Scholarship Programs

WHAT DOES THE ACADEMY OFFER EACH ATHLETE?

The major focus of Academy activity is the delivery of sport coaching, physical development and education programs for its scholarship athletes to improve an individual athlete’s sporting ability.

COMMON ATHLETE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

All athletes should;

•Reside within one of the five local government areas of the of the IAS.

•Be open to advancing their technical and personal development through coaching and associated support services.

•Demonstrate a specific level of achievement that meets the squad’s entry level technical criteria (if appropriate).

•Be a registered participant of an association within the Illawarra region.

A key objective of the Academy is to holistically develop young athletes through skill training, education curriculum and personal development, in turn developing outstanding sports citizens and future leaders in the local community.

PROGRAM BENEFITS & SERVICES

• Access to high quality coaches from within their sport

•Regular identified training sessions that are designed to meet the specific needs of that sport (squads only)

•Targeted skills development progression based upon the FTEM model of athlete development

•Specific parental education in athlete development options and strength and conditioning basics

•Access to leading edge Sports Psychology education and support and reduced rates for one-on-one sports psychology support if required

•Access to mayoral receptions and sponsor relationship evenings •Access to a broad range of education and personal development support topics including; ₀ Sports Psychology ₀ Drugs in Sport and anti-doping ₀ Sports Nutrition ₀ Sports Medicine ₀ Strength and conditioning ₀ Media skills and awareness ₀ Social media, safety and bullying ₀ Parent education ₀ Mental Health

•Access to unique competition opportunities including “Your Local Club” Academy Games

•Sports specific, physical performance testing and musculo-skeletal assessments

•A comprehensive Strength and Conditioning service to all athletes (subject to age restrictions) that includes ₀ Free access to council-based gym facilities in local areas

₀ 1 x local area supervised S&C session at local gym ₀ Access to 2 x centralised S&C supervised sessions ₀ Squad specific, age specific program design ₀ 3 x generic advancements in S&C programming across the Academy year as appropriate ₀ Specific squad-based training focusing on conditioning, speed, agility, mobility, etc. ₀ Capacity to access improved, individualised programming and supervision ₀ Open education session covering the importance and benefits of youth resistance training, long term athlete development and training guidelines for youth athletes

•Community development opportunities including (e.g. Red Shield Appeal; Healthy Cities)

COACH SERVICES

•All IAS head coaches receive specific, personalised and additional coach development opportunities and support services to enable them to be a better coach through the QUBE Ports Coach Development program.

•All assistant or support coaches will have access to the QUBE Ports Coach Development program, including access to the 6-week “Mindful Coaching” Development sessions and support oppportunities.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

A key objective of the Academy is to develop outstanding sports citizens, utilising education and awareness sessions based on public speaking, sport psychology, drugs in sport, media skills and sponsor servicing. In addition, athletes are exposed to community-driven and promotional opportunities to develop their personal understanding of the breath of sports development and community awareness.

During the scholarship, athletes attended a personal development day, designed to physically and emotionally challenge the athletes and provide leadership and team building activities.