We welcome our new Director of Sport, Steve May, to the Oakham School community and find out a bit more about his love of sport and plans for the future of sport at Oakham School.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born and bred in Sussex and have worked at Hurst College for the past 16 years, where I was also a pupil. My main sport is rugby. I played county and regional rugby at school and provincial rugby in New Zealand and also national league rugby. That said, I enjoy playing any sport – cricket, football, basketball, to name just a few.
What attracted you to this role?
I have been lucky enough to take on many different roles at Hurst including Head of Athletics, Head of Academic PE, and Assistant Head of Sport and am now excited to take on a new challenge. It feels like the right time for me and my family to branch out as I embrace the role of Director of Sport at Oakham.
Oakham School has a rich sporting history which I want to maintain. I am also looking forward to joining a boarding and day community with local and international pupils, where everyone plays sport seven days a week.
Who inspires you?
There isn’t one person who inspires me, but I am motivated by people who take action. Doers. People in leadership or sport who get things done. My family is also a huge motivational force.
What are your impressions of Oakham so far?
It feels like a very warm, friendly and welcoming place; a community that my family and I want to be a part of.
What are you most looking forward to experiencing at Oakham?
Helping Oakham maintain its sporting dominance. I am also excited to be competing within a different circuit of schools. There are so many independent schools in this region with a strong sporting reputation with whom Oakham enjoys some friendly rivalry.
What are your plans as Director of Sport?
Firstly, making new connections with pupils, parents, and staff. I want to see how we can make the things we already do well even better and supercharge the things that we want to improve. There are some exciting plans in the pipeline, for example, building a new gym and planning the next international sports tour and I can’t wait to embrace these new opportunities.
I want to develop the sport offering and staff that we have and enhance the pupil experience of sport. I want to ensure that every Oakhamian finds something that they really engage with whilst at School and that they retain this enjoyment of physical activity for life. I am keen to honour Oakham School’s history and sporting reputation, whilst also exploring new sports and health, fitness, and wellbeing.
Sport is the only co-curricular activity that every single pupil has to do. Pupils spend a lot of time each week doing sport, so I want to make sure that they have the same enriching experience on the sports pitch as they do on the stage or in the classroom.
Discover more about Sport at Oakham and our upcoming Sporting Futures evening on Thursday 10 October; an evening of inspirational talks, presentations and sports networking for 14 to 16-year-old athletes and their parents.
