All about ISPP’s Sports Programme

ISPP has a very popular sports programme that competes in a local league called PPAC8 (Phnom Penh Activities Community) and an international conference called MRISA (Mekong River International Schools Association).

Statement of Philosophy

The approach of school sports/athletics at ISPP emphasises participation, sportsmanship and the pursuit of excellence, both as a team and individually. While winning can be a byproduct of our efforts, it is equally essential to stay humble and learn from losses. The development of social and emotional skills goes hand in hand with physical skill enhancement.

Our programme caters to a wide range of abilities by offering multiple teams for each sport. We follow a guiding principle of not excluding athletes from teams unless necessary for safety, available resources or coaching constraints.

At ISPP, our coaches serve as mentors and role models for young athletes. We focus on building resilience, determination and leadership, fostering the growth on and off the field. We want athletes who exemplify good sportsmanship and athletic talent. These values are a desired outcome of participation in the ISPP sports programme.

We measure the success of our programme through enjoyment, character development, athletes’ achievements and the positive influence our Falcon spirit has on the community.

Objectives of the Athletics Programme

Self

• Understand how to achieve victory with humility and accept defeat with grace.
• Cultivate the physical skills necessary for athletic improvement.
• Enhance decision-making proficiency.
• Foster a healthy comprehension and acceptance of personal and emotional dimensions related to body image.
• Encourage inclusive participation among all students.

Excellence

• Optimise the acquisition of essential skills.
• Develop a strong sense of self-discipline.
• Instil a passion for lifelong learning and self-enhancement.
• Deepen knowledge and understanding of game rules.

Respect 

• Cultivate a healthy spirit of competition.
• Ensure all team members have the opportunity to participate.
• Exhibit respect for all athletes, officials and coaches.
• Show compassion and concern for the well-being of others, including teammates and competitors.
• Model mature and appropriate behaviour as demonstrated by adults (coaches, parents, spectators and officials).

Balance 

• Foster meaningful friendships through team participation.
• Engage in positive co-curricular activities.
• Increase awareness of effective time management across personal, academic and athletic commitments.
• Broaden interests in lifelong and leisure activities.
• Enjoy participation in all activities.

Service

• Create a positive school environment through collaboration, teamwork and conflict resolution.
• Provide opportunities for leadership within teams and across programs.

Program Overview

Sport Associations

Mekong River International Schools Association (MRISA)

The MRISA conference includes eight schools participating from outside Phnom Penh. Both MRISA Junior (Grade 6-8) and Senior (Grade 9-12) teams take part in various MRISA tournaments. This league requires travel commitments from A-team athletes and coaches.

Athletics – Travel Tournaments

Phnom Penh Activities Community (PPAC8)

The PPAC8 conference includes eight schools participating withiin Phnom Penh. Both PPAC8 Junior (Grade 6-8) and Senior (Grade 9-12) teams take part in friendly scrimmage games, plus grading and culminating tournaments. The swim team participates in a similar meet structure; however, the age groups are 8 & under, 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15 & over.

Athletics – Divisional Sports

EY2 – Grade 3: ASP Athletic Offerings. Focused on developing students’ fundamental skills
Grade 4-5: PPAC8 Football, Basketball
Grade 6-12: PPAC8 Badminton, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Track & Field, Volleyball / MRISA Badminton, Basketball, Football, Volleyball

Seasonal Sport Schedule

EY2 -Grade 3: ASP Athletic Offerings offered per semester. Focused on developing students’ fundamental skills.

Season 1 (August to November)
Grade 4-5: Football
Grade 6-8: Basketball, Cross Country
Grade 9-12: Cross Country, Volleyball

Season 2 (November to February)
Grade 4-5: Track & Field
Grade 6-8: Football, Track & Field
Grade 9-12: Badminton, Basketball, Track & Field

Season 3 (February to May)
Grade 4-5: Basketball
Grade 6-8: Badminton, Volleyball
Grade 9-12: Football

Training Commitment

For all team sports, there are two training sessions per week. Most sessions take place after school from 15:00 – 16:30. In Season 1, there will be one morning session for B teams from 6:10 – 7:10. This is due to the limited court capacity for our two indoor court sports. Training is compulsory, and students who miss two sessions without informing their coach will lose their place in the team. The training schedule will be available in the school’s Weekly Announcements.

Swim Team

We also have a strong Swim Programme, led by our Aquatics Director, Zsuzsa Barta. The swim seasons work on a semester schedule and include two local PPAC8 swim meets on Saturday mornings and international invitational events.

General Information

We offer swimming all year round, from August to May. The Swim Team is open to students in Grades 1-12. Elementary (Grades 1-5) and Secondary (Grades 6-12) squads have different schedules. Within the squads, swimmers of the same swimming level swim together, regardless of age group/class.

New students to ISPP or returning students who haven’t been on the swim team yet and wish to join must be assessed before the season starts. Sign-up for the assessment is necessary, and students and parents will receive information about it from the coaches at the beginning of the school year. To be eligible for the swim team, swimmers must:

• Be able to swim 25/50/100m front crawl, backstroke and breaststroke with correct technique (distance depends on the age group) and perform a basic race dive
• Be able to swim 600-1600m in one hour
• Commit to local swim meets in Phnom Penh (Six Saturday mornings in a year)
• Demonstrate excellent behaviour and a “can-do” approach

Training Commitment

Families must sign up for swimming days in advance. “Pop-ins” to any session are not permitted.

Elementary students: minimum 1 session per week.
Options: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 2:45pm – 3:45pm

Secondary students: minimum 2 sessions per week, with no maximum, but it must be balanced with academic performance.
Options for all Secondary: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 3:00pm – 4:30pm.

By invitation only: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 6:00am – 7:00am.

International Swim Meets

Selected swimmers will have the opportunity to travel abroad with the team. Details about these trips are released at the beginning of the school year and later in the season. Participation is not compulsory.

Elementary Team Sports

Grade 4 and 5 students can participate in Football during Season 1 and Basketball during Season 3. Training takes place once a week for an hour (3:00pm – 4:00pm), and there is a culminating PPAC8 tournament at the end of the season. Separate boys and girls teams are formed, and tryouts may be conducted if the number of participants exceeds our coaching and space capacity.

Please note that this is separate from the After School Programme (ASP). It is a competitive team, and therefore, coaches expect your child to participate in all training sessions, develop the necessary skills, and compete in the culminating tournament. Students who cannot meet these expectations may be asked to leave the team. The sign-up process is through an online form emailed to all parents via Toddle.