Saints Sports Festival

Our annual Saints Sports Festival is a much-loved and highly anticipated event on the St Stithians College calendar and this year – this iconic event celebrated its 40th year. The St Stithians family of schools relished the opportunity to welcome One and All to the 2024 Saints Sports Festival. The College theme for 2024 is One4All All4One and our Festival embodies this in every way, a celebration of the individual, the team and the opportunity to witness the joy of our participants doing what they love best. Saints SportsFest is the largest school sports festival of its kind in South Africa and we are grateful for the opportunity that this Festival offers us to see our Campus fields, courts and astros filled with happy and fulfilled students.  This year's Festival was nothing short of epic!

The Festival is always an eagerly awaited opportunity for our community of belonging of current and past parents and students to come together, to gather, meet and reminisce - this weekend offered this in spades and it was inspiring to see our Campus filled with familiar faces. Our Alumni Games, which launched in 2019 has become a firm favourite at the Festival and adds a wonderful opportunity for our Old Stithians to step back onto the fields where they once represented Saints, to once again represent their school with pride. The Alumni Games this year was sponsored by Mitchum South Africa and we loved welcoming our Alumni back on Campus and were treated to some entertaining displays of sport. 

The 2024 edition of our Saints SportsFest ran over two consecutive weekends and began with the Prep Festival which ran from 21 to 23 March followed by the College Festival which (in line with its history) ran over the Easter weekend on 27, 28, 30 March and 1 April.  As always, the Festival was jam-packed, offering something for everyone to enjoy. As the oldest schools’ sports festival of its kind, it has been incredible to watch this event go from a rugby festival in its inception year of 1984, to a festival including all of our schools on campus across multiple sporting codes 40 years later. At forty, the festival has certainly come of age and proven why it has endured for the past four decades.  This year we also celebrated 10 years of squash being a part of the Festival. To honour this milestone, our courts welcomed 10 girls and 10 boys teams in the College Festival.

In this year’s Prep Festival, we once again welcomed over 1400 participants, made up of over 60 teams from over 70 schools and it was epic. For the College Festival, over 1100 participants made up of over 80 teams and representing more than 85 schools.  The Prep Festival schools competed in Rugby, Squash, Tennis and Netball in this year’s edition and as with last year, we welcomed our Grade 2 children from Junior Prep into the Festival where they played interhouse hockey on the Saturday of our Prep Festival – it was wonderful to witness this action on our Astros – we certainly have some definite budding talent which was on display, The Colleges played Football, Hockey, Netball, Rugby, Squash and Tennis with our Fun Run on Family Day, Easter Monday. We were delighted to once again welcome our Thandulwazi Maths and Science Academy to the Festival in 2024 where they entered both a girls’ and boys’ football team - they had a great festival in 2024 and we loved welcoming them back, One and All.

As a Methodist school, we are mindful that the Sports Festival takes place over the Holy Easter weekend. As Christians marked the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection, we welcomed members of all denomination to worship with us at our services which were held on Good Friday and Easter Sunday in the Chapel with a children’s ministry offered in the Boys’ College Quad. 

Our Saints Sports Festival is the biggest event on our annual calendar and takes an enormous amount of planning and effort to bring it to life.  Our behind the scenes teams worked tirelessly to make the Festival the legendary event that it has become.  We express our profound gratitude to our staff from so many different campus and school departments for their commitment and enthusiasm in putting this event together. We certainly could not achieve the success that we do without our passionate parent organisers and many volunteers that give of their time, talent and treasure to the Festival.  Finally, we extend our gratitude to our sponsors, in particular our major partner Standard Bank who has been a part of the Festival for many years.  All of our sponsors, along with our suppliers and service providers play an integral role in the ensuring a well-run, fun and fulfilling Festival.  Both our Prep Festival and College Festivals over the past two weekends were a resounding success. The countdown to #SaintsFest2025 Prep and College edition has begun and we can’t wait to welcome the participants and supporters…until then #OneAndAll.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SAINTS SPORTS FESTIVAL 2024

 

SAINTS SPORTS FESTIVAL APP

 

Our much-loved Saints Sports Festival this year boasted an app for all the up-to-date information, images, videos and Festival fun.  

To download the Saints Sports Festival app which contains a full gallery of Festival photographs and videos, click the links below or scan the QR Code.

ANDROID DEVICES - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=za.co.Stithian.ststithian

APPLE DEVICES - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/st-stithians-college/id6479003414

SAINTS SPORTS FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Click on this link to download a copy of the official Saints SportsFest 2024 Programme.

PHOTO GALLERIES 

For all of the photographs captured by our official Saints Sports Festival Photographer - Debbi Adcock - please click here

COLLEGE FIXTURES

* Please note that in the event of weather delays, the App will offer update notifications as well as the most up to date fixtures *

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Saints Sports Festival Entrance Gate Times, tickets and Important Information 

Click here for all of the details pertaining to Festival Entrance Gate Times and Important Information 

Parking and road safety

For the safety of all on Campus, please obey traffic signs and park in demarcated areas only.  The speed limit on Campus is 25km/h. Please obey stop signs and give way to pedestrians at pedestrian crossings, Parking areas are indicated on the map below.

The following areas offer additional parking:

Lower Dam Field (the pitch protection is not to be removed)
Under the Pylons opposite the Junior Prep/Astros
East section of Ridgway Field 

Girls’ College Parking Area

To be strictly for drop off and pick up for parents
Service providers and organising officials

Drop Off Areas (Including Ubers):

Higher Ground Restaurant Parking
Outside Morolo Gate (previously known as Hurlingham Gate)

Pick-up Areas (Including Ubers):

Old Stithian Gate (previously known as Medferm Gate)
Outside Morolo Gate (previously known as Hurlingham Gate)
Higher Ground Restaurant

Egress (Exit) – 17h00 onwards:

Morolo Gate (previously known as Hurlingham Gate)
Corlett Gate

It should be noted that to ensure the safety of those being dropped off and picked up, security officers will be deployed to the above pick-up and drop areas, 

N.B. - The gravel Road between Higher ground and Corlett Gate is closed

Cashless 

Saints SportsFest 2024 is CASHLESS with Standard Bank.

Once again, our #SaintsFest2024 will be a cashless event with the help of our title sponsor, Standard Bank. Cards will not be issued this year – each person will need to have their own banking card for purchases. Our visitors are able to pay in a number of safe and convenient ways:

Debit Card
Credit Card
SnapScan

SnapScan allows you to pay for items using the SnapScan app on your phone. Simply download the app (free of charge), sign up, and use it to pay using the QR code at our various vendors at the Festival.

Tickets and Accreditation 

Tickets or accreditation is required for Saints Sports Festival on the following dates: 

Saturday 23 March 2024
Thursday 28 March 2024 
Saturday 30 March 2024
Monday 1 April 2024

Tickets are not available to be purchased ahead of the Festival but will be available to purchase at the gates at a cost of R60 per ticket (one ticket is valid for one person). A ticket will be required for each day of attendance at the Festival. Please note that for safety and convenience Saints Sports Festival is a CASHLESS environment. We will be making use of SnapScan and all major debit and credit cards for all ticket sales. Please ensure that you have one of these payment options ready at the gates to avoid any delays. SnapScan is our preferred and most efficient payment method, so please be sure to download the app before arriving. Looking forward to welcoming One and All.

Hospitality

Saints Hospitality Marquee

This year the Saints SportsFest Hospitality Marquee will once again be situated above Baytopp Field offering the most epic view over the Baytopp Field and its famous hospitality. Access tickets will be sold daily at the Marquee on a first-come, first-served basis. Numbers will be limited. No pre-bookings will be taken.

Alumni Events and Hospitality

We will once again host Alumni Games kindly sponsored by Mitchum over the College Festival weekend.  Spectators can look forward to tennis on Wednesday 27 March, hockey on Thursday 28 March, netball on Saturday 30 March and squash, football and rugby on Monday 1 April 2024.  This creates a platform for Saints Alumni to take on Alumni from our participating Festival school teams and re-ignite some good old rivalries. If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with our Old Stithian Association representative, Caitlyn Loneon on CLoneon@stithian.com – see the flyer below.

The OSA Zone will be back this year offering a great place to be for our Old Stithians and over 18s. The main tent will be situated on Henning Field with a rugby spectators area on the edge of Jamieson overlooking Baytopp Field  We encourage you to check out the Old Stithian Association Facebook page for information and updates.

Family Fun Run 

Every year our Saints SportsFest ends on Easter Monday – Family Day – and in celebration of this special day, we invite our Saints families and One and All to join us for our annual family run which takes place on Campus, leaving from Chapel Drive at 08h30 (Monday 1 April 2024). Runners/walkers are invited to take part in the 2.5km or 5km options – this is one for the whole family. There is no entry fee for the race but runners need to pay entry of R60 to the Festival at the gate (no cash accepted). We thank our sponsor Standard Bank for their support of this event. Prize-giving will be at 10am.

Looking forward to welcoming #OneAndAll.

 

Streaming 

Streaming is with our partner SuperSport Schools Live. For both Prep and College Fest, limited streaming will be offered at each of the sports codes.  With so much action on offer, it is just impossible to stream it all.  Please note the fields and courts that will be streamed below:

College Festival 

Rugby – 1 field – Baytopp

Hockey – 2 fields

Football – 2 fields – Jamieson 1 and 3

Tennis – BC Courts – Courts 1 and 2

Netball – GC Courts – Courts 1 and 3

Please click on this link to be directed to the Saints Sports Festival 2024 steaming content.

Streaming interruption: Saturday 30 March 2024 

Please find a message from SuperSport Schools regarding the interuptions to streaming that took place on Saturday 30 March 2024.  

Sponsors

We extend our thanks to all our sponsors, and especially to Standard Bank, our headline sponsor for their sponsorship of the Saints SportsFest 2024. Our thanks also go to 5FM, 9th Bit Consulting, Adidas, ADT, Agars, Amici’s Pizzeria, Aquelle Viv, Asante Blush, Avis, Axe, Babolat, Belgotex Sport, Big Box Containers, Bil Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris, Bioteen, Bitek, BlackJack Events, Blazepod, Boschendal, Bounce Back, Brand Contact, Bryanston Fruit, Veg & Flower Market, CCB SA, Chery Sandton, CIB, City Lodge Hotel Group, Coachman’s Crossing, Coral Investments, Crimson Education, Deep Heat, Dove, Driver1, Dough & Co, Downing’s Marquee Rentals, EasyLife Kitchens Bryanston, Ellis Lehman Signs, Empact Group, Entramarc, Eurolux, Fidelity Services Group, Franschhoek Cellar, Freeze-O, Future Life, Gabina Health and Beauty, Garrun Group, Ghazal Indian Restaurant, Gilbert, Ginologist, GoSolr, Goscor, Hartpury, Hussar Grill, Hyatt House Sandton, Ineos Grenadier, Inside Active, InteliPOS, JAC Motors, Jacksons Real Food Market, Johannesburg Squash, Keystone, Kupe Active, Laurium Capital, Lil-lets, Loreal, Luxliner, Lyra, Makro, Manhattan Sweets, Medshield Medical Scheme, Milo (Nestle), Mister Sweet, Mitchum, Moteko Construction, Mercedes Benz Bryanston, Nova Chocolate, OAL Spring Manufacturers, Omoda Sandton, Osaka, Pagel Schulenburg, Pedal and Sproket, Performance Brands, Perspirex, Portfoliometrix, Premier FMCG, ProStrap, Protect What Matters, Proton, Proudly Saints, PVM Nutritional Sciences, QT, RIC Consulting, Rise Wellness, SAFIC Environmental Solutions, Seattle Coffee Company, Seba Med, Sorbet, ShadowBall Academy, SMH Multi- Franchise Group, Sports Republic, Spur, Super C, Super Group, SuperSport Schools, Suzuki Bryanston, Switch, The Bead Bar, The Courier Guy, The Stithian Shop, Vino Italia, Virgin Active, Waldeck Attorneys, Waterworld and Worldwide Scholarships. We value and thank all our sponsors for their unhesitating generosity and willingness to be involved with the Festival. It truly creates a community of belonging.

Social Media 

We encourage you all to join the conversation on our social media platforms.

Facebook: https://facebook.com/ststithians

Twitter: @ststithians

Instagram: @ststithianscollege 

Thread - @ststithianscollege

Our hashtags for 2024 are #SaintsFest2024 #InspiriingExcellence #MakingAWorldOfDifference #One4AllAll4One #StrongerOneAndAll #PurposeInspired #PassionDriven #OnceASaintAlwaysASaint

Our Standard Bank hashtags for #SaintsFest2024 are #SBLove and #SBSchoolsFest

Easter Services 

As a Methodist school, we are mindful that the Sports Festival takes place over the Holy Easter weekend. As Christians mark the crucifixion of Christ and his resurrection, we welcome members of any denomination to worship with us. Services will be held on Good Friday in the Chapel (07h45 – 08h30) and Sunday in the Chapel (09h00 to 10h00) with a children’s ministry offered in the Boys’ College Quad. We look forward to welcoming One and All.

Community Engagement Project 

SAINTS SPORTSFEST 2024 – PLAY IT FORWARD

This year the Boys’ College Student and Parent Community Engagement committees will be running a used sports kit collection drive across both our Prep and College Sports Festivals. They are looking to make a difference in the lives of sport-loving kids who aren’t in a position to kit themselves out. The equipment will be donated to Play it Forward Jozi which is a small charity run by Ross Garrett, a grade 12 pupil at St Stithians Boys’ College.

Any used sports equipment of any sort (sports shoes, racquets, bats, hockey sticks, gloves, balls etc) that you’re happy to donate would be greatly appreciated. All equipment will be given to individuals, communities or schools less fortunate than ourselves.

We thank #OneAndAll in advance for your support of this initiative. Look out for the collection stand at the festival!

#MakingAWorldOfDifference #All4OneOne4All #StrongerOneAndAll #InspiringExcellence #PurposeInspired #PassionDriven #HappyFulfilment
 

Proudly Saints 

Lightning Policy

It is very important that all of our participants, coaches and spectators are aware of the St Stithians College lightning policy.  For details on the policy, please click here.

 

SAINTS SPORTSFEST 2024 - PREP FEST WRAP 

Our annual Saints PrepFest has come to an end, leaving behind a legacy of athletic spirit and camaraderie. This year's Prep Festival was truly epic, welcoming over 1 400 participants from all over South Africa. teams representing 60 schools. Young athletes competed fiercely in Rugby, Squash, Tennis, and Netball, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

We are take pleasure in sharing the final day mini-highlights video.

The official Prep Festival group photo, capturing all our participants, coaches, and managers in one iconic moment, will be shared soon. This image embodies the spirit of the event – sportsmanship, teamwork, and the joy of competition.

Thank you to everyone who participated! We look forward to seeing you again at next year’s Saints SportsFest.

#OneAndAll #SaintsFest2024 #InspiriingExcellence #MakingAWorldOfDifference #One4AllAll4One #StrongerOneAndAll #PurposeInspired #PassionDriven

 

 

LOOKING BACK AT PREVIOUS SAINTS SPORTS FESTIVALS...

Saints Sports Festival 2023

Saints Sports Festival 2022

Saints Sports Festival 2021

Saints Sports Festival 2019