In September we will be welcoming a host of new faces to the sports department, as we work towards our ambitious target of being the best fully co-educational school for sport in south-west London. This includes our new director of sport, Mr Lavery, who succeeds Miss Smith.
Director of Sport – Mr Sam Lavery
With a broad sporting upbringing that included competing in representative football, rugby league, athletics and basketball. Mr Lavery went on to play cricket, playing around the world, including a 3-year stint in New Zealand.
Prior to entering teaching, he studied Sports Science (BSc) and Sports Performance (MSc), before managing a nationwide coaching company, and working at Yorkshire CCC.
His independent school sport career started as Cricket Professional at Denstone College, before becoming Head of Athletic Development and Cricket Performance at Portsmouth Grammar School. During this time at PGS, he helped multiple teams win county and national titles across a range of co-curricular sports. As well as managing the physical development of many young athletes who have since gone on to establish successful careers in professional sport.
In 2018 he joined Kingston Grammar school as Assistant Director of Sport. There he focussed on broadening sporting offering to pupils, as well as developing a more professional approach to coaching; ensuring ambitious young athletes receive the multifaceted support they need to perform at the highest level on the pitch, court, or water.
Away from school sport, Mr Lavery has spent time working with various pathways and elite cricket teams, including Hampshire and Surrey Cricket, the NZ Test side and the Ireland T20 side. He is also the bowling consultant to Otago in NZ and has recently been completing the ECB Level IV coaching qualification.
Director of Netball – Miss Hannah Gilbert
Miss Gilbert joins Emanuel as Director of Netball in September. She has been teaching for the last 6 years at Thomas’s prep and senior and during this time studied for a Masters Degree in Pedagogical Leadership in Physical and Sport Education.
Away from school, she is club captain of Rosslyn Park Netball Club and also a coach for London Pulse. She has represented England U18 at hockey and is a full time CrossFit athlete when not playing netball. Miss Gilbert is delighted to be joining Emanuel and contributing across the sports programme as well as helping our netballers to excel over the coming years.
Director of Hockey – Mr Calum MacDonald
Mr MacDonald joins Emanuel as Director of Hockey. Currently coaching at London Wayfarers and at Wellington College, this year he coached their U16 girls to the national title . At Wayfarers he has coached the ladies 1st team in the England Hockey National leagues and led the girls U16 age group to national and regional indoor and outdoor finals. He has significant experience coaching players who have gone on to represent England and Wales at U16 and U18 level having coached for 3 years as a head coach with Surrey and spent time with the England Hockey Talent Academy. He recently completed his Level 3 coach qualification with the International Hockey Federation. He is excited to get started at Emanuel, to build on the successes of this year and to create a competitive and enjoyable hockey programme for pupils to thrive at Emanuel.
Director of Rowing – Mr John Moon
Mr Moon joins us from Lady Eleanor Holles School where he is the current Acting Director of Rowing. His rowing journey started at an early age with summer holidays spent at his local coastal rowing club where his father rowed. As he describes, ‘I gave the sport a go as soon as I was allowed in a boat, and before I knew it I was hooked, rowing and racing on the English Channel and around the South Coast’.
After visiting Henley Royal Regatta as a teenager (and seeing Cracknell and Pinsent rowing the pair) he instantly knew he wanted to compete, and after 7 years of losing finals and semi-finals, he finally achieved his dream of winning a Henley Medal in 2009.
After hanging up his oar, he turned his attention to a career as a professional rowing coach. Over the past 15 years, he coached girls and boys at a number of highly competitive rowing schools, including Hampton School and Latymer Upper School, and is now very much looking forward to running the rowing programme at Emanuel, building upon the Boat Club’s rich tradition and history and the excellent work of Mr Liversage over recent years.
Rowing Coach – Miss Evelyna Davies
Miss Davies started her rowing career in 2013, at Walbrook rowing club. As a junior athlete, she won the WCh4x at Henley Women’s Regatta and represented GB at the Coupe de la Jeunesse, where she won a bronze medal in the W8+. After a Covid-gap year, she attended Durham University and represented GB as an U23 on three occasions. In the summer of 2023, she placed 4th in the W8+ at the U23 World Rowing Championships and went on to win the U23 European Rowing Championships in the W4-. She has now moved from being an athlete to a coach, and is very excited to be joining Emanuel.
Rowing Coach – Miss Ella Toa
Miss Toa started rowing in 2012 at a small club in New Zealand, going on to compete for the U19, U21 and U23 national squads in their respective world champiosnship. Sfter receiving a scholarship to study at Rutgers University in the USA she was invited to trial for Great Britain, being selected for the women’s quadruple sculls, where she won gold at the U23 World Championships in Sarasota, Florida. She has since ben competing locally in prestigious races and looked to develop her coaching. A talented all-rounder, she has also represented New Zealand as ‘in-line’ hockey at the Junior World and Olympic Championships. She is very much look forward to joining our new rowing team.