Sydney Boys High encourages participation in team sports for educational reasons. Team sports build a sense of belonging in boys, a connectedness with the school; teamwork skills are developed; individual self-confidence and self-esteem are enhanced through group endeavour; and socialisation at school is fostered through ready topics of conversation among team members. Teams help and protect their members.

Sydney Boys High is unique among NSW state secondary schools due to its membership since 1906 of the Athletic Association of Great Public Schools, formed in 1892 to order and regulate sporting fixtures for schools with senior students. The other eight members of this Association (commonly called the 'GPS') are private schools. The school expects students to engage in at least one GPS sport per year. This commitment includes Saturday competition. We encourage boys to get involved in aerobic fitness activities (the athletics and cross country programs) to help them in their chosen sports. To help their strength in anaerobic activities we offer supervised weights training.

The policy of the school is that sport is compulsory all year for students in Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 and up until the Trial HSC exams in Year 12. Those students who are unable to participate in Saturday sport are to address this in writing with complete details to the Head Teacher-Sport at the beginning of the year. It is the policy of the school to support GPS sports in the season that they are contested by the members of the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools.

This means that equipment costs, venue hire, travel to certain venues, particular coaching fees, competition entry fees, charges for referees or umpires, capitation fees and entry fees for knockout competitions, are paid for from school funds. Competition entry fees for representative teams for all sports are paid for from school funds. The school charges parents a global fee and in addition, a sports levy, to cover these costs.

Saturday Sport Absences

During the recent summer season it was noticed that a number of students were absent from sport on Saturdays with no explanation. These led to a number of embarrassing incidents, where teams were left short and apologies were made to the opposing school. For Sydney Boys High School to be recognised as a serious opponent in the AAGPS, then a number of changes have been made to rectify this problem for future Saturday fixtures.

Students and parents are asked to communicate known absences to the Master in Charge (MIC) and to their specific team coach in the week leading up the match. If a student is ill, it is expected the illness will be communicated directly to the coach and Master in Charge (MIC) on the day of the match. Students who do not communicate illnesses or absences will be given a warning ‘Yellow Card’. A further breach in terms of an unexplained absence will mean a red card in which the student will be suspended from the sport for 2 weeks. If a third unexplained absence occurs, then the student will be removed from the sport for the remainder of the season. For a student to receive credit towards their Half Yearly and Yearly Reports, 100% attendance or full communication of absences is expected.

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