Sport

Developing grit and pursuing greatness

World-class coaching and facilities that shape boys into resilient athletes and leaders

Hilton College provides an exceptional sporting environment with state-of-the-art training spaces, including a strength and conditioning centre, premier rugby and soccer stadiums, multiple hockey and cricket pitches, an indoor sports centre, an aquatic centre, a driving range, and courts for basketball, squash, and tennis. While these facilities set the stage for success, it’s our people and philosophy that make the real difference.

Sports on offer at Hilton include:

Athletics

Basketball

Canoeing

Cricket

Golf

Hockey

Rugby

Soccer

Squash

Swimming

Tennis

Water Polo

The Draper-Gain Centre for Performance and Wellness is a state-of-the-art facility. The 1,000 m² gym offers everything you’d expect from a world-class fitness centre, including physiotherapy and biokinetics treatment rooms.

Our gym is kitted out with 12 Power Racks featuring flush-fitted weightlifting platforms and 4,000 kg of Olympic weight plates.

Purpose-built for health and vitality, our gym is a cornerstone of campus life.

Our gym includes a 300 m2 covered outdoor synthetic turf track with retractable boxing bags and a specialised rugby scrum training machine.

Inside the nets, dreams take shape one ball at a time.

Hilton boasts top-notch hockey facilities, including two Astro turfs, a dedicated clubhouse, and a pristine grass field.

The Ducasse Aquatic Centre features two pools for water polo and swimming, a covered stadium, and spacious change rooms with showers.

Practices on Gilfillan: Hilton College boys carrying forward a proud legacy as pioneers of rugby in Natal.

Thanks to the generosity of Old Hiltonian and businessman Sandile Zungu, who has invested heavily in the beautiful game on campus, our boys enjoy world-class facilities and opportunities to grow their passion for soccer.

Basketball is on the rise – not just across South Africa, but also at Hilton College, where it is the fastest-growing sport on campus.

With our own driving range and mashie course, Hilton boys have the perfect setting to hone their skills right here on campus.

A coaching team second to none

Our experienced coaches, many with national and international expertise, focus on more than just results. They instill discipline, resilience, and a growth mindset, teaching boys that setbacks are opportunities and hard work paves the way for success – lessons that extend far beyond the field.

Burger Nel

director of sport

KZN Sharks U16 coach
Former national and provincial sport performance analys
SA Rugby Elite Player Development Programme
Afrikaans teacher and former housemaster of Ellis House

Ayanda Shange

Director of Basketball and 1st team coach

Chairman of KZN Schools Basketball
Former SA Basketball Team player

Warren Kirsten

Director of Cricket

Former Director of Cricket at Stellenbosch University
Former deputy housemaster of Falcon House

David Griffiths

1st Team cricket coach

Former professional cricketer at Hampshire and Kent County Clubs and represented England U19
Former Director of Cricket at Basingstoke Cricket Club (UK)

Devon van der Merwe

Director of Hockey

Assistant coach of SA Men’s Hockey team
Housemaster of Churchill House

Damian Kimfley

1st team hockey coach

Former SA Men’s hockey player
Provincial senior and junior coach
Federation International Level 3 coach
CAT teacher

Greg Miller

Director of Rugby

Former professional rugby player
Former SA Schools rugby and cricket player

Brad Macleod-Henderson

1st team rugby coach

Former Sharks coach
Former Sharks player
Former investment banker (MBA)
Old Hiltonian (1993, Newnham)

Celo Mbanjwa

Director of Soccer

Youth Technical Director at AmaZulu Football Club
Former KZN Soccer Schools Association Executive Member

Mhlengi Shezi

1st team soccer coach

Former Maritzburg United Youth Player

Andrew Duncan

Director of Water Polo

Former SA water polo coach
KZN water polo coach & gold medalist
Vice-Chairman of KZN Schools water polo
U15A team rugby coach
Geography teacher and deputy housemaster of Pearce

Paul Martin

1st team water polo coach

Former SA Olympic water polo team coach
Former SA Men’s water polo team head coach
Former SA Schools water polo coach
KZN Water Polo coach & gold medalist

Sport Science staff

Our on-site support staff have experience working with athletes across the board and at various competitive levels, including some of the highest levels of professional cricket (IPL and SA20).

Carl Schmidt

Director of Health and Fitness

Former Strength & Conditioning coach for the Sharks and Sharks Academy
Former deputy housemaster McKenzie
Old Hiltonian (2004, Pearce)

Nick Pereira

Physiotherapist

UCT clinical educator
Lead physiotherapist at the Pretoria Capitals SA20

Philani Sondzaba

Strength & Conditioning Coach

Former AmaZulu FC Development Strength & Conditioning Coach
Former Maritzburg United FC Strength & Conditioning Coach

Mfundo Gumede

Strength & Conditioning Coach

KZN Sharks U16 Strength & Conditioning Coach

Robyn Stewart

Biokineticist

Internship at Sharks Rugby Union 2014

Shaping men, not just athletes

Our sporting philosophy focuses on process, integrity, and sportsmanship: building leaders for life, not just for the game.

We know of no other school in the world that has a proclaimed nature reserve