1980. Membership of the SCSA is restricted to metropolitan and country Catholic Secondary Schools, upon payment of the annual affiliation fee. Membership is open either to girls’ schools or coeducational Catholic Colleges, however events cater only for girls.[10]

Former member schools

Southern District Sports Association (? – 2000)

School Years
Competed
Assumption College ?–2000
Kilvington Girls' Grammar ?–2000
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School ?–2000
Mentone Girls' 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[11] President[11] School[11]
1999–2001 Christine Briggs Melbourne Girls Grammar
2001–2002 Anne Hunt Loreto Mandeville Hall
2002 Rosa Storelli Methodist Ladies' College
2002–2003 Jane Munro Firbank Grammar School
2003–2006 Margaret Webb Toorak College
2007–2012 Susan Stevens Loreto Mandeville Hall
2013–2015 Christine Jenkins Korowa Anglican Girls' School
2016–2018 Linda Douglas Ruyton Girls' School
2019 – 2022 Kristy Kendall Toorak College
2023 – present Elisabeth Rhodes Lowther Hall

Sports

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

Weekly Sports
  • Australian Football
  • Badminton
  • Basketball
  • Cricket
  • Indoor Cricket
  • Hockey
  • Netball
  • Soccer
  • Softball
  • Tennis
  • Volleyball
  • Waterpolo
Carnivals
  • Cross Country
  • Diving
  • Swimming
  • Track and Field (2023 the GSV conducted its first Years 5 & 6 Track & Field event over two days in August)
Sport Skills Program
  • Cycle sport
  • Diving
  • Fencing
Other Events
  • Basketball Tournament
  • Five a side Soccer Tournament
  • Golf Tournament
  • Triathlon
  • Year 7 Sports Expo
Representative Sport
  • Cross Country
  • Netball
  • Soccer
  • Swimming
  • Volleyball
  • Water Polo
Head of the Schoolgirls Regatta

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Partners". About. Mentone Girls Grammar School. 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
  2. ↑ "Sport". Girls Grammar. Tintern Schools. 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
  3. ↑ Mawkes, Leonie (2005). "Member Schools". Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
  4. ↑ Butler, Jan (2007). "womenleading@global.edu" (PDF). The Alliance of Girls' Schools Annual Conference. Melbourne, Vic.: The Alliance of Girls' Schools (published 15 June 2007). p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007..
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Otzen, Roslyn (2005). "Girls' Schools Sport & Girls Sport Victoria – a History" (PDF). Profile. Girls Sport Victoria. pp. 4–5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2007. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
  6. ↑ Women's Sports: New Association Formed, The Argus, (Saturday, 29 October 1932), p.27.
  7. ↑ Combined Girls' Sports: New Association Formed, The Argus, (Friday, 30 April 1920), p.7.
  8. ↑ Records of the AAGGS held in the State Library of Victoria.
  9. ↑ Girls' Sports Association: New Association Formed, The Age, (Saturday, 26 March 1904), p.12.
  10. 1 2 "About". www.scsa.org.au.
  11. 1 2 3 Mawkes, Leonie (2005). "Acknowledgements". History. Girls Sport Victoria. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
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