The Independent Girls Schools Association (IGSA) was established in 1963 with the inaugural Athletics Carnival at Perry Lakes Stadium.
This followed with the first Interschool Swimming Meet in 1965 at Beatty Park Aquatics Centre. In 1967 IGSA drew up a constitution for the Independent Girls Schools Association. The aim was to organise interschool sporting fixtures, which member schools of the Association of Principals of Independent Girls Schools Western Australia were participants, and to establish necessary financial arrangements. In the same year the schools re-named themselves the Independent Girls Schools Sportsmistresses Association.
During the 1970’s a pattern of interschool sporting competitions emerged with an annual Swimming Carnival, Athletics Meet and round robin competitions for Senior A and B and Junior A and B teams in Tennis, Netball, Hockey and Softball. The rules were revised in 1974 and a gradual increase in the number of sports and grades began.
Basketball was included in 1976, the first Gymnastics Meet was held in 1979 and the inaugural Cross Country Competition in 1982. A review was held of IGSA sport in 1985.
Subsequently the name was changed to the Independent Girls Schools Sports Association (Western Australia) Incorporated and a revision of the 1980 constitution was prepared.
Following the review, Diving was removed from the Swimming Carnival and held as a separate meet on another day and the majority of teams entered Year 8 teams in the Interschool Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, Hockey, Netball and Softball competitions.
In 2007 Year 7 students were introduced into IGSSA Competition in Swimming, Athletics, and Cross Country. The last IGSSA Gymnastics Carnival was also held in 2007 and Soccer was introduced as a new sport to Term Three in the same year.
In 2008 all IGSSA Competitions were open to including Year 7 students.
Waterpolo was added to the program in 2010 and Cricket was introduced as an unofficial sport in 2014, and a Modified T20 Blast version of the game is still played by some schools in Term 4.
Following a review held in 2018, 2019 saw the inclusion of a friendly Badminton competition for Year 9/10 students, which expanded to include Year 11/12 students in 2020.
2019 also saw the emergence of friendly AFL competition, that continued to grow in strength and popularity to see AFL introduced as an official IGSSA sport in Term 1 , 2022.
The current IGSSA program is as follows:
|
Term 1 Sports |
Term 2 Sports |
Term 3 Sports |
Term 4 Sports |
|
AFL Volleyball |
Hockey Netball *Rowing |
Basketball Soccer |
Softball Water-polo |
|
Term 1 Carnival |
Term 2 Carnival |
Term 3 Carnival |
Term 4 Carnival |
|
Swimming |
Cross-Country |
Athletics IGSSA Dance Festival |
Tennis |
|
Term 1 Optional Event |
Term 2 Optional Event |
|
Term 4 Optional Event |
|
Year 11/12 Badminton |
# IGSSA Golf Event |
|
Cricket Blast Competition Year 9/10 Badminton |
* Not all IGSSA Schools have a rowing program
# 18-hole Formal competition for players with a Golf Link handicap, and participation 9-hole Ambrose competition for developing golfers who do not yet have a handicap, or still developing their game.
Current Member schools
** Loreto was formerly an IGSA member (from 1969 – 1975) and following amalgamation with St Louis School for Boys, they remained an IGSSA school member as John XXIII College.
JTC withdrew from the association (general sport) at the end of 1996, but remained in Swimming for another few years & Rowing (in which they still compete), and Santa joined in 2002 in a staged process over 3 years in various sports.