Regional academies of sport
Providing additional athlete support and training/competition opportunities for talented youth.
State and local government authorities help to fund regional academies. They work cooperatively with State Sporting Organisations (SSOs) to provide additional athlete support and training/competition opportunities for talented youth between the ages of 12 and 18 years.
In some states (New South Wales and Victoria) regional academy programs are funded through State governments. They have close working relationships with their respective State Institutes of Sport but maintain their own governance structure.
NSW Office of Sport supports and provides annual grants to the network of Regional Academies of Sport (RASi), opens in a new tab. A total of nine independent community based academies.
The NSW regional academies help developing athletes reach their potential by providing specialist services within a local environment. Regional academies provide a stepping stone for athletes on the pathway to elite athlete development as they progress from local club to NSW Institute of Sport support.
- Central Coast Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Mingara)
- Hunter Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Newcastle)
- Illawarra Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Wollongong)
- North Coast Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Lismore)
- Northern Inland Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Tamworth)
- South West Sydney Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Campbelltown)
- Southern Sports Academy, opens in a new tab (Wagga Wagga)
- Western Region Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Bathurst)
- Western Sydney Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Parramatta)
The Gold Coast Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (GCAS) is a not-for-profit organisation that exists to provide locally based sports development opportunities for athletes, coaches, officials and administrators within the Gold Coast region of Queensland. The GCAS is the first in Queensland and currently offers a variety of talent performance sporting programs including basketball, AWD basketball, cricket, football (soccer), golf, rugby league, rugby union, rugby sevens, future stars within the school program, and future stars, which is an individual scholarship program providing development and support to athletes in a range of different sports that sit outside the other programs on offer. The GCAS receives funding from the Gold Coast City Council but is working to bolster funds by approaching the private sector. The GCAS relies on the support of its major business partners, community partners and sponsors aligned to each of the sporting programs on offer.
The Victorian Regional Academy of Sport Network includes six regional academies for emerging athletes beginning the high-performance pathway to elite competition. Each of these academies operates on a similar model to the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS), with athletes supported by a range of high-performance services using a scholarship model.
- Barwon Sports Academy, opens in a new tab (Geelong)
- Bendigo Bank Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Bendigo)
- Gippsland Sports Academy, opens in a new tab (Newborough)
- SouthWest Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Warrnambool)
- Sunraysia Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Mildura)
- WestVic Academy of Sport, opens in a new tab (Ballarat)
The Regional Athlete Support Program is a statewide network supporting regional-based talented athletes, coaches and officials allowing them to continue their pathway development and progress from their home environment.