AIS and Paralympics Australia connecting the nation’s Para-sport coaches

Australia’s best Paralympic coaches visited the Melbourne Storm thanks to a Connected Coaches program presented by Paralympics Australia (PA) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

The visit to Melbourne Storm signals the ongoing evolution of Paralympics Australia’s Connected Coaches program, which was backed it with a $20,000 AIS grant.

More than a dozen coaches were treated to an exclusive session with Frank Ponissi, Melbourne Storm’s football department manager, and his long-time colleague, coach Craig Bellamy.

Established by Paralympics Australia's, opens in a new tab Innovation Lead Ross Pinder in 2020 following a $20,000 coach development grant received from the AIS, the Connected Coaches program aims to reimagine the way coaches share knowledge and collaborate.

PA’s Coach Development Advisor Alex Jago has since advanced the program with the AIS, which provided and additional funding.

“The key ingredient of Connected Coaches is connection and we’ve deliberately focused on building relationships based on authenticity, trust and care,” Jago said.

AIS High Performance Coach Development Senior Lead Michelle De Highden continues to work with Jago to “value-add” to the Connected Coaches program.

“It’s easy to see the value in this program, the sharing taking place,” De Highden said.

“Coaching in the high performance space is very intense, very dynamic and the competitive nature of the demands are very high. It makes sharing within a sport difficult. But sharing across sports is enormously valuable.

“They’re talking with their peers, gaining thoughts and ideas, sharing challenges and exploring suggestions to solve together.”

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