These boarding schools have world-class sports facilities

Boarding schools are known for nurturing self-discipline, maturity, independence and critical thinking. A key reason for their success in these aspects, many would argue, lies in their sports facilities. Typically more numerous and diverse than their public counterparts, these are no ordinary sports facilities. The adage goes, “A healthy body leads to a healthy mind,” and in these boarding schools boasting better sports facilities than many others, students have all they need to soar intellectually — and in some cases, literally.

Ridley College

Canada is known for topping ice hockey, baseball and basketball leagues. It’s of no surprise then that Ridley College — a private boarding school in Ontario — has made this list. Not only is it just 20 miles from Niagara Falls, but it also has an NHL-size ice-surface arena for training and competition. This is on top of Ridley’s Field House with 20,000 square feet of synthetic surface, a gymnasium with competition-grade sprung wood surfaces, 25 “Concept 2” rowing ergometers, as well as a pool for indoor swimming, scuba diving, and rowing,

St. Catharine’s in Ontario, Canada is not only home to the Welland Canal, one of the world’s greatest engineering feats, but it’s also where Ridley College — a highly-ranked boarding school — is located. Source: Shutterstock

Millfield School

Millfield is a co-ed independent school for students aged 13 to 18 years old located in Somerset, England. From sailing to ski racing, Millfield has the sports facilities that ensure nearly 60 international youth representatives go on to compete successfully, including at the Olympics and Paralympics.

The Southport School

This school is an independent Anglican institution for boys in Gold Coast, Australia. Located on the Nerang River, aspiring athletes can take part in 100 sports and activities, including football, rowing, rugby, tennis, swimming, cricket, bushwalking, mountain biking and hiking. Some of Australia’s top names in rugby — including Josh Graham, Mat Rogers, Nathan Sharpe and Lloyd Johansson — got their start at Southport’s grounds.

View of Nerang River, a surfer’s paradise and home to The Southport School. Source: Shutterstock

Dulwich College Suzhou

This private international boarding school located in Suzhou Industrial Park, China has approximately 900 students. It has a 50,000 square metre sports field — including the best all grass rugby field in the area, games pitches, a new FIFA2 professional-quality all-weather surface and a 400-metre running track — a competition-ready aquatics centre, a 1,000 square metre indoor gym as well as outdoor tennis and basketball courts.

Tula’s International School

This private co-ed residential school in Dehradun, India, was established by the non-profit Rishabh Educational Trust founded by chairman Sunil Kumar Jain. Amongst the many sports facilities here are swimming pools, shooting ranges, football fields, horse riding plains, tennis courts and a squash centre that has been approved by the World Squash Federation.