At Curro, we believe that sport is integrally woven into a long-lasting, quality education. But, we go beyond even that – we want to forge Africa's next generation of champions by creating unparalleled opportunities for young athletes to grow and compete. That's where Curro Sport steps in. From high jump and sprint to soccer and gaming, our learners are already breaking records, setting new standards, and showing that success comes from determination, discipline, and support.
Here is a brief overview of the current projects managed by Curro Sport, for more information on each project, click on the relevant tab at the top of the page.
Curro Podium
The Curro Podium Athletics series has grown into one of the largest high school athletics events in South Africa. Northern and Southern regional trials culminate in the Grand Finale, which takes place 13 to 14 February 2026 at Pilditch Stadium, Tshwane. This follows the successful Northern and Southern regional meetings held in 2025.
In 2025, we also launched the Relay Series, a fresh addition to the country’s athletics calendar, bringing a new level of excitement to one of South Africa’s most anticipated school sports events.
Sanctioned by Athletics South Africa, Athletics Gauteng North and Boland Athletics, these meetings are broadcast live across the country on SuperSport Schools, Channel 216, showcasing the very best of school athletics.
Curro Halala Cup
The Curro Halala Cup is a national school school tournament that showcases the country’s most promising young talent. While established by Curro, the competition is open to top-performing schools nationwide, creating a high-performance environment that promotes excellence, development and fair competition. Now in its second year, the tournament continues to grow in scale and impact, strengthening its position as South Africa’s premier school football event.
The 2026 edition marks the launch of an elite under-19 girls’ invitational division, expanding the cup's soccer print and reinforcing commitment to inclusive, high-level competition. The girls’ tournament creates a national stage for talented young soccer players to compete in a structured, competitive environment that supports development, confidence and leadership through sport.
Here's a recap of 2025 Grand Finale.
Curro AquaElite Gala
This prestigious three-day event held in the Olympic-sized heated swimming pool of Curro Hillcrest High School, features primary and high school swimmers respectively competing for the title of best boys’ team; best girls’ team, best co-ed team and the team spirit award. The school with the winning team enjoys bragging rights of being the best swimming school in South Africa. In addition, swimmers competing for various age groups compete in a pool that has state-of-the-art touch pads ensuring precise race timing.
Curro Esports
At Curro, our Esports programme positions us at the forefront of innovative education. We recognise esports as more than gaming, it's a platform for learner empowerment, strategic thinking and real-world opportunities that stretch far beyond the screen.
Esports (electronic sport) refers to organised, competitive video gaming, where individuals or teams face off in structured competitions. It fosters essential skills such as:
- Strategy and critical thinking
- Research and media literacy
- Collaboration and leadership
- Communication and creativity
- Self-management and resilience
These are the very competencies that align with future industry and career pathways.
We host LAN events at schools in Gauteng, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal, as well as a National LAN that is open to all schools in the country. These events are hosted in partnership with Acer for Education and ACGL. Besides these LAN events, Curro Esports also host Esports leagues which and titles include Minecraft Education (PVP, build battles), Dota 2, VALORANT, Rocket League, Apex Legends, and Overwatch. We also invite nearby schools to participate, so that learner-gamers can play against the best from across the country.
Curro Chess
The Curro Chess programme gives primary and high school learners the opportunity to develop their skills in a fun and challenging environment. Through online and over-the-board tournaments, learners build critical thinking, focus, strategy, and resilience while competing against peers from across the country. The programme also encourages personal growth, teaching children patience, sportsmanship, and the ability to handle pressure – skills that extend far beyond the chessboard.
In 2025, our inaugural Curro Chess Rapid Open drew 160 players, marking a landmark for South African school chess. Young enthusiasts came together to show that the game remains just as compelling when played over a physical board. The tournament was more than a scholastic event; it marked the transition of Curro Chess from a successful online programme to traditional over-the-board competition.
Centre Court
Curro recently partnered with Tennis South Africa (TSA) to sponsor and host five International Tennis Federation (ITF) prize money tournaments for both men and women. The Centre Court series, powered by Curro, consists of three women's and three men's tournaments run over three weeks from June to July at Curro Hillcrest High School, and another two weeks in December. These events offer an opportunity for rising local tennis stars to face off against international professional players with attractive prize pots on offer. They attract a mix of local and international players, this year including several Curro Alumni members.
Friday Night Lights
Our Friday Night Lights are all about getting our communities together to have loads of fun while playing sport. We invite neighbouring schools to enjoy an evening of sport, music, lights and action, all in true high spirited South African fashion.
The Friday Night Lights events are hosted by, and at our champion schools. They feature netball, football and hockey events with prizes awarded for the team with the best spirit and best dressed, according to the theme for the day.
Here are the dates:
- 6 March
Netball PS and Soccer HS at Curro Century City - 10 April
Netball PS and HS at Curro Helderwyk - 29 May
Netball and Soccer PS and HS at Curro Hazeldean - 5 June
Netball, soccer, hockey, PS and HS at HeronBridge College - 28 August – Indoor hockey and soccer PS and HS at St Dominics Newcastle
Coaching the Coaches
Through this initiative, we create opportunities for our coaching teachers to obtain coaching and officiating accreditations from national sporting bodies. These include Athletics South Africa, Hockey South Africa and Netball South Africa. Our Esports coaches get the opportunity to attend an annual Esports Indaba where they are exposed to the latest trends in the global arena.
Coaching the Coaches: Player clinics
We host fun and informative clinics for our athletics, hockey, football and netball players – up-skilling and giving them the knowledge and technical abilities to grow in their game. This is done in partnership with national sporting bodies who provide accredited coaches to host these clinics. These clinics are structured in such a way that the coaches and the players work together to learn new skills and to implement them on and off the field.
Support for school-based sports activities
The head of sport at Curro primary and high schools across the country are mentored by two experts in our Curro Sport team. Their focus is to advise the school’s sports leaders on their sport strategies and budgets. In 2025 this team not only helped to implement and improve the interhouse competitions at all schools but also helped to implement a new Pathway to Excellence programme for all Curro schools. Through these two strategies, the schools have broadened learner engagement and expanded opportunities, defined execution and tracking within specific areas, made sure primary and high school sport structures are aligned and established depth of excellence at schools.