Frequently Asked Questions
Generally school sport programs are based on the location and the education sector (Catholic, Government and Independent) a school belongs to. There are seven State / Territory Government Education Department school sport units in Australia, with Tasmania being the only State that does not have a government school sport unit. This means the other approximately sixty school sport associations cater for the Catholic or Independent education sectors with many being geographically based.
School Sport Australia, through its Government Education Department members organise State / Territory representative competitions, i.e., students represent their State / Territory not their school. Inter-school competition is the domain of local school sport associations.
Some National or State Sporting Organisations host ‘All School’ competitions where schools from any Catholic, Government and Independent education sector are welcome to participate.
Some School Sport Associations select representative teams from their member schools to compete against other School Sport Association representative teams.
A School Sport Association is an organisation that provides school sport programs for its member schools. These programs can vary from one off gala days to regular inter-school sport. Generally they begin for students in Year 5 through to Year 12 but it is entirely a school’s decision as to who the programs are offered too. The programs on offer vary depending on the size of the organisation.
Click here for a list of School Sport Associations in Australia.
There are approximately seventy School Sport Associations (SSA) in Australia. One Government SSA for each State & Territory, except Tasmania with the rest of the SSAs providing services for independent and catholic schools. The size and the sports on offer varies depending on the size of the organisation but are usually decided by the members of the associations.
Click here for a list of active School Sport Associations in Australia.
This list focuses on secondary school sport associations though some of the associations listed deliver programs for both primary and secondary schools.
Australian Capital Territory
Name of School Sport Association | Website | About the School Sport Association |
Catholic Education, Archdiocese of Canberra Goulbourn Sport | Provides school sport for Catholic Schools in the Goulburn, NSW area and the ACT | |
School Sport ACT | The peak body for school sport in the ACT through the promotion of sport and delivery of school sport regionally. |
New South Wales
Name of School Sport Association | Website | About the School Sport Association |
Associated Southern College | No website | A group of independent schools in the ACT and southern NSW that compete against each other in inter-school school sport competition. |
Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council. Provides weekly sport competitions and carnivals for independent schools in NSW. | |
Athletic Association of The Great Public Schools of NSW | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council. Responsible for inter-school competition between the Great Public Schools of NSW. | |
Border Independent Schools Sports Association | No website | Provide programs of athletics, swimming and cross country for member school students that if successful can compete at a state level in the Combined Independent Schools Sports Association (CIS). |
Catholic Girls Secondary Schools Sports Association | Member of Catholic Schools NSW Sport. A school sport association in metropolitan Sydney providing school sport for independent Catholic girls' schools. | |
Catholic Schools NSW Sport | Oversee school sport for the Catholic Schools of NSW offering a representative pathway for catholic student to participate in school sport at the highest level. | |
Christian School Sports Association | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council. Oversees inter-school sport carnivals and gala days for Christian schools in NSW. Member schools organise inter-school competitions between themselves. | |
Combined Associated Schools | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council. An association of six independent boys school providing inter-school sport. | |
Combined Districts Secondary Sports Association | No website | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools |
Hills Zone Sports Association | ​Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools. Provides inter-school sport and sporting carnivals for independent schools in The Hills region of NSW. | |
Hunter Region Independent Schools | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools. Provides inter-school sport and sporting carnivals for independent schools in the Hunter region of NSW, from Port Macquarie in the north, Tamworth in the west and Erina in the south. | |
Independent Girls' Schools Sporting Association | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council. Provides inter-school sport and sporting carnivals for independent girl schools in NSW. | |
Independent Sporting Association | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council. Provides students with inter-school sport competition. | |
Independent Sydney and Districts Schools Sports Association | No website | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools |
New Anglican Schools Sports Association | No website | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools |
New South Wales Combined High Schools Sports Association | Provides opportunities for secondary students to participate in competitive sport at the state level and above. Oversees district and regional inter-school sport for government schools in NSW. | |
North Coast Independent Schools Sports Association | No website | Member of the NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council |
NSW Combined Independent Schools Sports Council | Provides independent schools the opportunity for their students to participate in State and National school sport events. | |
NSW Sports High Schools Association | No website | A collection of seven high performing sport schools in NSW for students that have the potential to become an elite athlete. |
South Western Independent Schools Sports Association | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools. Provides inter-school sport, sporting carnivals and gala days for independent schools in south west Sydney. | |
Southern Anglican Schools Sports Association | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools. Provides inter-school sport for New Anglicans schools in Sydney's South Coast Region. | |
Western Associated Schools | No website | Member of the Association of Independent Co-Educational Schools |
Northern Territory
Name of School Sport Association | Website | About the School Sport Association |
School of Sport Education NT | Deliver sport programs and educational opportunities through sport in the Northern Territory. |
Queensland
Name of School Sport Association | Website | ​About the School Sport Association |
Associated Independent Colleges | Provides weekly sport competitions and carnivals for independent Christian schools. | |
Associated Private Schools (Gold Coast) | No website | Provides inter-school sport for eight private schools located on the Gold Coast, Queensland. |
Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls' Sports Association | No website | Provides inter-school spot and sporting carnivals for fourteen catholic girl's secondary schools in south-east Queensland. |
Christian School Sport Association of Queensland | Provides opportunities for athletes in both team and individual sports from Years 4 to 12 in Christian Schools in Queensland. | |
Greater Brisbane Conference Sport Competition | Provides inter-school sport programs and carnivals for schools in the Greater Brisbane area. | |
Greater Public Schools Association of Queensland | Provides inter-school sport programs and sporting carnivals for schools in Queensland. | |
Queensland Girls Secondary Schools Sports Association | Provides inter-school sport programs and sporting carnivals for girl schools in South East Queensland. | |
Queensland School Sport | Oversee representative school sport in Queensland for government schools. School sport competition begins in the school with opportunities for students to participate at a district level with talented student offered the opportunity to represent their region at State competition, which follows through to students representing Queensland at National competition. | |
South East Colleges Association of Sport | No website | Delivers inter-school sport programs and sporting carnivals for Catholic schools in the Brisbane area. |
Sunshine Coast Independent School Sport Association | Provides inter-school sport and gala days to independent schools on the Sunshine Coast. | |
The Associated Schools | Provide inter-school sport competition for eight independent schools in Brisbane and surrounding schools. |
South Australia
Name of School Sport Association | Website | ​About the School Sport Association |
Independent Girls Schools Sports Association | Provide weekly inter-school sport and carnivals for independent girl schools in South Australia. | |
S.A. Catholic Secondary School Girls Sports Association | Provide weekly inter-school sport and carnival programs for female secondary school students who attend member Catholic and State Schools across Adelaide and South Australia. | |
School Sport South Australia | Responsible for school sport for the government schools in South Australia. | |
South Australian Christian School Sports Association | Provide weekly inter-school sport and carnivals for independent Christian schools in South Australia. | |
Sports Association for Adelaide Schools | Provide weekly inter-school sport and carnivals for independent schools in Metropolitan Adelaide. Members are independent boy schools. |
Tasmania
Name of School Sport Association | Website | ​About the School Sport Association |
Northern High Schools Sports Association Inc | Promote and provide school sport to secondary government schools in the North of Tasmania. | |
Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools (North and South Zone) | Provide sporting competition for independent schools in Tasmania. Programs are provided to schools in the zones of North and South of Tasmania. |
Victoria
Name of School Sport Association | Website | ​About the School Sport Association |
APS Sport | Provide inter-school sporting competition for the students of the schools of the Associated Public Schools of Victoria. | |
Associated Catholic Colleges | Provide inter-school sport and sporting championships to 13 catholic secondary schools in Victoria. | |
Association of Co-educational Schools | Provide inter-school sport and other sporting activities to 7 independent co-educational schools in Victoria. | |
Ballarat Associated Schools | Provide inter-school sport and sporting carnivals to secondary schools in Ballarat, Victoria. | |
Christian Schools Events Network | Provide inter-school sport and sporting carnivals to Christian schools in Victoria. | |
Eastern Independent Schools of Melbourne | Oversees and organises mid-week inter-school sport competitions and sporting carnivals for independent coeducational schools in the eastern region of Melbourne. | |
Girls Sport Victoria | Provide inter-school sport, sporting carnivals and other sporting activities for independent girl schools in Victoria. | |
Independent Country Coeducational Schools Incorporated | No website | Provide sporting carnivals to country schools in Victoria. |
School Sport Victoria | Delivers inter-school sport, sporting carnivals and other sporting activities to government schools in Victoria. | |
Secondary Catholic Sports Association | Provides sporting carnivals for girls in Catholic Secondary Schools in Victoria, | |
Southern Independent Schools | Provide inter-school sport and sporting carnivals for independent schools in Southern Victoria. | |
Southern Special Schools Sports Association | Member of School Sport Victoria. Provides inter-school sport for secondary aged students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities for 10 special schools across the southern & eastern suburbs of Melbourne. | |
Sports Associations of Catholic Coeducational Secondary Schools | Provides inter-school sport and sporting carnivals to Catholic schools in the North Western suburbs of Melbourne. | |
The Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria | Provide inter-school sport and sporting carnivals for independent schools in Victoria. |
Western Australia
Name of School Sport Association | Website | ​About the School Sport Association |
Associated & Catholic Colleges of WA | An independent secondary school sport association providing sporting carnivals and weekly inter-sport competition in eight separate regions of Western Australia. | |
Independent Girls Schools Sports Association of Western Australia | A secondary school sport association for independent girl schools in Western Australia providing sporting carnivals and weekly inter-sport competition. | |
Public Schools Association Western Australia | A secondary school sport association for private boy schools in Western Australia providing weekly inter-school sport and sporting carnivals. | |
School Sport Western Australia | Responsible for the delivery of school sport to government schools at a local, regional and state level. |
If you are aware of a school sport association in Australia that is not on this list, please contact Schools in Action at info@schoolsinaction.com.au so they can be added to the list.
The term ‘All Schools’ is commonly used within school sport when a school sport program is offered to schools from all educational sectors, i.e., Catholic, Government and Independent to compete against each other.
The term 'Representative' within school sport is used when students are chosen from multiple schools to participate for a school sport association.
Schools in Action aims to host ‘All School’ programs for sports that are not offered by National or State Sport Organisations.
To view current Schools in Action programs, go to Upcoming Events page.
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