Saturday Sports Programme - 17/01/2026 by CHead

Saturday, 17th January, 2026

Welcome from the Director of Sport

It has been a hugely encouraging start to the Senior School sports programme. The week has been busy, slightly chaotic at times, occasionally soggy, but full of energy and a genuine sense of enjoyment. Exactly how school sport should feel.

Our Boys’ Hockey teams have led the way, making an excellent start to their cup campaigns, with two wins from two matches. Beyond the results, it has been the manner of the performances that has been most pleasing: intensity, togetherness and a real willingness to compete, even when the conditions tried their hardest to turn hockey into something more closely resembling water polo. A huge amount of credit must go to Mr Barnes and the wider sport and grounds staff, who somehow kept the astro playable through torrential rain. There was a moment midweek when a kayak felt like a sensible addition to the kit list, yet the games went ahead Seaford Sport epitomised.

We anticipate a strong and varied block of fixtures across the weekend, with involvement across multiple sports and activities. What continues to stand out is not just performance, but the sense that our students genuinely want to be there. Last week, the Netball 3rd Team still turned out and played despite their opposition cancelling – a quiet but powerful example of commitment. Across Saturday fixtures, we are currently seeing 85% participation, significantly above the national trend of 58%. How do we do this, you ask?

Sport in schools can easily become overly serious, but the best moments so far have come when participation, performance and competition are balanced with enjoyment. There has been plenty of laughter in warm-ups, animated debriefs afterwards and that familiar feeling of wanting “just five more minutes” at the end of a Games session.

That sense of play remains vitally important as students grow older. Research consistently shows that play, even within structured sport, supports wellbeing, resilience, creativity and long-term engagement in sport. At senior school age, it also helps maintain perspective: striving to win, while remembering why we started playing in the first place. Many of us will remember afternoon lessons spent half in the classroom and half mentally replaying a lunchtime game, quietly planning the rematch and hoping the final bell would come quickly to get back out there. That instinct does not disappear with age; it simply matures.

Alongside the weekly fixtures, we are delighted to celebrate several significant representative honours. Our Netball and Rugby U18 pathway students have been selected in their respective professional academies, an outstanding achievement that reflects sustained hard work, aspiration and enjoyment of their sport. A very special mention also goes to Ava, who is representing England Polo this weekend – a superb accomplishment and a reminder of the breadth and diversity of sporting opportunities available to our students.

Weeks like this capture the essence of sport at Seaford College: high standards, resilience in the face of the South Downs elements and a belief that sport should be challenging, memorable and, above all, fun Whether it is a cup match played in driving rain, a pathway training session at academy level, or the unspoken disagreement over whether the ball was actually out at break time, these are the moments that define school sport.

Next goal winner?

Mr Christian Head Director of Sport

Competitive Fixtures & Recreational Sport

Away | Rossiter Astro

Away | Adby Astro

Home | Hockey Astro

Neutral | Chi’ PO19 6PE

Away | Rossiter Astro

Home | Hockey Astro

Neutral | Uni of Chichester

Away | Trevor Abbott

Away | Top Netball

Neutral | Uni Chichester

Away | Bottom Netball

Home | Seaford College

Saturday Home Match Refreshments

Parents’ refreshments – before and during matches

Hockey and Netball – Hockey CJ Pavilion

Post-match hot teas and refreshments – Hockey CJ Pavilion

Medical Provision

This weekend, we will be supported by the Seaford College Physio Team and Sport Staff.

Additional Medical Support

To continue to ensure that we are providing proactive, gold-standard care to our students, the school is in partnership with Return2Play, the UK’s leading sports medicine partners for schools. Feedback from other schools and parents utilising their expertise is strong, while our own experience has been overwhelmingly positive thus far.

I have attached a letter from the College outlining how to use this free service. If you have any queries regarding your account, then please get in touch with Return2Play directly via hello@return2play.org.uk and they will be happy to help. The helpdesk runs 7 days a week.

Wet Weather and Cancellations

As a team, we will always do everything within our control to ensure fixtures and recreational activities go ahead as scheduled. Any changes to the schedule will be communicated via the respective sports coaches and clarion call.

Dogs on the School Site

We are a dog-friendly site; however, can I remind all parents that dogs should always be on a lead while onsite, and should not be on the field of play. If challenged by a member of staff, please be polite, respect the campus rules and remember that the safety of our students is paramount.

Parents and Supporters – Code of Conduct

For our core values (RESPECT, TEAMWORK, COURAGE, TRUST) to be upheld and our sports programme to be truly successful, it takes the cooperation of all involved – players, coaches, officials, staff, spectators and parents. The College and the staff have spent some time and effort reinforcing these sporting values within Seaford, and we believe it is essential that we include parents and friends of the College in this process.

One of the key questions we ask all supporters to consider is:

‘How does our touchline behaviour shape character and enhance the enjoyment for all the players during the game?’

Please let the coaches coach so that you can enjoy the parental match day experience. As a team and a college, we value performance and desired learning behaviours over the scoreboard – win, lose or draw, it is about the experience and the students making memories with their friends. Thank you for your support with this! Successful College sport is built upon strong partnerships between the students, parents and the College.

We look forward to seeing you all on the sidelines, both home and away, and thank you for your continued support of the Seaford Sport programme. Blue Blood – Seaford

Sport kit provider

Sport – SOCS

Live updates for all fixtures are available on our designated SOCS page.