dAIS Transition grants

The AIS wants athletes to be successful in sport and life beyond.

The AIS has introduced dAIS Transition grants, which focus on supporting dAIS athletes as they retire or transition out of high performance sport.

For eligible athletes, dAIS Transition grants can provide an extra six months of funding security. dAIS Transition grants also ensure athletes maintain an ongoing connection with their sport as they go through this move.

It complements other AIS programs to ensure athletes get the support they need during and after their high performance sporting careers.

dAIS athlete testimonials

Emilee Cherry

2016 Olympic gold medallist, Rugby Sevens

Throughout my entire professional sporting career I’ve been privileged to have the AIS at the forefront of my support.

From the start at my very first high performance camp at the AIS in Canberra to now, retirement and transitioning out. Giving me mental health, physical and financial support to succeed in all facets of life.

Retiring from playing came with lots of worries, but having that support and boost I was able to navigate my way and take the next steps in my career, through coaching and inspiring the next generation.

Rick Pendleton

four-time Paralympian, three-time Paralympic gold medallist, Swimming

My career spanned a long time and throughout that time I was fortunate enough to see para sport in this country take an incredible leap forward. Sport is not a cheap way to make a name for yourself, especially starting out.

When the AIS and Australian Sports Commission introduced the dAIS scheme it allowed me the opportunity to focus my energies on swimming and provided a buffer to costs. I can honestly say that the dAIS scheme has changed the way in which I could live for the better and I'm extremely grateful.

Since retiring I have turned my full focus to the next generation of swimmers and am currently working as a full-time coach. If fate treats me well, I will have the honour of supporting the journey of another young athlete the way that my coaches supported me.

Jo Brigden-Jones

two-time Olympian, Canoe Sprint

My transition out of sport has been pretty smooth. I put a lot of effort into setting myself up with a career outside of my sport. I always studied or worked alongside my training so I felt very prepared once I retired.

I work as a paramedic so since I got back home from Tokyo, I've been pretty busy at work being back full-time and working during the COVID-19 pandemic. I start training to become an Intensive Care paramedic soon which is a huge step forward in my career. I'm excited that I can now spend more time pursuing goals in my career rather than sport.

Having dAIS funding to help transitions athletes is fantastic. In the past, as soon as you retire you were instantly disconnected from your sport. Now with the dAIS Transition support means as athletes we still feel supported and connected to our sports.

Looking back at my paddling career, I feel really fortunate for all the experiences I had. Representing Australia for 18 years was so special and such an honour. I loved pushing myself to the limits every day to see how much I could achieve. I have so many amazing memories of the highs and the lows, which taught me so many life lessons, and all the amazing people I met and supported me along the way.

Bron Knox

four-time Olympian, two-time Olympic bronze medallist, Water Polo

Representing Australia at World Championships or Olympic Games was always a dream of mine. I have been fortunate to not only represent my country at one Olympic Games, but four, plus the honour of captaining the women's water polo team at the Rio Olympic Games.

I have spent 17 years in the high-performance program attempting to balance full-time study and full-time training all while trying to support myself. Without the assistance of the dAIS grants it would have been even more challenging than it already was.

These grants have been a lifeline, a way to keep your head above the water when you are surrounded by competing interests and unable to support yourself financially. Now that I have retired from the National team, I've launched straight into full-time work in the legal industry. Finding out I was one of the recipients for the dAIS transition grant gave me some breathing space to explore my next career move and take a bit to process the enormous changes I was and am going through physically and mentally.

While I am still figuring out what my next goals are I am sure I will continue to be engaged in the world of sport and continue to advocate for athlete rights.

Luke Letcher

2020 Olympic bronze medallist, Rowing

Representing Australia in rowing at the Games was my dream since I first picked up an oar. Through my journey I was brought into an incredible sporting community.

From early on I shared my elite rowing journey with people that I would go on to stand alongside on the podium at the highest stage. Throughout my career I was based in Canberra and made full use of the AIS and the support services that were available to me.

A dAIS Transition grant has been incredible in allowing me to have some breathing space after finishing up competition. There is a lot of uncertainty in the time immediately after moving away from something as all encompassing as high performance sport . The availability of the dAIS Transition grants made that uncertainty feel more okay for me while I found my feet.

Since finishing competition I have turned to completing my undergraduate engineering degree, giving back to my sport through engaging with my local rowing community and helping to coach the next generation, as well as interning at an exciting start-up designing and manufacturing satellites here in Australia. I'm not sure what life will look like in a year's time but I'm excited to see what opportunities I can get stuck into.

Declan Stacey

Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, Diving

I'm grateful to have had the sporting career I had, both as a Gymnast and Diver. There's nothing quite like travelling the World to represent your country and these are memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

The dAIS scheme was invaluable during my athletic career as it alleviated financial pressures which allowed me to purely focus on being the best athlete I could be. Life as an athlete is short and you want to make the most of it while it lasts. So being able to prioritise my time on training and recovery while being financially supported is something I'm so grateful I received.

The dAIS Transition scheme, however, is a service from the AIS that demonstrates their care and support for their athletes as people, not just people who can produce medals. The AIS and ASC are sending a strong holistic message that they value the welfare of their people who not only gave up years of their life to their craft, but also have the potential to deeply impact their respective sphere in their life after sport.

I have successfully transitioned into the business world and am using all of the values and lessons that 19 years of elite sport taught me to now be the best version of myself in my new craft. It will take time to be where I envision to be in business, so the dAIS Transition support is something I'm extremely grateful to have received. Thank you!

Dani Stevens

world champion, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, Athletics (discus)

My time as an elite athlete spanned almost 20 years and I was lucky enough to be able to wear the green and gold on many occasions. The enormity of representing my country was never lost on me and it was always an amazing feeling receiving your Australian uniform and wearing it on the world stage.

I came across some incredible people throughout my athletics career; competitors, support staff, coaches, agents, other Australian athletes and lots of these have turned into friendships beyond training and competing. It was the relationships and experiences with the people around me that I will cherish most about being an elite athlete. AIS and dAIS funding helped me immensely throughout my career as I was able to focus on training, recovery, travel and competing. I was able to have the time to be a professional athlete and tick all the boxes I need to in order to reach my potential.

The transition out of sport can be uncertain at times as you enter the "real world" and figure out what path to head down next. The assistance the AIS has provided came as a welcome surprise, as I personally had a lot of big changes on the cards post retirement. With the AIS support, I was able to take some time think through those decisions and make the right decisions for myself and my family. I am commencing my Masters of Secondary Teaching for PE this month so that will be my focus for the next two years.

Shannon Parry

two-time Olympian, 2016 Olympic gold medallist, Rugby Sevens

To represent your country on the international stage is something I will forever cherish. Singing the national anthem with your teammates shoulder-to-shoulder, with family and friends in the crowd and the nation behind you will forever be etched in my mind. It started off as a childhood dream that soon became a reality that I will forever be grateful for.

With the support of dAIS grants, not only during my time as a professional athlete but also now as I transition into coaching, it has enabled me to solely focus on the goal at hand. It enabled me to spend more time and focus on the important things in my career rather than juggling many things at once. Having recently retired from professional sport I was at a crossroad - to go back to teaching or follow my passion and start a coaching journey in the sport I love.

With the support of the Queensland Academy of Sport, AIS, Queensland Reds and Rugby Australia, I have undertaken a position in the youth pathway system. It is an exciting and evolving space to work in with the next generation of players. To be able to pass on my knowledge and work with the next generation of rugby Sevens7s players coming through the pathway is a dream job.

Kaarle McCulloch

four-time world champion, Olympic bronze medallist, Cycling

Representing Australia was my dream after I went and watched the Sydney Olympics as a 12-year-old. I remember the day I was presented with my first Australian uniform and parading around my room with my teammate! We were so proud. I was equally as proud the day I received my final uniform as an athlete 15 years later.

The thing I will cherish the most from my days as an elite athlete is the interactions I had with younger athletes and young people. Sharing my stories with them and explaining to them that they can achieve anything they set their minds to whether that’s sporting or academic or artistic. These were memorable moments for me as I explained to them that I was just an ordinary person like them who just worked really hard and as a result I got to do extraordinary things!

Without dAIS and the AIS it just simply would be impossible to be an elite athlete at the highest level. Being an elite athlete is a 24/7 job where recovery and all the extra things about being an athlete (nutrition, psychology etc) take up enormous amounts of time. The dAIS grants allowed me to focus on those aspects and I feel strongly that without the support of dAIS and the AIS I would not have been as successful as I was for as long as I was.

Annette Edmondson

three-time Olympian and Olympic bronze medallist, Cycling

I will never forget the first day I pulled on an Australian skinsuit and wore the green and gold for my country. It was a feeling I cannot describe which saw me addicted for many more years to come.

I achieved a number of great results, but the amazing people I met and the wonderful places I visited around the globe are what will stick with me forever. Women's cycling has struggled over recent years to gain attention and sponsorship, however the AIS dAIS funding provided a pathway for me to ride my bike for a living. Without their support I would not have survived as many years in the sport, nor have achieved what I did, and for that I will always be grateful.

As I transition away from being an athlete, to now running my own sport's management and mentorship business, the AIS have again supported me through one final dAIS grant, to ensure I can remain on my feet throughout this unpredictable phase. It can be a tough time for many, but this support will make life just that little bit easier for many more athletes to come, just as it has for me.”