Our first 25 years
Since 1998, the Association of Coeducational Schools (ACS) has provided opportunities for students to meet and compete against one another in sports. Excellence, teamwork, fair play, courage, respect and resilience are the values that have underpinned the association since its inception. Discover our shared story through this interactive timeline celebrating our first 25 years.
Geoff Ryan, Principal Westbourne 1990–2010, Oral history interview, 2022
Michelle Sheehan, Executive Officer ACS 2001–present, Oral history interview, 2022
1997 – Foundation
In May 1997, representatives of St Michael’s Grammar School, Eltham College, Westbourne Grammar School and St Leonard’s College met to discuss the possibility of forming a new sporting association that would meet their collective needs.
By July, Loyola College had joined the group. The five schools shared similar philosophies and a commitment to the value of school sport. The following principles were agreed upon: a commitment to increasing participation in sport, equal access to sport for boys and girls from years 7 to 12, the provision of quality competition, and a focus on good sportsmanship.
The ACS was officially launched on 3 December at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre by Dr Tim Hawkes, principal of St Leonard’s College (1989–97). Tim was instrumental in the foundation of the ACS and its inaugural chair. The aggregate athletics trophy bears his name.
Peter Hopwood, Head of Sport St Leonard’s 1996–2001, Oral history interview, 2022.
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
Geoff Ryan, Principal Westbourne 1990–2010, Oral history interview, 2022
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
‘Every school activity is an educational experience, and sporting competition must be directed towards teaching teamwork, developing character and inculcating high personal standards of behaviour.’
1998
Students from the five founding schools commenced midweek sporting competitions on Tuesdays for students in years 7 and 8, Thursdays for Year 9, and Wednesdays for students in years 10 to 12.
Summer sports for boys included basketball, cricket, hockey and table tennis plus softball up to Year 10, and, for girls, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Winter sports included football, soccer, tennis and volleyball for boys, and basketball, hockey, netball and table tennis for girls. In each season, the aggregate scores across all sports revealed the champion school.
The first annual championship carnivals for athletics, cross country and swimming also took place. ACS trophies were presented to winning teams at the conclusion of each season of sport and at championship events.
Peter Hopwood, Head of Sport St Leonard’s 1996–2001, Oral history interview, 2022.
John Kennedy, Principal Loyola 1979–2008, oral history interview, 2022
Peter Hopwood, Head of Sport St Leonard’s 1996–2001, Oral history interview, 2022.
At the end of the Association’s first year, Pat Tyrrell thanked all the sport coordinators for their ‘positive, cooperative and enthusiastic spirit’.
Champion Schools
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1999
In the second year of competition, some adjustments were made and problems resolved. This included extending softball competition for boys to the senior levels, ensuring that competitors wore correct uniform, and discussing options for encouraging more students to choose cricket. The length of the matches meant a late finish, which was a disincentive for some. Some schools did not have sufficient numbers of students to field teams in all year levels, and this promoted discussion about moving students from lower year levels up into senior teams. It was also decided that a student could not play in two teams on the same day.
Peter Hopwood, Head of Sport St Leonard’s 1996–2001, Oral history interview, 2022.
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
John Kennedy, Principal Loyola 1979–2008, oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
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‘The question was asked – are all sports of equal value? Is softball (boys) equal to cricket? If so, then maybe have only one senior cricket side and two extra softball sides.’
2000
The ACS discussed the possibility of adopting a fixed central venue for grand finals, to avoid a home-ground advantage, but this was rejected on the basis of practicality. It was agreed that grand finals would continue to be rotated around member schools. The decision was also made that larger schools would supply extra teams to ensure competition across all year levels. In tennis and table tennis, A and B teams were eliminated in favour of one team at all year levels, comprising up to eight players.
An idea was proposed, but ultimately rejected, to follow a model of three seasons of sport rather than two, by removing sport from term four.
St Michael’s and Eltham’s senior cricket teams were declared joint premiers after the second day of the grand final was abandoned because the ground was underwater.
Pat Tyrrell, Executive Officer ACS 1997–2000, Oral history interview, 2022
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
Geoff Ryan, Principal Westbourne 1990–2010, Oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
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2001
The first mixed-gender sport, badminton, was trialled and introduced into the senior sports program, fostering the ACS’s commitment to promoting the principles of coeducation through sport. In April, a team of ACS swimmers competed at the Victorian All Schools Swimming Championships for the first time, and a number of them qualified to compete for Victoria at the national championships in Perth.
In personnel changes, Michelle Sheehan replaced Pat Tyrrell as Executive Officer. Two key contributors to the ACS were farewelled: Peter Hopwood, head of PE and health at St Leonard’s who was a driving force in the establishment of the ACS; and Steve Raftellis, director of sport at St Michael’s, who developed and managed the computer result recording programs used at ACS carnivals.
Sarah Sansonetti, Loyola College graduate 2019 and ACS All Star, oral history interview, 2022
Michelle Sheehan, Executive Officer ACS 2001–present, oral history interview, 2022
John Kennedy, Principal Loyola 1979–2008, oral history interview, 2022
Michelle Sheehan, Executive Officer ACS 2001–present, oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
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A level of tradition is being born in the ACS and friendly rivalries are being established among schools in certain sports.
2002
Following the successful introduction of mixed-gender badminton competition in 2001, mixed touch football was introduced for seniors in term four. Students adapted well to a sport which was then not widely played in Victoria.
For the second year, an ACS team competed at the Victorian All Schools Swimming Championships, and three students – Ryan Sparks (Eltham), Joel Smith (St Leonard’s) and Magenta Connelly (Westbourne) – were selected to compete at the national championships.
An ACS team also entered the Victorian schoolboys cricket competition, performing well despite 50 per cent of the matches being cancelled due to inclement weather. Chris Salm from Loyola was selected into the Victorian schoolboys team.
Nikki Little, Head of Sport 2008–19 & Deputy Principal Cocurricular 2019–present Overnewton, oral history interview, 2022
Meg Hansen, Principal Westbourne 2010–2021, oral history interview, 2022
Geoff Ryan, Principal Westbourne 1990–2010, Oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
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2003
The ACS family grew when both Overnewton Anglican Community College and Thomas Carr College joined the association. The need for more schools to join the ACS to ensure its viability had been identified from the beginning, and the injection of new teams to increase variety and depth of competition was welcomed. Thomas Carr made an impressive debut, competing in 26 out of 62 winter grand finals. In another exciting development, a public speaking competition was introduced. Six schools entered three students each in junior, intermediate and senior teams.
Pat Tyrrell, Executive Officer ACS 1997–2000, Oral history interview, 2022
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
Michelle Sheehan, Executive Officer ACS 2001–present, oral history interview, 2022
At the end of the winter season, five schools competed in the first one-day senior girls football round robin tournament, furthering the ACS’s commitment to providing truly coeducational opportunities in sport.
For the first time in the history of the ACS, St Leonard’s failed to secure the Tim Hawkes Trophy for aggregate athletics, which went to St Michael’s. Two notable contributors to the ACS were farewelled at the end of the year: Graeme Marcy, sports coordinator at Westbourne, who was involved with the association’s establishment, and Michael Lawrence, sports coordinator at St Leonard’s.
Sarah Sansonetti, Loyola College graduate 2019 and ACS All Star, oral history interview, 2022
Pat Tyrrell, Executive Officer ACS 1997–2000, Oral history interview, 2022
2003 - continued
Champion Schools
2004
Following a proposal first mooted in 1999, an ACS chess competition was introduced. All seven ACS member schools took part in the one-day round robin tournament, held at St Michael’s at the start of term two. Each school entered one team consisting of between six and eight players from years 7 to 12.
ACS swimmers took part in the Victorian All Schools Swimming Championships for the final time before the event was disbanded following the 2004 competition. Premiership-winning teams from individual schools represented the ACS in other school sports events.
After eight years of operation, the ACS board identified some challenges to address. Heads of sport were charged with adopting processes to improve uniform standards and sportsmanship. Induction sessions for coaches were introduced to enable a consistency in understanding ACS values and the code of ethics and behaviour. In response to some behavioural challenges with senior boys football, ACS introduced a panel of experienced umpires. This resulted in improved competition within one season.
Rob Huntington, Deputy Principal St Michael’s 2002–present, oral history interview, 2022
Michelle Sheehan, Executive Officer ACS 2001–present, oral history interview, 2022
To improve the management of carnivals and reduce the load on schools, expert officials from Swimming Victoria and Athletics Victoria provided officials for all facets of the competitions. The introduction of electronic timing in swimming and photo-finish equipment in athletics, along with the use of competition software, made a huge difference in improving the speed and accuracy of results and producing results reports.
Peter Hopwood, Head of Sport St Leonard’s 1996–2001, oral history interview, 2022
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
A level of tradition is being born in the ACS and friendly rivalries are being established among schools in certain sports.
2004 - continued
Champion Schools
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2005
The athletics carnival was a highlight of the year, with an unprecedented 33 new records set. Loyola won its first ACS carnival trophy, the aggregate girls trophy. The cross country carnival was also a huge success, with almost 70 more students competing than in the previous year and six new course records set.
John Kennedy, Principal Loyola 1979–2008, oral history interview, 2022
Matthew Healy, Director of Sport at Westbourne 2004–present, oral history interview, 2022
‘Athletes of the meet’ awards were introduced to the swimming and athletics carnivals. In swimming, Maidie Laidlaw from St Michael’s and Michael De Stefano from Thomas Carr College won female and male athlete of the meet respectively. In athletics, the award for female athlete of the meet went to Georgia Baker from St Michael’s, and Sasha Dakic from Westbourne and Matthew King from Thomas Carr College were joint male athletes of the meet.
Peter Hopwood, Head of Sport St Leonard’s 1996–2001, oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
2006
Weekly sporting competitions were some of the most competitive in the history of the ACS with the tally of premiership wins spread quite evenly among the schools for the first time. Some schools displayed remarkable consistency and development in certain sports by winning multiple premierships across many year levels.
Geoff Ryan, Principal Westbourne 1990–2010, Oral history interview, 2022
Geoff Ryan, Principal Westbourne 1990–2010, Oral history interview, 2022
Cricket competition trialled two-day matches in the senior teams during term one but this was discontinued due to certain teams being disadvantaged. The Twenty20 format (limited to a maximum of 20 overs per team) was trialled in term four with more success, enabling more even results across teams and encouraging greater participation in the sport.
The senior football final, between St Michael’s and Eltham, was played at Toorak Oval before a large crowd of spectators. The quality of the players and the spirit in which they played, combined with excellent facilities, set a benchmark for ACS grand finals to emulate.
Champion Schools
2007
Thomas Carr College and Westbourne Grammar won their first major trophies – the aggregate boys athletics trophy for Westbourne and the aggregate boys swimming trophy for Thomas Carr.
In athletics, discus was introduced, and 34 new ACS records were set. Kobbie Boahene of Westbourne and Lane Weiderstein of St Michael’s set three new sprint records.
In football, VAFA disciplinary rules were adopted, using a card system to send off players. This improved the process of dealing with inappropriate behaviour on the field and provided consistency for both umpires and players.
In line with advances in technology and the internet, and in the same year that Apple introduced the first smartphone, the ACS launched its website.
Sarah Sansonetti, Loyola College graduate 2019 and ACS All Star, oral history interview, 2022
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
2008
A new schedule was introduced, with athletics competition moved to term three, and cross country to term two, to fall into line with the schedule of other Victorian schools and competitions. The swimming carnival was held in the outdoor pool at MSAC for the first time, and Westbourne won its first ACS swimming trophy. In a first for a premiership-winning team representing the ACS, the Westbourne junior boys soccer team won the FFV All Schools Football Championships.
In celebration of the first decade of the association, All Stars Awards were introduced into the senior program to recognise the best and fairest in each sport, with the best players from all schools selected into All Stars teams. Awards were presented at a special event held at the Astor Theatre at which Fergus Watts from the Reach Foundation was guest speaker.
Stephanie Shreeve from St Leonard’s became the first ACS recipient of the Sportsmanship Badge/Landy Award, a new award introduced by the School Sports Associations of Victoria (SSAV) with the support of retired athlete John Landy to recognise exceptional individual acts of sportsmanship or fair play by participants at any school sports event. Stephanie stopped mid-race to help a fellow runner who had fallen on the track during the 800m ACS event, echoing John Landy’s own notable act of sportsmanship when he stopped to help Ron Clarke during the Australian Mile Championship in 1956.
Sarah Sansonetti, Loyola College graduate 2019 and ACS All Star, oral history interview, 2022
Matthew Healy, Director of Sport at Westbourne 2004–present, oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
2009
After 12 years of competition, founding member school Eltham College left the ACS to re-join the Eastern Independent Schools Melbourne (EISM) sporting association due to changing circumstances at the school. ACS highlights for Eltham included winning the aggregate boys athletics and cross country trophies three times, as well as the aggregate cross country trophy in 2002. Notably, one Eltham football team was undefeated in ACS competition from years 7 to 12. The departure of Eltham was disappointing for the ACS and presented challenges in managing a six-team draw. Nevertheless, this was overcome with some creative fixturing.
In a first for the ACS, senior teams combined with Year 10 teams, providing schools with more scope to manage their squads effectively and enabling Year 10 students to compete at the highest levels. Westbourne set the benchmark for team development, dominating the field with 17 premiership wins in the summer season and 19 in the winter season. As a further improvement, neutral umpires were appointed for all grand finals.
Simon Gipson, Principal St Michael’s 2000–17, Oral history interview, 2022
Matthew Healy, Director of Sport at Westbourne 2004–present, oral history interview, 2022
Rob Huntington, Deputy Principal St Michael’s 2002–present, oral history interview, 2022
Champion Schools
2010
A new level of competition was introduced with the commencement of ACS representative matches with Ballarat Associated Schools (BAS). ACS All Stars teams hosted cricket, girls volleyball, girls softball, and boys and girls tennis early in term two. At the end of term three BAS hosted ACS in netball, football, girls and boys soccer, boys volleyball, girls and boys basketball, and girls and boys hockey. Students were thrilled to be part of this initiative.
Westbourne and St Michael’s displayed a fine and friendly rivalry throughout the year. Westbourne won the aggregate athletics trophy for the first time, ending a seven-year winning streak by St Michael’s, but just missed out to St Michael’s in the cross country by one point. St Michael’s dominated the swimming, taking out all three trophies, with Westbourne finishing second in all categories. The two schools also tied in the summer season competitions, with 16 premierships each.
The chess competition was held following the Swiss format, which ranked players based on their previous round. Although it was decided the format did not suit ACS competition compared to the round robin format, it provided some exciting matches.
The most successful ACS representative team was the Loyola Junior Girls Soccer team, which reached the final of FFV’s All Schools championships, finishing as runners-up to St Monica’s College.
Pat Tyrrell, Executive Officer ACS 1997–2000, Oral history interview, 2022
Rob Huntington, Deputy Principal St Michael’s 2002–present, oral history interview, 2022
