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Abbey College Cambridge Sports

At Abbey College Cambridge, we believe that physical activity is essential to a well-rounded education. Our sports programme is designed to support students’ physical health, mental wellbeing, and personal development – helping them build confidence, resilience, and teamwork skills that last a lifetime.

We want to engage students in lifelong physical activity – part of their well-being and offer a range of activities from traditional sports to more alternative activities to do this.

Students engage with miMove (An app allowing young people record all the physical and enrichment activities that they engage in at school) each week to demonstrate their extra-curricular involvement and to motivate them to continue with physical activity. They also use this platform to reflect on all their experiences.

We offer a diverse range of enrichment sports – making the most of Cambridge and offering students opportunities to take in a wide variety of physical activity.

We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where every student can participate, improve, and enjoy physical activity – whether they’re trying something new or pursuing excellence in their sport.

Led by our Head of Physical Education, Philip White, students at Abbey College Cambridge enjoy access to a wide variety of sports and physical activities – ranging from team sports such as basketball and football, to individual pursuits like table tennis and athletics, and competitive disciplines including horse riding and swimming.

We also encourage students to start their own clubs. If a student is passionate about a sport not currently offered, we provide support to help them launch a new society and engage others.

Team Sports

We currently have competitive teams in the following team sports:

Football
Basketball
Volleyball
Netball
Badminton

Students will train weekly either as part of their Wednesday afternoon enrichment session or by attending an afterschool or weekend club.

Individual & Alternative Sports

As well as Team sports we are also able to support students in their sporting passions for individual & more alternative sports. We currently offer support for the following sports.

Tennis
Table Tennis
Swimming
Horse Riding
Golf
Martial Arts (Kickboxing, Self Defence, Boxing)
Dance
Yoga
Chess
Fitness & Bodyweight Training
Climbing
Running & Walking
Athletics
Rowing
Yo-Yo

Again students have the opportunity to train weekly, as part of their Wednesday afternoon enrichment or as a weekend activity. To learn more about which sports are offered through Enrichment, please visit our enrichment page.

Sports Fixtures and Athlete Support

Competitive Sports and Athlete Support:

Our students regularly compete in:

ISA Competitions: Swimming, Athletics, Cross Country, Table Tennis
Local & University Matches: Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Netball, Badminton

Fixtures for this term are:

Monday 20th October – 6th form Basketball v The Perse
Sunday 26th October – Mixed Volleyball competition
Wednesday 12th November– Lower School Netball v Stephen Perse
Friday 14th November – ISA Swimming competition (all ages)
Friday 21st November – 6th form Basketball v Stephen Perse
Tuesday 25th November – Lower School Football and Netball v Thetford Grammar School
Thursday 27th November – 6th Form Football v Thetford Grammar School
Sunday 30th November – Mixed Volleyball competition

We also compete in the Cambridge College Leagues for Badminton and Football. – these fixtures take place in the evenings or at the weekend.

We also support high-performing athletes in continuing their training and competition while studying with us. Recent examples include:

Swimming & Triathlon
Football
Athletics
Tennis & Golf
Horse Riding

Sports in the Curriculum

Sports in the Curriculum:

Physical Education is an important part of our academic programme:

Year 9 students have dedicated PE lessons covering Athletics, Kickboxing, Tag Rugby, Hockey, and Softball, alongside weekly Sports Science classes.
Years 10–11 can opt to study Sports Science (GCSE equivalent), combining theory with practical application.

Sports Day

We hold our annual Abbey College Cambridge Sports Day at the University of Cambridge Athletic Ground. The event gives the whole school the opportunity to come together to represent and support their college houses.

During the morning all students competed against one another as teams in their tutor groups. They had to complete a number of team tasks in a set time to win points, with the tutor group with the most points named best tutor group.

Then in the afternoon we held traditional track and field events, where students competed for their house and again points were awarded for places. These points were then added to the tutor group points awarded in the morning to determine the overall Sports Day House winner.

To read about Sports Day 2025, please see our student blog.

Abbey College Cambridge Sports Kit

To compliment the excellent sports provision available at Abbey College Cambridge, branded Sports Kit is available to purchase via Playerlayer and can be viewed by clicking here.

Compulsory School Age (under 16 years old) students are required to purchase a selection of this kit to wear during their PE lessons. This is the only sportswear that will be allowed to be worn during PE lessons. All other students can purchase the new Sports kit range to wear at their leisure and during sporting extra-curricular activities