FAQs

1. AIS Athlete Scholarships

  • How can I apply for an AIS athlete scholarship?
    The selection criteria used for each scholarship varies based on the sport, but will usually require current (or pending) Australian citizenship and national championship-level performance.

    The AIS offers scholarships in the following sport programs:

    Athletes with a Disability

    Australian Football

    Basketball

    Beach Volleyball

    Canoeing – Sprint

    Canoeing – Slalom

    Cricket

    Cycling

    Diving

    Football – Men

    Football – Women

    Gymnastics

    Hockey

    Netball

    Paralympic Alpine Skiing

    Paralympic Swimming

    Rowing

    Rugby League

    Rugby Union

    Sailing

    Softball

    Squash

    Swimming

    Tennis

    Track and Field

    Triathlon

    Volleyball

    Water Polo

    Winter Sports

    The AIS supports national level athletes. The selection criteria can vary between sports but in general AIS scholarship holders are competing at national championship level and demonstrate the ability or potential for sporting success at elite level.

    The athlete development pathway is accessed via programs offered by state sporting organisations. The pathway includes involvement in intensive training programs and selection for state squads and teams to compete in national championships (including under age championships) and participation in national development squads all are usually observed by AIS coaches and high performance coaches in their sport.

    There is a very strong base of support for state athletes through the State Institutes and State Academies of Sport (SISAS) Network. They often assist talented athletes. As a first step, you should contact your local institution or academy of sport about athlete scholarships in your state.

  • My sport is not listed as an AIS sports program, how can I apply for a scholarship?
    Scholarships are only available in sports programs currently supported by the Australian Institute of Sport.

    There is a very strong base of support for state athletes through the State Institutes and State Academies of Sport (SISAS) Network. They often assist talented athletes. As a first step, you should contact your local institution or academy of sport about athlete scholarships in your state.
  • Can I pay to come to the AIS?

    Athletes cannot pay to come to the AIS. Potential AIS athletes must follow the athlete development pathway. Please see the How do I apply for an athlete scholarship at the AIS?

2. Advice

  • Can the AIS provide me with a training program?

    The Australian Institute of Sport does not to provide personal training programs. It is recommended that you contact a coach or fitness centre in your local area that may be able to develop a training program for you.

    National or state sports organisations may be able to direct you to relevant coaches in your sport.

    You might also like to search:

    • The SportScan Database. Use keywords such as soccer, training , season. This database includes references to sport science, coaching and administration articles held by the National Sport Information Centre.
    • The National Sport Information Centre (NSIC) Catalogue - lists journal articles, books and videos produced in Australia on sport and related topics.

    After identifying articles from the database, copies of the full paper can be requested through our Document Delivery service.

  • Can the AIS give me advice on sport psychology?

    The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) does not offer personalised sport psychological services to non-scholarship holders.

    The Australian Psychological Association offers a service called "Find a Psychologist”. This service will assist you to locate a qualified sport psychologist in your local area.

    You might also like to search :

    • The SportScan Database. Use keywords such as soccer, training, season. This database includes references to sport science, coaching and administration articles held by the National Sport Information Centre.
    • The National Sport Information Centre (NSIC) Catalogue - lists journal articles, books and videos produced in Australia on sport and related topics.

    After identifying articles from the database, copies of the full paper can be requested through our Document Delivery service.

  • Can the AIS give me advice on sporting products?

    The Australian Institute of Sport does not to provide product advice.

    National or state sports organisations may be able to direct you to relevant products used within their sport.

  • Can the AIS give me advice on nutrition?

    The Australian Institute of Sport does not provide personal nutrition advice. Sports Dieticians Australia lists sports dieticians who may be able to provide the personal advice you are seeking.

    You might also like to search:

    • The AIS Nutrition webpage, which has numerous factsheets
    • The SportScan Database. Use keywords such as soccer , training , season. This database includes references to sport science, coaching and administration articles held by the National Sport Information Centre.
    • The National Sport Information Centre (NSIC) Catalogue - lists journal articles, books and videos produced in Australia on sport and related topics.

    After identifying articles from the database, copies of the full paper can be requested through our Document Delivery service.

3. Jobs / Careers / Work Experience

  • How can I get a job at the AIS?

    Detailed information concerning employment including current job advertisements can be found in the Jobs section on the ASC website. We do not accept unsolicited resumes or CVs.

    Many sports positions in Australia are advertised in major Australian newspapers and sports employment agencies.

  • Can I do work experience or a work placement at the AIS?

    Work placement opportunities at the AIS are not available for school students or students enrolled in overseas universities.

    There are a limited number of placements/scholarships offered to undergraduate students and postgraduate students enrolled in Australian universities.

    Aquatic Testing Training Research Unit

    Coaching

    Movement Science - includes Biomechanics, Performance Analysis, Skill Acquisition

    Performance Psychology

    Physiology

    Sports Medicine

    Sports Nutrition

    Strength and Conditioning

  • I am a coach. Can I do work experience alongside an AIS coach?

    AIS scholarship coach placements are offered only to participants of the National Coaching Scholarship Program. Placements are not available to other Australian students or coaches from overseas.

    The National Coaching Scholarship Program offers a structured, intensive learning program over a two year period. Scholarship coaches undertake an educational component which may include postgraduate coaching qualifications or other appropriate courses.

    The National Coaching Scholarship Program provide opportunities for potential and current elite Australian coaches to develop skills and knowledge to coach effectively in high performance programs.

    Applications are made through national sporting organisations.

  • Can I study at the AIS for a sport-related career?
    The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) which includes the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is not an educational institution and does not offer courses.
  • Can the AIS give me advice on what sport courses I should study?

    The AIS does not provide recommendations or advice about particular courses or institutions. However, you will find information on careers in the sporting industry on our website and the Australian Sport and Recreation Courses List may help you to find courses in areas such as administration, coaching, fitness, sports science etc.

    Please note that we cannot guarantee that this information is current. You will need to approach universities or providers directly for details about their courses.

4. Grants and Funding

  • How do I get funding assistance for my son/daughter who has just made a representative junior team?

    The Local Sporting Champions program provides financial assistance for young people aged 12 - 18 towards the cost of travel, accommodation, uniforms or equipment when competing, coaching or officiating at an official national sporting organisation (NSO) endorsed state or national sporting competition or a School Sport Australia national championships. Please see the Local Sporting Champions program website for further information and application form.

  • I am not eligible for the Local Sporting Champions program funding. What other grants and funding are available?

    Australian Sports Commission (ASC) funding is generally not available for individuals or for state, regional and local sporting organisations. The ASC generally only provides direct funding to national sports organisations. Details of ASC funding programs can be found on our website.

  • My club wants to build new facilities what funding is available?

    The ASC does not provide funding for the development and/or maintenance of sporting facilities. State/Territory Departments of Sport and Recreation provides funding for these purposes.

  • I belong to a regional sporting association and we are seeking funding to run a junior sport program. How can the ASC help?

    The ASC does not fund state, regional or local sporting organisations. All State/Territory Departments of Sport and Recreation offer a range of funding programs and schemes that may be of assistance to state, regional and local sporting organisations.

  • How does my sporting organisation become recognised by the ASC?

    The ASC currently recognises more than 85 organisations as National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) and National Sporting Organisations for people with disability (NSODs). For recognition, these organisations have satisfied the ASC that they have a national perspective and that each is the pre-eminent body taking responsibility for the development of their sport in Australia. The ASC only recognises one NSO/NSOD for each sport. There is a range of criteria that is applied in determining whether an organisation may be eligible for recognition from the ASC. For full details of the criteria, the support that is available to NSOs/NSODs and how to apply for recognition see the recognition section of our website.

5. Research and School Assignments

  • Can you help me with my assignment?

    Unfortunately we do not have the staff resources to provide material to the large number of individual students who contact us. It is suggested that you check the resources available in your school or public library including the expertise of your librarian.

    The finding sport information area on our website has been designed to assist you to locate information on specific sports played in Australia or sports topics of interest to students and teachers.

    You might also like to search :

    • The SportScan Database. Use keywords such as soccer, training, season. This database includes references to sport science, coaching and administration articles held by the National Sport Information Centre.
    • The National Sport Information Centre (NSIC) Catalogue - lists journal articles, books and videos produced in Australia on sport and related topics.

    After identifying articles from the database, copies of the full paper can be requested through our Document Delivery service.

  • Can I contact an AIS scientist / coach / athlete about an assignment or research topic?
    Members of our staff are not available to help with school or university student assignments, research, surveys or interviews. Whilst they would like to help you, their time is committed to servicing AIS athletes, national athletes and coaches. It is suggested that you check the resources available in your school or public library including the expertise of your librarian. The Finding sport information area on our website has been designed to assist you to locate information on specific sports played in Australia or sports topics of interest to students and teachers.
  • Can I participate in an AIS study as an athlete, coach or scientist?
    The AIS sometimes runs advertisements in local newspapers or via our website asking for volunteers to participate in research projects; however, for the large majority of projects, the AIS uses either AIS or national team athletes because the efficacy of the research needs to be assessed on elite sports performance.
  • I have an area I would like to research, can the AIS assist me?
    If you have an area of research that you are interested in pursuing, you are best to contact your local State Institute or State Academy of Sport (SIS/SAS Network) and speak to the scientist concerned with your discipline of interest located there. Proposals for research are usually recommended by this network to allow those scientists and staff working directly with athletes and sport to identify critical areas of need.

6. Products and Services

  • How can I promote my product/service which I think would be of interest to the AIS?
    If you send an email with sufficient information about your product or service, it will be forwarded to the appropriate division. The AIS receives many emails promoting products and services. Staff will contact you only if they are interested in obtaining more information.