With the official AAGPS Football season kicking off next weekend, Newington’s top players take to the field to decide the GPS Plate Final on Saturday. 

As the four-week preseason tournament comes to an end on Saturday, our 1st XI and 2nd XI teams play Riverview at The King’s School as they attempt to bring home the silver GPS Plate for Newington’s trophy cabinet. 

Football Captain and Year 12 student Dominic T has high hopes for success in the upcoming Plate Final and the GPS Premiership to follow. 

‘This weekend is a great opportunity to cap off a successful preseason with some silverware,’ he says.  

‘Our teams are focused, excited, and have worked extremely hard leading into their matches. 

‘This will be my final season of football with Newington, and I would absolutely love to see us walk away with both 1sts and 2nds GPS titles.’ 

In the 2025 season our footballers did exactly that, with our 1sts emerging as undefeated GPS premiers and the 2nds also winning the premiership. According to Mr Drew Taylor, Director of Football at Newington, the future of football at Newington is bright. 

‘It’s a fair bit to live up to, but football at the College has gone from strength to strength, and we’re very much hoping we can back it up in 2026,’ he says.  

As both teams put in the hard yards for Saturday’s Plate Final, they also competed in the CIS Cup quarter final match against St Augustine’s at Cromer Park this week. Newington has a strong record in this competition, played against independent schools across NSW, having made the CIS Cup grand final two times in the past four years. 

Meanwhile, Newington will field around a third of the players for the AAGPS 1st XI Football team to compete in the Combined Independent Schools Secondary Football Championships at Wanderers Football Park on 26–27 May. This season’s selections for the prestigious team include Year 11 Newington student Orson C and Year 12 students Noah G, Jack J, Dominic T and Nathaniel W. Dominic has also been appointed as team captain, an achievement he says is a great source of pride. 

‘I feel incredibly honoured to be selected as captain,’ says Dominic, who has been playing football since the age of four and first pulled on his boots for Newington in Year 8.  

‘It’s a privilege to represent both the College and the GPS alongside such a talented group of players. 

‘It’ll be a great opportunity for us all to showcase our abilities and hopefully achieve some success together.’ 

To top it off, Mr Hugh Brown, Head Coach of the 1st XI and Sportsmaster at Lindfield Prep K–6 was recently announced as AAGPS Head Coach. Mr Brown says he is absolutely thrilled to add his presence to the Newington-heavy side.  

‘It’s an incredible honour to be selected as the coach of the GPS representative side. To also have five Newington players selected is a fantastic reflection of the hard work, commitment and ambition being shown across the entire Senior Football program,’ he says.  

‘This season, there has been a major emphasis on individual development and creating an environment where players are constantly challenged to grow their game and push their standards higher.’  

To find out more about football at Newington, read our blog ‘Newington football program hits the back of the net’.   

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Did you know? 

• Newington students compete in a range of winter sports including AFL, athletics, cross country, fencing, football, New Fit, rifle shooting, rugby, snowsports, tennis and volleyball.  

• Newington is the only GPS school to field a 1st and 2nds team in six GPS sports, including rifle shooting.  

• 510 students currently play football at Newington’s Senior campus. 

• Newington’s Director of Football, Mr Drew Taylor, was formerly the Head of Talented Player Development at Football NSW. 

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