Hockey

St Mary’s has a proud hockey tradition. We have enjoyed much success over a number of years. This success is a result of the hard work and commitment of our coaches and players. Many of our past pupils and coaches have represented provincial or national teams over the years.

The success of St Mary’s hockey is, however, not only measured by the results that have been achieved but more importantly by the number of pupils who choose to participate in the sport and continue to do so once they leave the school.

The hockey facilities at St Mary’s are amongst the best in the country. The Nathan AstroTurf was laid in 2000 and the second AstroTurf, the Howell Hub, was put down in 2019. These two AstroTurfs are named in honour of Wendy Nathan and Ros Howell, who together contributed to St Mary’s hockey for over six decades.

In the Junior School, the Grades 6 and 7 A teams participate in the St Mary’s DSG tournament. We also send selected girls to attend the D9 U12 and U13 hockey trials.

The highlight of the hockey season for the senior players is undoubtedly the annual St Mary’s Hockey Festival, which is held a week before the end of the first term. This festival has grown to include 32 teams from around the country. The matches at the festival are 25 minutes long, making for very exciting hockey. The festival atmosphere is electric, and the event really brings the larger St Mary’s community together.

The season culminates with the top schools’ tournaments for U14, U16 and U18. St Mary’s qualifies for these tournaments regularly and this provides our top players with the opportunity to test themselves against the best in the country.