INDEPENDENT SPORTING ASSOCIATION
ISA provides students with an exciting and challenging interschool sports competition
Mission Statement Providing students from its member schools with opportunities to participate in a developmental sport programme at progressively higher levels in a healthy competitive environment.
Our Member Schools
The ISA aims to provide a fun and safe competitive sports environment
History In 1990 an ad hoc meeting was held at Pittwater House chaired by Martin Orrock at which John Giacon from St. Patrick’s made clear the need for schools not included in GPS and CAS competition to have their own Saturday competition for schools. At a subsequent meeting held in Cremorne a number of Heads of Schools gathered, for whom the notion of Saturday sport was very much on their agenda. This group included single gender boys’ schools such as St. Patrick’s and St. Andrew’s Cathedral School, and co-educational schools large and small including Redlands, Oxley College, Chevalier College, Central Coast Grammar and Pittwater House. It was clear from the start that a mixture of single gender and co-educational schools, large and small schools and Sydney and non-Sydney schools would be difficult to blend into one Association. Redlands was very much the launch pad for ISA, and we will be forever indebted to Belinda Hunter and Martin Longhurst, to the Redlands Board and to Peter Cornish in particular, because without Redlands and without Peter there would be no ISA. The ISA over the years has benefited from strong leadership, firstly from the Redlands contingent and subsequently from Chairmen
Richard Lornie, Grahame Smollett, Phillip Heath, John Edwards, Brian Roberts, Paul Kidson, Br Peter Ryan and our present Chairman, John Collier. Our Directors, Annette Gee-MacLean and John Townsend, 1999 to 2007, played a huge role in formalizing and raising the profile of the association. Since 2008, the Directorship is safely in the hands of Annette Gee-MacLean whose professionalism, pragmatism and vision provides wonderful opportunities for our students to learn and grow through sport. In Peter Cornish’s words “history will record the huge effort made by colleagues from disparate backgrounds, both Heads and games directors to make it possible for ISA to commence operation, manage logistics, eventually incorporate for insurance and other purposes and consolidate to be a first force in school games in the same education world as AHIGS-IGSSA, AICES, CAS, CSSA, GPS and others. Finally I know that the history will show, and practice emphasise always, the pivotal role of Games in a complete model of education in any school of merit.”
Purpose The Independent Sporting Association (ISA) is a school-based sport association. Its purpose is to provide interschool sports competition on a home-and-away basis between the member schools for both genders in Years 7 to 12. The ISA: • aims to advance education and to promote educational policies through providing a full annual sporting programme. • e ncourages and promotes citizenship and education though sport with competitions held on Saturdays. • v alues and encourages participation, good sportsmanship, team and school spirit and fairness above undue competitiveness and individualism.
summer sports Terms 1 & 4
The ISA calendar provides an annual
sports programme
Basketball
t hat offers full and varied opportunities for students and staff. This programme consists of a 12 week Summer and Winter competition and Carnivals
Cricket
Softball
winter sports Terms 2 & 3 Netball
Football Hockey
Rugby
Tennis
Swimming
Cross Country
Athletics
carnivals March, May & September
The ISA will always emphasise the social grace of co-educational Games allied with the ethical power of equivalence in education of girls and boys (Cornish,P. 2003)
The ISA has developed guidelines for those responsible for developing and monitoring a high standard of conduct in sport
Code of Conduct The ISA seeks to uphold high standards of personal conduct consistent with the ideals of competitive sport and within the best tradition of collegiality amongst independent schools. The pursuit of excellence in games and the enhancement of positive educational experiences for all students are of paramount importance to the ISA approach to sport. ISA schools are expected to place the highest priority on players’ safety and to ensure that coaches, officials and administrators are fully aware of the ISA Code of Conduct as well as the particular rules and safety requirements in their sport. ISA schools are also expected to provide competent First Aid and support for injured players. The ISA Code of Conduct outlines the spirit of the Association and states clear expectations for all who participate in games conducted under the aegis of the ISA.
Diversity Statement The Heads of member schools of the Independent Sporting Association are committed to the inclusiveness of the diversity of our schools and to all who participate in competition as players, officials or spectators. The Association embraces the right of every individual to be respected absolutely. The Independent Sporting Association recognises and affirms the right of each individual to respect within our competition and we embrace the ethnic and religious diversity of our students, their teachers and their schools. The Association will not tolerate discrimination, explicit or covert, towards anyone involved in competition. Neither will it countenance vilification of players, officials, parents or spectators and will act decisively in any instance where such unacceptable behaviour occurs. Further, the Association reserves the right to impose sanctions on any school, its players, spectators or officials where a proven incident of discrimination or vilification is not addressed adequately.
Coaches Coaches should recognise that games are for enjoyment, and satisfaction comes from doing one’s best for the team.
Players Players should be wholehearted in their approach to games, and should adhere strictly to the spirit of the rules or laws.
Spectators Barracking should be enthusiastic and positive.
Officials Model the highest standard of sportsmanship at all times.
Representative Opportunities Students have the opportunity to participate at progressively higher levels Students playing for their school in the ISA Competitions are eligible to trial for ISA Representative Teams and at this representative level compete against major school associations in NSW. From these associations, students are selected for the New South Wales Combined Independent Schools (NSWCIS) representative teams to compete against Combined Catholic Colleges (CCC) and Combined High Schools (CHS). The ISA provides students the opportunity to represent New South Wales and Australia through this and other pathways such as NSW Schools Rugby Union. In addition to the ISA Saturday sports and carnivals, students have opportunities to higher levels of representation in a range of other sports such as water polo, boys hockey, touch and triathlon. Inter-State Challenge – founded in 2013, the Inter-State Challenge is an initiative to promote female inter-state sporting opportunities for girls. Four states and five school based Sports Associations come together to play Representative Team games in Netball, Football and Tennis.
Girls Sports + Boys Sports + Carnivals ISA COMPETITIONS
ISA REPRESENTATIVE TEAMS
NSW CIS
NSW ALL SCHOOLS
SCHOOL SPORT AUSTRALIA
NSW
Member Schools All Saints’ College Barker College Blue Mountains Grammar School Central Coast Grammar School Chevalier College Kinross Wolaroi School Oakhill College Oxley College Redfield College Redlands Snowy Mountains Grammar School St Andrew’s Cathedral School St Augustine’s College St Gregory’s College St Patrick’s College St Paul’s Grammar School St Pius X College St Spyridon College St Stanislaus’ College The Scots School Bathurst
For more information visit www.isa.nsw.edu.au
Third Edition © 2018