Sport Choices

Athletics is one of the main summer sports at Wellington, offering a full range of track and field coaching to girls and boys of all age groups.

We benefit from exceptional facilities including a beautifully maintained grass track on the ‘Rockies’ sports ground in the centre of College. The programme enables pupils to try all the events and represent the College in competitions both home and away. Wellington has a superb athletics coaching team, including pro-coaching staff and teaching staff with experience at club and university competition level. Our coaches foster a warm and friendly environment, providing coaching and development across all ages, from grass roots level to more advanced elite skills. In Athletics we try to encourage every pupil to discover their potential, whatever level they might be.

The College engages in a regular programme of competition throughout the summer term, both at Inter-School and representative level, competing against a variety of schools across the South East, alongside regional and county events. 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 College’s outstanding indoor facilities enable pupils to benefit from winter training, available throughout the Michaelmas and Lent terms offering year-round coaching and specialised support to our athletes. In the summer term training takes place midweek, with fixtures on a Saturday.

The College has excellent links with local athletics clubs and encourages pupils to attend external training sessions where desired. Strength and conditioning training is also integrated within the College’s athletics training programme.

Badminton operates throughout all three terms at Wellington and is offered to boys and girls in all years at the College. We have an excellently equipped sports hall at Newsome Hall with access to four or eight courts at a time, enabling flexibility when required for large fixtures or inter-house competitions.

The College has one mixed U18 team, open to all year groups by ability, and also plays U16 fixtures against certain schools. Badminton is one of the most inclusive sports at Wellington, with training sessions and fixtures in which girls and boys from third form to sixth form can play alongside and against each other.

A professional coach leads sessions, with support from teachers, including those who have played at university and club level. Players benefit from a well-structured mix of small group and one-to-one coaching during training sessions, with plenty of time for casual games and more structured competition.

Basketball at Wellington is a thriving sport. As well as U14, U15, U16 and U18 boys teams there is also a senior girls team. In the past few years we have had pre-season tours to Valencia and Barcelona in October half term.

In early January we host an annual senior Interschool tournament with 8-10 teams from Independent schools participating. We are lucky to be able to use the double-sided sports hall and excellent facilities to their maximum capacity. Wellington won the tournament in 2020 and the senior boys team went on to have an undefeated season.

We are blessed with both experienced internal and external coaches. Some of our top players also go onto to play for local club sides. Senior players occupy leadership roles and help in the progression of junior players.

A dinner and presentation evening at the end of the season adds to the friendly and supportive atmosphere of the sport.

Climbing takes place as a sport three times a week (and there is a separate ‘club’ with two sessions per week). Climbing on Tuesday & Saturday is top-roping at the Wellington wall, taking students from beginners who need to learn safe routines, through intermediate levels of developing core movements and strength, to technique and power-endurance training for the advanced.

On Thursday they train at Oakwood, a commercial bouldering centre. Bouldering develops greater power and dynamism, and students also learn the etiquette and responsibility needed to become independent climbers at commercial centres.

Competitions happen about twice a year – the national Independent Schools comp and the English Schools comp. Outdoor climbing trips happen to Swanage or the Wye Valley when there is a keen core group.

Wellington has its own climbing coaches who are qualified instructors and coaches, and many are also keen climbers themselves.

Cricket is a major summer sport at Wellington and is offered to both boys and girls at the College. The College has unrivalled cricket facilities with a magnificent main pitch that is the envy of many.

We regularly field twelve boys teams on Saturdays (with many girls playing in boys teams too) and play on a highly competitive circuit. We currently have a Junior (U14/U15) indoor girls team in the winter and three girls teams in the summer, two Junior (U15/U14) and one senior team (U18). We benefit from nine outstanding grass pitches, four bespoke indoor cricket nets, a number of newly renovated outdoor artificial nets and 14 grass practice wickets.

The standard of coaching is second to none, with two ECB Level 4 qualified coaches on the Common Room. The Common Room also comprises a number of ex-county players who bring a huge deal of professional experience to Wellington cricket. We are also delighted to have our Head of Girls Sport Development, who is a current women’s county cricketer, leading our girls cricket provision. Pupils wanting to develop their cricket can benefit from a twelve month holistic training programme, that focuses on individual skill development and tactical awareness amongst other key cricketing attributes.

Specialist professional coaches are integrated into the programme as and when required throughout the year, allowing specific and personal development in all skills. Strength and Conditioning support is also available at the College.

The boys 1st XI also regularly tour abroad in an attempt to develop players’ cricketing skills in different, less familiar environments, as well as taking part in the National T20 competition and in an end of term festival, along with Sedbergh, Oakham & Brighton. Our girls teams compete in the County and National indoor competition, along with the County outdoor competition and U18 100 Bal National Competition.

In the summer all College cricketers train during the week and play fixtures on a Saturday (with some mid-week fixtures too, dependent on Cup draws etc and most of our Girls fixtures are currently on a Thursday). There are also more specialist sessions run, allowing cricketers to work on specific technical aspects of their cricket.

The College is also linked with external pro-coaching organisations and additional 1 to 1 coaching is available throughout the year, although there is an additional cost involved with this for parents. The College is also very pleased to have excellent working relationships with a number of local counties, including Surrey, Middlesex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The College has a very flexible approach to allowing pupils to attend County training sessions and would encourage these where possible to further support and challenge pupils.

Fencing at Wellington College has a very long history and dates back to it’s earliest days.

Arthur Wellesley, the First Duke of Wellington, and in whose honour the College was founded, is quoted in a letter to Major-Gen. Sir Henry Torrens on the 25th Nov., 1817. ” I conceive that nothing can be more desirable than to teach officers and soldiers the use of the sword…I therefore think the knowledge of the use of the sword, or the science of fencing, is essentially necessary to every officer who is to wear one.”

In modern times, fencing has evolved into three main divisions each with a different type of sword; Epee, Foil and Sabre.

At Wellington, we encourage pupils of all ages, boys and girls, to learn all 3 disciplines although some of our squad prefer to specialise in just one. Lessons take place three times each week and continue throughout the school year. We train and compete in the recently built Robin Dyer Centre and are fortunate to have our own Fencing Salle.

Training with a real weapon is obviously a dangerous activity. However, with full safety clothing and equipment, backed up with discipline and a strong code of conduct, the sport is very safe. Fencing is a true test of character and self confidence.

Fixtures against other schools provide the experience all our fencers need to develop and grow in stature. Our leading fencers are invited to attend the annual Public Schools Championships at the end of the Spring Term.

Wellington College Football Club (WCFC) is growing rapidly and offers an opportunity for all girls and boys to play the game we love and to progress as footballers, whilst also providing the chance to perform in a suitably competitive and supportive environment. As well as being a major sport option in the Lent Term, for both girls and boys, we also run development squads across all age groups in the Michaelmas Term, again for both girls and boys.

We enjoy the use of wonderful facilities on Turf and Derby Field, not to mention the 3G surfaces for occasional “Friday Night Lights” fixtures for our senior boys. We regularly field ten teams on Saturdays in Lent and five teams in Michaelmas, play a fixture card that includes schools from both the independent and the maintained sector, to ensure challenging and enjoyable games. We are also fully-fledged members of ISFA (the Independent Schools Football Association) and enter boys’ teams in both the U18 and U15 Cup competitions, playing against the very best schools in the country. We also have players who have represented ISFA schools’ sides at U18 level in the past few years and hope to match our provision for boys with the same level of opportunity for girls in the coming seasons.

Thanks to the continuing improvement in the coaching provision in the club, all boys and girls benefit from a structured training programme that focuses on technical and tactical development, whilst also encouraging all players to develop the mental attributes necessary to perform in competitive games. Above all, however, there is the chance for everyone who wants to play to represent the College in our weekend block fixtures and enjoy playing our national game.

Coaching is led by Steve Peters, once of Southampton and Bristol Rovers, who now runs the Evo Soccer Academy, based here in Berkshire. Alongside him, we have members of the Common Room who are UEFA and FA trained, and who are passionate about the game, bringing a huge deal of experience to Wellington football. To support pupils’ development there is also additional specialist positional coaching available throughout the year, nurturing the awareness and skills of those who want to play at a more competitive level.

For the past few years, a senior boys’ team has regularly toured overseas and future plans include a domestic tour for junior boys’ teams, as well as continuing development of our European tours for senior boys. In time, we hope to tour with a girls’ side too, offering girls the same opportunities as the boys. We have an association with Sotosoccer, based in Sotogrande, Spain, and their connections with Real Betis Balompie, of the Primera Liga, mean that our tours include competitive games against teams from their feeder clubs in Seville, as well as training sessions run by coaches from Real Betis, not to mention matches against full youth Real Betis.

The Football Club is also looking to enhance working relationships with a number of footballing bodies in the area, in order to further improve our coaching provision and links to the wider sporting community. The College has a very flexible approach to allowing pupils to attend representative training sessions and encourage these where possible, asking that those who are members of clubs or representative sides outside of College keep us informed of their successes!

Hockey is a major sports option for the girls in Michaelmas term and the boys in the Lent term. In addition to our field hockey provision we also run an indoor hockey programme in the Michaelmas term for both boys and girls. We have two fantastic synthetic surfaces and a fully equipped state of the art indoor facility that are the envy of many schools. We have a vastly experienced coaching staff including past and current internationals that has enabled us to become one of the premier co-educational hockey schools in the country. We compete regularly for national titles and our girls have won four in the past five years and we are extremely competitive in both the girls and the boys game.

We provide a year round offering of hockey is some shape or form that allows our pupils to develop in both a team and individual capacity. With our elite players we provide a pathway that fits with the England Hockey Single System and has flexibility depending on individual players needs and development. Our focus is however on the entire club and we strive to provide equal opportunities to all players at every level. Our strength and depth is second to none and we are proud of all of our hockey sides that represent the college.

We regularly tour as a hockey club and we look to make these opportunities open to both senior and junior pupils. We recently took four teams (senior & junior boys and girls) on a tour of Holland and have plans to take a co-educational tour to South Africa in the coming years.

The college has strong links with a number of clubs with the primary link being Surbiton Hockey Club. Surbiton are arguably the strongest junior club in the country. Pupils of all ages regularly train at Surbiton and transport is subsidised by the college. We believe that this enhances and works well alongside our school programme and enables students with an experience that is likely to encourage them to continue playing hockey beyond Wellington.

As a Pentathlon GB Academy, Wellington College is gaining a reputation for top-class coaching and for the inclusive nature of its outreach programme.

Modern Pentathlon consists of five sports: Swimming, Fencing (épée), Show Jumping and Laser Run (running and shooting combined). At Wellington College, students have the option to train for Modern Pentathlon in its varying disciplines, which allows them to train at their own level. Students can train in Laser Run, Modern Triathlon (Swimming and Laser Run), Modern Tetrathlon (Laser Run, Swimming and Fencing) or Full Modern Pentathlon.

Modern Pentathlon was invented by the founder of the modern-day Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubetin, to crown the best all-round athlete at the Olympic Games. For this reason, it is the perfect sport for all-round sports people, those who want to participate in a variety of sports, and those who like a challenge.

The Academy is directed by Colin Smith, who is current Chairman and Development Officer for Pentathlon GB South. Colin has been around high level sport all his life having been a professional footballer for 15 years and in subsequent years, has coached in many sports, especially swimming, to very high standards. The introduction of Talent Identification in Modern Pentathlon was pioneered by Colin, leading to numerous individuals joining the Pathway to the top!

Laser Run, Fencing and Swimming are delivered on site by the respective coaches whilst Riding is delivered offsite at Wellington Riding Stables. As the College is host to our Pentathlon GB Academy, we are closely linked to the Pentathlon GB English Talent Pathway. This is a direct association, an open door, with the higher levels in Modern Pentathlon. Our aim at Wellington is to help the athlete travel as far down the pathway as they possibly can!

Our Academy at Wellington offers an outreach programme to many of our local schools, offering training opportunities both in their own grounds or at Wellington via training events and small competitions.

Success stories include Becky Storer, who attended Pentathlon GB Youth Team training camps whilst at Wellington and went on to gain her first international call up at the start of her second year at Wellington.

Netball is a major lent sports option and is offered to all year groups, as well as in Michaelmas by invitation. The College has unrivalled netball facilities with the Robin Dyer Netball Tennis and Cricket centre housing two indoor plexipave courts as well as 5 outdoor courts. We regularly field 18 teams on Saturdays and play on a highly competitive circuit. Thanks to the indoor facilities, pupils are able to train throughout the year and out of the typical lent term weather conditions!

The standard of coaching is second to none, with many experienced school coaches and strong links with Berkshire netball coaching, but moreover the Common Room also comprises a number of current and ex superleague netball players and many staff passionate about the game who bring a huge deal of experience to Wellington netball.
For the past decade, Wellington has often reached regional netball finals in at least one age group, often two and has reached national finals three times, finishing 3rd in the country at U14 and 8th at U19 level being the highest achievement to date.

The College is also very pleased to have excellent working relationships with a number of local clubs, including those in Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, among others. The College has a very flexible approach to allowing pupils to attend external training sessions and would encourage these where possible for player development and deal with logistics on an individual basis.

Polo at Wellington caters for all levels, from beginners to keen club-level players.

The players will have the opportunity to train together up to twice a week with coaches who are HPA qualified, who also play, train and coach Polo professionally. Throughout the arena season we are based at Emsworth Polo Grounds hiring ponies from La Mariposa and throughout the summer season we will be based at Pangbourne Polo Club.

We hold regular fixtures for both the arena season and the grass season with Harrow and Eton as well as playing the local SUPA tournaments. We hold The Copenhagen Cup during the Summer Term alongside the team at Guards Polo Club. We invite top schools to participate in this two-day fixture which is finalised with a beautiful awards ceremony at the Guards Polo Clubhouse.

Andrew Hine will be leading the training and development of Polo from 2024. Andrew has played at the highest level of polo, captaining England from 1999 to 2003, as well as being England Team Manager for 5 years, overseeing many team victories including winning the Westchester Cup in Palm Beach in 2009 and four out of 5 Coronation Cup victories.

Andrew has coached and managed successful High Goal teams including Zacara, Park Place , and Thai Polo, winning 12 Prince of Wales, Queens and Gold Cups. He has also helped his children, including his two sons who attended Wellington to develop as top level polo players.

We hope that by providing elite coaching, management, facilities and advice, all Wellington Polo players will be able to reach their maximum potential, whilst enjoying this incredible sport which will be part of their lives forever.

Rackets is an exciting Winter sport, offered and open to all boys and girls across the college. The Rackets court is ideally situated between the Squash and Real Tennis courts, and is a hive of activity whenever pupils are out of lessons. With a hard ball that travels at over 150mph, Rackets attracts those with a good eye, typically good cricketers, squash and Tennis players.

We employ a full time professional, Ryan Tulley, who is supported by a number of passionate common room staff, that enable out students to learn a new and exciting game, from scratch, and compete at the highest level. We also work closely with the Governing body, and in the last 3 years, Wellington have hosted two World, and one Professional Championship.

Typically fixtures happen midweek across both winter terms, and Wellington are proud to compete in, and have recently been very successful at the National Championships, held at Queens Club in London. The Rackets Team also have regular tours to the Rackets clubs in North America. We’re also proud of the OW’s that continue to play Rackets after leaving school, two of which have gone on to become World Champions.

Rugby is a major sport at Wellington with a year-round offering that enables our players to develop on both an individual and team basis.

In the Michaelmas term the 15-aside format of the game is offered to all boys, with multiple teams being fielded in each year group to play fixtures against some of the country’s premier Rugby schools. We have 9 fantastic pitches, expertly maintained by the grounds department, with the pinnacle of these being Bigside 1, the first XV pitch that is overlooked by the stunning Monro Pavilion. The match day experience this facility offers is absolutely second to none across British school boy rugby. At under 15 we annually enter a team into the National Cup competition and to date are the competitions most successful school.

In the lent term we shift focus to the 7-aside format of the game and this includes an offering for girls looking to try rugby. Each year group is entered into multiple tournaments, the culmination coming at the National Rosslyn Park competition.

In the summer term there are no formal fixtures or competitions but we offer individuals an opportunity to continue their development in the form of one to one’s and small group skill-based sessions.

Providing a pathway to play rugby after school is something we take very seriously. For students who have aspirations of playing rugby at the professional level we have strong ties with the academies at London Irish and Harlequins. A number of our current students are involved at different stages of the player development pathway and regularly represent their respective academies.

An emerging route to professionalism is through the new BUCS Super Rugby League, this provides students the opportunity to combine undergraduate study with elite level rugby. Every year more of our students are pursuing this route and this is something we facilitate by building strong working relationships with Universities across the country. There are currently OW’s representing 5 different Premiership Rugby teams, with players having reached this level through both the Academy and University route.

We also strive to provide a pathway for our participatory players to continue playing rugby after Wellington. This comes in the form of links to local clubs, universities and for those wanting to take a gap year we have links with clubs on all major continents of the globe.

Ski racing is a niche sports option offered in the Michaelmas and Lent terms, to both girls and boys in all year groups. Weekly training takes place on a Tuesday afternoon at the Alpine Snowsports Centre in Aldershot. The centre offers the best dry slope accessible to us, and has a 110 metre floodlit slope that allows us to do gate training throughout the season, with our excellent coaches from Impulse.

Each December we take a mixed team to the Canada Cup in Jasper, where we have enjoyed great success. This acts as a great training event and is appropriate for experienced as well as novice racers. In January we attend the British Schoolgirls races in Flaine, and the British Schoolboys races in Wengen. In March we round off the season with the Artemis British Interschool Ski Championships in Pila.

We are flexible with this running alongside other sports and pupils can sign up for which sessions they want to attend. Pupils involved in the races are expected to attend some of the dry slope sessions, particularly in the run up to their events and attending trials is of course a requirement. The College provides the transport, but there is an extra charge to pupils to cover the costs of the facilities and external coach.

Wellington is home to a thriving swimming programme that provides students a wide range of opportunities in the water. From our performance team to our very novice swimmers, the coaching staff brings a wide variety of skills to the poolside including experience with open-water swimming, triathlons, competitive swimming at multiple age groups and across 2 continents, and coaching certifications from British Triathlon. In addition to training the swim squad, the team regularly has attendees from the triathlon team, the modern pentathlon team, and other sportsmen doing rehab or cross-training. We offer 10 hours of water time each week so that even the most avid swimmers can train to the highest level.

In addition to attending fixtures against several area schools each term, Wellington hosts between 2 and 4 four-school galas each term. The high point of our calendar year is the Bath Cup competition, where more than 80 independent schools from all over Britain, Ireland, and the Channel Islands come together for a relay gala at the 2012 Olympic Pool in London.

Wellington is fortunate enough to have an indoor pool for use during the inclement months of the year, and an outdoor pool which opens annually for the June half term. In addition to moving training into the sunshine, the outdoor pool hosts the Interhouse Water Polo fixture each June, always a highlight of the Interhouse Sport programme.

Target Shooting at Wellington College is a high profile team sport organised by the rifle club and is active throughout all three academic terms. It works closely with the College Combined Cadet Force and encourages participants to be cadets and gain selection for National Cadet overseas touring teams. It is available to all pupils of any age and gender within College and no previous experience is necessary. All necessary equipment and rifles are supplied.

Target shooting is conducted initially in the College smallbore rifle range situated just behind the school armoury at the bottom of Chapel Hill and then progresses in the summer term to outdoor large calibre shooting at the world renowned National Shooting Centre at Bisley where Wellington have their own pavilion.

Shooting is both a team and individual sport and requires the participant to enhance many personal skills such as concentration, fitness, muscle control, mental agility, breathing, planning and engagement with others. Coaching is conducted by current Great Britain team participants of the highest level and a high percentage of Wellington College pupils attain England and GB places in their latter years at College or soon after.

To facilitate skills enhancement there are 2 camps. One during the Easter break and prior to the start of the Summer Term and the other during the early part of the Summer break. Easter is normally 6 days long and prepares the shooters for the summer outdoor season, competitions commence immediately the term starts. College teams compete in events throughout the summer usually on a weekend but all lead up to the main Summer Camp in July when the coveted Ashburton Shield school events take place and the National Imperial meeting. All school shooters who are competent will partake in the Schools events for the Ashburton which last 5 days, those of a higher level will also shoot the Imperial meeting lasting 10 days. This usually takes place in the summer break in the middle 2 weeks of July and pupils who are shooters tend to sacrifice some of their holiday time for these events.

The Ashburton is the highest school shooting award in the country and requires a well prepared, well drilled team of dedicated shooters. It is a huge honour to represent your school in this event and to gain a podium place is a true testament to shooting skill and teamwork. Wellington have won this 4 times in the last 9 years and been in the top 3 a further 3 times. The Imperial meeting is the biggest target shooting event in the world with over 1000 competitors from many countries in attendance. Wellington pupils compete amongst this number and achieve outstanding results but they only get there by training hard, developing their personal skills and putting in the time required. Success at the Imperial leads to selection for overseas cadet teams to The Channel Islands, Canada with the Athelings (The GB U18 Cadet Team) and South Africa with the GB U19 team. Wellington has produced many members of these teams over the years.

Unfortunately shooting is a costly sport and although pupils are subsidised to a large extent by College and the CCF there are still overheads to cover for the camps and some events.

Tennis is a major summer sports option at Wellington and is offered to both boys and girls in all years at the college. With magnificent indoor and outdoor tennis facilities we are able to field a large number of teams in the summer term for competitive fixtures against many other colleges to include the likes of Eton, Cranleigh, Marlborough and Winchester. A typical Saturday could see us field as many as 24 teams across all year groups.

High quality coaching is provided in the summer term with our LTA qualified and accredited coaches, who have all played to a high standard themselves. The coaching team is headed up by Gary Drake, a former British singles and doubles champion and GB over 35’s international.

Thanks to the brand-new indoor facilities we are now proud to offer performance training sessions year-round for those pupils looking to take their tennis to the next level. All of our tennis coaches have very strong links with the County associations so if players deserve opportunities this is something we are able to facilitate.

1-1 and small group coaching is also available throughout the year to give students the opportunity to continue their individual skill development, however, there is an additional charge for these lessons.

Triathlon is a very inclusive sport at Wellington and we welcome students at all levels from total beginners who struggle to swim 50m, to GB age group athletes. We offer 15 sessions a week that pupils can choose from throughout the year, increasing to 17 sessions in the summer term and the start of Michaelmas. Pupils are supported to create programmes that fit in with all of the other activities they are doing at Wellington and we are very careful to try to avoid overtraining and support a rounded education that allows students to follow their passions in a range of areas. No pupil will be attending all 17 sessions. We have lots of sessions to increase the choice students have available so that they can participate in different sports and activities as well as training for triathlon.

Training includes pool swimming with options before school, late in the evening and in the afternoon with a qualified swimming coach, who is also qualified in triathlon coaching. Open water swimming is possible twice a week at a local lake (Horseshoe Lake), which is approved by British Triathlon as a safe place to train from April until October. We provide wetsuits for these sessions if pupils don’t have their own.

Cycling is done on the school’s mountain bikes and we cycle from school to Swinley Forest. We have two teachers who are qualified mountain bike leaders who take the sessions and students love the opportunity to explore the local countryside with their friends and the excitement of the trails. We also have watt bikes in the gym and we help pupils to learn how to write programmes. Pupils can form small groups to run and can choose to join the school’s running club, which is very friendly and well attended.

We race at large open races, as well as GB age group qualification races, which are very exciting and sometimes involve sea swims, but we also do races that are suitable for beginners. We race in the triathlon season which runs from April to October and we also compete in off road races in the winter.

Overall, triathlon is a really welcoming and warm club and the students are very supportive of each other and really enjoy the slightly quirky nature of it!

X-Challenge is open to all members of the Upper and Lower Sixth.

Through the X-Challenge programme, you will improve your core fitness, strength and stamina through a mixture of circuit training, cardio conditioning and high intensity interval training (HIIT).