This year, Sports College SA had an exciting opportunity to travel to Melbourne, Victoria, to compete against other sporting campuses in the 2025 SEDA Cup. The annual event brought together school campuses from across Australia, creating a highly competitive environment where students could showcase their skills, teamwork, and passion for their selected sports.
Our journey to the event began on August 11th when Sports College SA campuses arrived at Adelaide Airport, representing our statewide school with our official SEDA Cup 2025 travelling gear.
Upon arriving at Melbourne Airport, a wave of anticipation ran throughout the group as prepared to begin our SEDA Cup experience. After collecting our luggage, we split into our individual campus groups to transfer to our accommodation at the Queen Victoria Hotel.
Once we arrived at the hotel, we placed our baggage and further belongings into a secure storage room and ventured to nearby shops while waiting for our rooms to be ready. This allocated time gave us a great opportunity to interact with fellow classmates and introduce ourselves to students from other SA campuses. Exploring the nearby shops was also a great opportunity for many students to browse and purchase things that they may have found helpful for the remainder of the trip.
After a few hours of shopping and exploring the surrounding area, we were ready to return to the hotel, eager to settle into our rooms and familiarise ourselves with our temporary home for the week. After about an hour or two of unpacking and organising our spaces for the next few days, we gathered in the hotel reception, ready to head off for our first night of evening activities. The excitement was undeniable as we made our way to Luna Park. The coach ride to the park was filled with plenty of chatter and laughter, as we discussed what rides we wanted to try and shared our excitement about experiencing one of Melbourne’s famous attractions together.
Overall, our first day was thoroughly enjoyable and was a brilliant way to start the trip.
We started the next day off by enjoying delicious breakfast which was provided by the hotel on the ground floor. The variety of options gave everyone a chance to fuel up for the busy day ahead, with fresh fruit, cereals, pastries, hot breakfast items, juices and coffee options available to suit all tastes. This was a great way to start the day as it provided us time to slowly wake up and mesh with peers before heading out to the opening ceremony.
Upon arriving to the opening ceremony, students immediately immersed themselves in the excitement and energy of SEDA Cup 2025. The venue was buzzing with SEDA students from across Australia eager to begin the competition. This was not only an awesome opportunity to formally kick off the cup tournament but also a chance for fellow students to meet new peers and feel the pride of representing their campus on a larger stage.
The ceremony began with a brief introduction and welcome from Victorian SEDA Campus leaders and was followed by a Q&A featuring elite sporting members Jarryd Roughead and Jo Weston.
After the Q&A finished, we split of into sporting groups and engaged in friendly recreational competitions, competing against our own classmates and members from outside schools.
Once we had finished our friendly matches, we returned to our accommodation to prepare for the evening activities which consisted of more shopping and dinner.
Our official SEDA Cup competition began on Wednesday the 13th of August. My sporting cluster travelled to Parkville where the facilities provided a professional and exciting environment for the day’s matches. There was a clear sense of focus and determination among all participants as we warmed up and prepared to compete.
The competition allowed us to face off against a variety of SEDA campuses from across the country. The teams consisted of members from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, Victoria and our own South Australia. Each game was highly competitive and carried an underlying spirit of sportsmanship and respect, which highlighted the true purpose of the SEDA Cup competitions.
After a long day of consistent effort and determination, we ventured back to our accommodation to prepare for the night activity at the Winter Night Market. Within the market we were able to explore different cultural foods, clothing and viewing experiences while bonding with members from other SA campuses. The vibrant atmosphere of the market created the perfect setting to unwind, with its lively stalls, music, and glowing lights adding to the experience.
Once the allocated market time has finished, we travelled back to our accommodation to wind down and prepare for our final SEDA Cup Day. The evening had a good balance between fun and recovery. This ensured that we were able to recharge and get ready to represent our campuses with energy and determination the next morning.
We commenced our final day of competition on Thursday the 14th of August. The atmosphere among students was a mix of excitement and determination, knowing this was the last opportunity to showcase our skills and hard work on the national stage.
Throughout the day we put in major efforts against other state’s team which earned us multiple finals placements. Our division 1 girls worked tremendously hard throughout the competition, which earned them a well-deserved win in the grand final. A big congratulation to Mikaylah Antony who scored the player of the match award.
After the big day of competitions, we travelled back to the State Netball and Hockey Centre for our closing ceremony.
Within the closing ceremony, awards were presented to teams who placed within the SEDA Cup competition, this included our division 1 girls. After the ceremony finished, we made our way to the airport where we were allocated time to purchase dinner and see our friends from other campuses one last time before returning to Adelaide. Once we arrived back in Adelaide, we said our final goodbyes and head back home for some well-deserved rest.
Overall, the trip was an amazing experience and provided a great opportunity for us to bond with members from our class, other campuses and even with students from other states. The SEDA Cup not only challenged us on the sporting field but also gave us the chance to build friendships, experience new environments, and grow individually and as a team.
On behalf of all Sports College SA students, I wanted to extend a big thank you to our SEDA Victoria for hosting such a well-run and enjoyable event. To Sports College SA, I wanted to say thank you for providing us with this opportunity to be involved in such a great event. The 2025 Victorian SEDA Cup was an excellent event, and I am confident that the 2026 Adelaide SEDA Cup will be just as memorable.