Australian Rules football stars in the making will be put to the test as 30 talented players take part in a high performance training camp this week in Melbourne.

The 12th intake of the Australian Institute of Sport/Australian Football League (AIS/AFL) Academy kicked off training on the 12 January 2009 with a five-day camp at Whitten Oval in Melbourne.

The AIS/AFL Academy tests and develops some of the nation’s best football talent at the camp, in preparation for the elite AFL level.

Unfortunately, many of the 15 and 16-year-old players who were part of the intake were unable to fully join the training program due to previous injuries. Injury management and prevention are now a major part of the Academy’s work.

‘We had 19 players in this intake who had had a history of lower back, hip or groin injuries,’ said the Academy's high performance coach, Alan McConnell.

The Academy is conducting research into causes and prevention of these injuries, which are common for new recruits in this age group.

‘We are trying to educate players about how to manage their injuries and to achieve their best at the elite level,’ said McConnell.

Established in 1997, the AIS/AFL Academy has enjoyed great success in producing high performance AFL footballers. It has supported 240 listed AFL players, including eight of the top ten picks in the most recent AFL draft.

Around 75 per cent of Academy graduates have earned AFL contracts, with the last three intakes resulting in recruitment of 67 graduates (84 per cent).

The Academy’s newest recruits will be put through a variety of training drills to assess their skills and abilities at this week’s camp, including:

• fitness testing
• anthropometric testing and screening
• skills work in kicking and running
• strength and conditioning.

The AIS/AFL talent squad will begin their annual tour of South Africa in April.

Each year, over 8000 athletes from more than 300 teams visit the AIS in Canberra for a sports camp. These include national representative teams, professional sporting teams and visiting teams from high schools and other sporting groups and clubs.