Local independent senior school, St Albans School, has announced the appointment of Christy O’Donnell as its new Director of Sport. Having joined in January 2026, O’Donnell is responsible for leading the school’s sporting life alongside overseeing the strategic delivery of games, core and academic PE. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment in the school’s 1000-year history as it prepares to welcome the first cohort of girls into Year 7 in September this year.
Previously the Director of Sport at Watford Grammar School for Boys, O’Donnell is no stranger to delivering high-end curriculum PE and games in a competitive and enriching setting and is looking forward to leading sport at St Albans School alongside a talented team, and to helping shape a new era of opportunity during its historic transition to co-education.
“St Albans School is an inspiring community known for academic excellence, strong pastoral care, and an approach that values co-curricular life at its core. What particularly excites me though, is the school’s clear commitment to sport as an essential part of pupil development. The sports programme on offer is vast, offering competitive fixtures from First Form onwards and providing a pathway for pupils who compete at county, national and international level across a variety of different sports,” said Christy O’Donnell, Director of Sport at St Albans School.
As well as serving as a sports ambassador for the school, O’Donnell aims to champion a culture that values excellence, participation, integrity and wellbeing, while working collaboratively across the school to ensure sport continues to be a cornerstone of the overall educational experience.
Joe Silvester, Headmaster at St Albans School commented on the appointment: “We are delighted to have someone of Christy’s calibre on board to lead our sporting future at St Albans School. As we prepare to welcome the first Year 7 girls in September, we are keen that our provision of co-educational sport is thoughtfully designed, fully resourced and ambitious in scope. Ultimately, we want every pupil, regardless of gender, to feel inspired, confident and supported to find joy, challenge and progression in sport.”
Ahead of September this year, significant care and consideration is being placed on designing the new girls’ games kit. Under the leadership of Vicky Sandell, Assistant Director of Sport and Head of Girls’ Games, during this process the school has gained feedback from prospective girls and their parents via a series of focus group sessions, while also consulting with its current Sixth Form girls about what they would like to see from the new kit. Having also reviewed the existing kit, St Albans School is working in partnership with PlayerLayer, known for its durable, high-quality performance wear and modern sport basics philosophy. The new kit is being designed to enable all pupils to focus fully on their training and enjoyment of sport without distraction. In developing the new girls’ range, St Albans School has prioritised comfort, confidence, variety and practicality, ensuring that each item supports movement, performance and a strong sense of belonging, while never being a barrier to participation.
“My vision is to build on the school’s outstanding sporting tradition while driving forward a truly inclusive, forward-thinking model of co-educational sport. Sport will play a pivotal role in ensuring girls and boys feel fully integrated, valued, and encouraged to excel. The school already offers a wide programme of girls’ sport in the Sixth Form – including netball, lacrosse, cricket, tennis and hockey to name a few, and more within its co-curricular and games provision. I feel incredibly privileged and energised to be part of this amazing sporting community,” added O’Donnell.
St Albans School offers a world-class sporting infrastructure, including the exceptional Woollam Playing Fields – with rugby, football, cricket, hockey, lacrosse, netball, and tennis facilities – and the state-of-the-art on-site Sports Centre featuring a 25-metre pool, sports hall, climbing wall and an upgraded fitness, strength and conditioning suite which includes a dance studio.
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