King’s College has a long history of sporting prowess, and we’re proud of this tradition of excellence.
We also believe firmly that sports are about much more than winning trophies. Through sport, students at King's learn about and experience competition, teamwork, discipline, physical fitness, initiative, and sportsmanship. It’s our goal that every student has a positive experience with sport, providing a lifelong interest and enjoyment that fosters a habit for physical activity.
We encourage all our students to get involved in sports at King’s. We value the participation of each individual and will always strive to find a team to suit their abilities. Many of our teams enjoy considerable success at both regional and national levels, and our sportspeople often compete for the very highest honours—but sport at all levels is celebrated and promoted. A competitive inter-House sporting competition provides further opportunities for all students to get involved.
Contact our Head of Sport, Kerry Baker, for more information about our sports programming: k.baker@kingscollege.school.nz.
Our sports facilities include a world-class athletics track, a water-based carbon zero Olympic-grade hockey turf, squash courts, a gymnasium, two strength and conditioning facilities, ten tennis courts, a swimming pool, and numerous sports fields.
King’s students also benefit from state-of-the-art sports science technology including GPS monitoring equipment, body composition scales, and analysis software. We recently opened our Golf Academy, in partnership with the Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club, offering professional coaching and access to one of the best courses in New Zealand. We have also launched a sports development programme to provide strength and conditioning plus elite level support to our high performance athletes. Work is underway on a new high-performance gym due to open later in 2024.
Combining sports and academic mentoring, our Elite Sports Mentoring Programme ensures that students can excel in both arenas. Existing sporting programmes is complemented conditioning, nutritional and specific sport-related advice—all provided by the King’s Sports staff who have a wide range of experience.
With solid one-on-one academic mentoring, promising young sportspeople can maintain their performance on and off the field. The programme is personalised and tailored to assist the individual needs of each student.
For more information, email our Head of Sport, Kerry Baker: k.baker@kingscollege.school.nz.
Our Junior Athletic Development Programme is a tailored sports training initiative for students in Year 9. It emphasises learning “how to train”, followed by “training to train”, providing the building blocks of fundamental movement and foundational sports skills.
A strong base of strength, conditioning, technique, and understanding lessens the risk of injury and prepares students’ minds and bodies to train at a higher level of intensity and complexity.
This foundation will lessen the risk of injury, and prepare the student’s body and mind to train at a higher level of intensity and complexity that will allow him to perform at a higher level later on.
Over the duration of the Programme, participants will undertake physical assessments, generating valuable data that will allow the students to gain insight into, and an understanding of, the physical and physiological changes that they will experience. The results will also provide powerful analytics that the programme staff will use to track changes and measure development and improvements over time.
Students in Year 9 can apply for a place in the programme during Week 6 of Term 1. Staff will already have the results of the students' Passport for Life testing from earlier in Term 1. The final decision on selection into the Junior programme will be at the discretion of the Head of Sport, in conjunction with the Head of Athletic Development and the Heads of Code.
We offer a comprehensive range of sports, including:
Athletics is one of our primary summer codes at King’s, with a full range of track and field options offered to girls and boys of all age groups.
We benefit from exceptional facilities including a world-class track at the centre of College. The programme enables pupils to try all the events and represent the College in competitions. The hugely popular inter-house athletics day helps foster a sense of pride and house spirit amongst our students.
The athletics provision is twofold, encouraging an enjoyment of the sport from all ability levels and challenging our elite athletes with specialised training and support. The emphasis is on technical skill, fitness, and fun.
The comprehensive archery programme at King's offers students the chance to learn about the sport, hone their skills, and represent the College at competitions. We also host an annual House archery competition which is a highlight, giving our archers an opportunity to demonstrate their prowess to their fellow students as well as earn House points.
The badminton programme operates throughout three terms at King’s and is offered to boys and girls in all years at the College. We have a very well-equipped sports hall with access to multiple courts at a time, enabling flexibility when required for large fixtures or inter-house competitions. It's a pleasure to see our badminton players succeed!
Basketball is a thriving sport at King's, offering opportunities for both girls and boys to compete in inter-school competitions. The range of teams ensures there's a place for all players, and our fantastic gym plus athletic conditioning facilities provide the very best opportunities for basketball players to better their game in their years at the College.
Taking part in regional and national events, our clay target shooters represent the school well in this sport which requires a steady hand and quick reflexes.
Cricket is one of our major summer codes, offered to both boys and girls. The College has unrivalled cricket facilities with a magnificent main pitch that is the envy of many schools and clubs. This state-of-the-art facility makes cricket at King's a strong foundation for those who wish to pursue the sport further.
We have a number of teams playing across the season; they benefit from a high standard of coaching.
We nurture our speedy cross-country runners! With our world-class track, large grounds, and athletic conditioning facilities and resourcing, there's plenty of opportunity for these talented athletes to thrive. Girls and boys compete in inter-school competitions both regional and national, and there's also a competitive inter-House race that offers a chance for everyone to get involved in the sport.
We are proud to be the first New Zealand school to become a registered CrossFit affiliate, enabling us to offer weekly sessions year-round to our students in years 11-13 under the guidance of qualified CrossFit coach Wally Rifle, and other experienced CrossFit trainers. Students and staff also have the opportunity to represent the College at CrossFit competitions during the year.
CrossFit encourages a healthy lifestyle through ever-changing workouts incorporating a variety of functional movements performed at high intensity which include aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting, cardio fitness and much more. The benefits of participating in CrossFit are not just physical but also develop a healthy mindset, confidence, resilience and a strong sense of community, all of which is encouraged at King’s College.
Cycling is popular at King's, and the Novice Cycling programme makes it accessible to those interested. Riders and teams compete with other schools, travelling throughout the region for races.
The College also has a mountain biking team which competes with other Auckland secondary schools.
Our small but mighty equestrian team has proven itself very competitive, and we look forward to the growth of this sport at King's. The team competes at a variety of events throughout the region and country, in a range of disciplines including dressage, showjumping, and cross-country.
Football is a fast-growing sport for the College, and we are excited to be able to field a wide range of boys' and girls' teams with opportunities to participate at all year levels. Our partnership with Ellerslie FC has seen interested students and staff complete referee and coaching courses, opening up the world of football in different ways.
Our teams take part in various inter-school competitions—and of course bring out their competitive spirit for the annual House Football tournament!
Located directly next to a course, King's is big on golf—and we have enjoyed success in regional and national competitions.
The King's College Golf Academy, presented in partnership with the Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club presents students with unparalleled opportunities to experience the sport and receive intensive coaching to fine tune their skills. It also allows us to seek out and develop talented players.
Hockey is a long-standing tradition at the College, and the College recently invested in a water-based carbon zero Olympic-grade hockey turf to benefit our players. This facility makes King's a top choice for students interested in developing their hockey skills.
From our boys' and girls' 1st XI teams to our multiple junior teams, there is breadth and depth of hockey talent at King's plus opportunity for everyone to take part and enjoy the sport. The competitive House Hockey event is always a highlight! King's students have been selected for U-18 and U-16 representative teams. We are very proud of our hockey stars and thankful to sponsors who equip players with all they need to succeed and grow.
We have both girls' and mixed netball teams competing in a variety of competitions regionally, nationally, and occasionally internationally! In addition to our world-class gym facilities, King's seeks expertise and partnerships from people and organisations to ensure that our netballers have the very best chance to thrive.
It's great to see how netball is flourishing at King's. Our range of teams, from the premier team to fun social squads, means there is a place for everyone who wants to play.
The wonderful sport of orienteering is a workout for body and mind, offering students a fantastic community and opportunities to enjoy our beautiful outdoors.
Our orienteers take part in regional competitions; there is also a House orienteering event which opens the sport up to a wider range of students.
Rowing is a long-standing tradition and thriving sporting code here at King's. Our boys' and girls' teams, pairs, and singles are known as a force to be reckoned with, and we're proud of the reputation the College has formed as a pre-eminent rowing school.
The hardworking squads compete in various events at regional and national levels, in a range of boat sizes. The school is committed to developing promising rowers with resourcing and coaching—we are thankful to our sponsors for the contributions they make.
Rugby excellence is a long-standing tradition here at King's—and so is the love of the game! The College boasts multiple sports fields plus state-of-the-art sports science technology that helps us to nurture the next generation of rugby stars. Expert and experienced coaching also makes a big difference to our up-and-coming talent.
Our teams take part in very inter-school competitions, with various rivalries making for exciting watching and some large crowds throughout the year.
Open-weight and restricted-weight teams offer opportunities for participation across all year levels, with our mighty First XV as the pinnacle of King's rugby. We are thankful to the Rugby Supporters Club and our sponsors for their enduring support and the opportunities they provide for our players to thrive.
The King's College Keelboat Sailing team and Sailing premier team bring some breeziness to our sporting codes lineup, taking part in some fantastic competitions on the beautiful Hauraki Gulf. Sailing is a great addition to our sporting programming and very relevant here in the City of Sails!
Our ski and snowboard teams participate in competitions at Snow Planet in Silverdale, and on the mountains when the weather cooperates. Snow sports are a wonderful addition to our range of sports, available to boys and girls alike at all year levels.
This fast-paced sport is open to both boys and girls at King's, with a range of teams competing against other schools. Our quality gym facilities, specialised squash courts, and athlete resources make it possible for promising players to be developed and nurtured.
Our swimming pool gets put to good use throughout the year! The Inter-House swimming Sports event is a crowd pleaser, with huge support from both participants and spectators.
King's swimmers compete in local, regional, and national inter-school competitions; we have had some exceptional results from these athletes. The College has the facilities, resources, and staff necessary to nurture and grow them in their sport.
With a range of teams and individual competitors across boys' and girls' competitions, tennis is a thriving code at King's. The school boasts ten tennis courts, making space for all comers—and invests in quality, qualified coaching to support players in their development.
Our senior and junior touch teams are competitive at their inter-school competitions. Access to the College's sports fields and athlete development facilities presents great opportunities to our touch players to grow and develop.
The House Touch competition is a hard-fought highlight of the school year.
Volleyball is a growing code here at King's College, with several solid teams representing the school at regional competitions.
Our junior and senior water polo teams are fierce in the pool, competing in inter-school competitions. The King's College pool provides a fantastic venue for practices and matches.