Sporting Life
Emanuel has a strong history of sporting success which continues to this day. Set in 12 acres (49,000 m2) of grounds, the school is fortunate to have large on-site playing fields and direct private access to Wandsworth Common beyond. The school also has a 25m indoor heated swimming pool, three Eton Fives courts, netball courts and tennis courts. A new sports centre was opened in 2003 by England rugby star Will Greenwood and features a sports hall, multi-tiered climbing wall, indoor cricket nets, a fully equipped fitness suite, dance studio and specialist teaching classrooms. Emanuel School Boat Club is based at Barnes Bridge, and there are further extensive playing fields at Blagdon's on the A3 near New Malden, Surrey.
The School's main competitive sports are rowing, rugby, cricket, netball, athletics, tennis, Eton Fives, basketball, golf, squash and swimming. Amongst other sports played are: badminton, cross-country, water polo, table tennis, indoor climbing, fencing, orienteering and volleyball. Emanuel has had past success in tennis, winning the public schools Youll Cup in 1965 and again in 1966, and it has also had notable success in fencing, when Paul Walsh won the Boys Junior Foil, Boys Junior Épée, and Boys Junior Sabre events at the Public Schools Fencing Championships in 1992, before winning the same three competitions again as a Senior in 1993.
Inter-house events continue annually in many sports including cross-country, the house regatta, rugby, cricket and inter-house athletics championships. All pupils are expected to make a contribution to sport with compulsory physical education lessons up to Year Ten, and an entire games afternoon per week, either on or off site, which continues through the Sixth Form.
An historic fixtre list against other local and national UK public schools plays out annually in all major sports, whilst the annual Sports Dinner celebrates the achievements of both teams and individuals each year.
- Following the historic switch away from football in 1906, it is now only played on an inter-House basis.
- Annual sports tours have led to exchange programmes between other international HMC schools in Australia and other parts of the world. Recent sports tours have included Barbados, Argentina, Chile, Australia, South Africa, Canada, Malta, Seville and New Zealand.
- Frequent opponents include Dulwich College, Latymer Upper, Westminster, St Paul's, and City of London.
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—Frank Pittman (20th century)