Girls Sport at Trinity

This feature originally appeared in the Spring 2026 issue of In Trinity, which focused on our key value of ‘Responsibility’. 

Girls’ sport has been an important part of life at Trinity since we welcomed our first Sixth Form girls in 2011. We are proud of the environment we have created that encourages students to participate, have fun and make lifelong memories through friendships on and off the pitch. We have built teams that can compete with the very best in the region and nationally, despite our students only knowing each other for weeks or months. Many students never played some of our sports before coming here, like cricket, rugby or football; many haven’t represented their school in years; but we also welcome girls who play elite level sport and become leaders among their peers. 

Every year Trinity girls continue to make history for the school, and this year has been no different. 

Netball

Trinity Netball competes with the best in the region due to a strong coaching set-up, regular fixtures and a fun and supportive environment. In 2023, the team won World Schools Netball Cup in the same year we placed 9th in the country in the National Cup. We have close links with elite teams such as London Pulse, compete in tournaments and have a popular staff vs student match every year. 

This year, we regularly fielded 1st – 4th teams and have won matches against teams who have played together years. We competed in the Surrey County Netball Finals and our first ever super shot tournament at Oundle School, where we were runners up in the Plate competition and learned a lot about this exciting new format. 

The girls are also looking forward to our first Girls Netball Tour to La Manga, Spain next October half term. A brand-new netball facility is being built over the summer, ready for the next season and for when girls join our Lower School in 2027. 

Rugby

Most girls who join us in the Lower Sixth have never player rugby before, but with the right support and encouragement from rugby coach Stacia Long, we consistently field strong teams, particularly for the spring sevens season. 

Last year, our girls’ team made history at the Rosslyn Park 7s qualifying for the prestigious second day of the tournament and placing in the top 12 teams nationwide. This team was ably guided by then Upper Sixth student Beth, who was part of the Harlequins set-up, with two players even being scouted by the UR7s! The camaraderie and mutual support between our boys’ and girls’ teams made for a very memorable tournament.  

Football

Football remains popular at Trinity, with a number of students playing for academies such as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Brighton. Girls’ football has also been on the rise, with the first competitive fixture for our U18 girls’ back in the 2022 season. We have regularly competed in the ISFA U18 Girls Cup as well as the Surrey Schools tournament. 

This year, our 1st XI Girls football team made history again, securing the school’s first ever National Cup victory in the ISFA U18 Girls Shield with a superb 3–1 win over New Hall School. Just as important as the win, was the excitement and fun they had hyping each other up on the minibus before the match and the sense of togetherness on the pitch. 

Hockey

Hockey has also been strong at Trinity since 2011, as girls join us with good experience of the sport. We have competed in tournaments such as the KCS invitational, London Cup with strong individual players such as alumna Caragh Haspel (England U18) having a positive influence on their peers. 

This year, with experienced players in Sixth Form, we have been looking to develop girls’ indoor hockey. It paid off – the team made school history, becoming the first Trinity girls’ side to win an indoor hockey match and qualify for the London Finals in our second ever indoor fixture. 

With investment in a new elite level hockey astro last summer, and coaches who have played and coached at the very top level (Nick Giles, Elliot Hooper), the future is bright for girls’ hockey. 

Water Polo

With a Director of Sport who played water polo at the Olympics, coach Ian Marsh who has led teams to national title success since the 1970s, and a strong record in boys’ competitions, water polo was always going to be an option for our Sixth Form girls.  

Over the years, there have been stand out players including Kathy Rogers (Class of 2017) who now plays professionally and has captained the GB women’s team, and Lucy Bullock (Class of 2023, GB) who both gained sports scholarships in the USA. In 2023, the girls’ team led by Lucy placed among the top 6 in the UK in the ESSA National Finals. 

Last year, Lily Evans (U20 GB Water Polo) joined Sixth Form and led the team to win bronze at the ESSA National Plate Final. This year, the team went one better to take home silver, with a couple of girls scoring their first goals creating special moments. This is a fantastic achievement considering only four of the 12 girls had ever played before joining Trinity, and we’re very proud. 

Cricket

Girls’ cricket has grown rapidly, with the team making history in the U18 100 Ball Cup and holding their first-ever Hardball fixture in recent years. Many girls have never played cricket before joining Trinity, but the 1st XV team is supported by expert coaching, including visits from professionals like alumna Kira Chathli, just named Surrey 50-over captain, and competes in county, national and The Hundred competitions. 

The 2025 season was strong, with the highlight being the inaugural fixture against the MCC where the team managed to earn a commendable draw against one of the world’s oldest cricket clubs as boy’s and girl’s fixtures took place side-by-side. We look forward to what the 2026 season brings! 

We are delighted to welcome a new Assistant Director of Sport in September, who will continue to develop our girls’ sport programme for Lower School girls joining in 2027. Mrs Cara McCartney joins from Caterham School where she is Assistant Director of Sport and Director of Netball. 

Lower School girls will follow a structured sports programme, with sport played both competitively through fixtures and more broadly during Games sessions.  

Our ethos is the same for all students. We want them to actively participate in a diverse range of sporting and physical activities, rather than specialising early; we firmly believe that participation is the ultimate driver of performance. We aim to nurture a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity and truly believe in the power of sport to build character, where students arguably take even more from failures as they do from wins.