Performance Teams Forum unites system through connection and collaboration

More than 300 coaches and performance support practitioners came together at the 2026 Performance Teams Forum in Melbourne this week to share expertise and strengthen collaboration across Australia’s high performance sport system. 

The forum combined expert insights and interactive discussions centred on the theme: Stronger Together: Where collective insights drive a competitive advantage. 

With sessions spanning coaching, biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, physiotherapy and more, the forum was driven by the Win Well Strategy ambition to of using world-leading knowledge and practice to strengthen integrated, high-functioning performance teams. 

Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Director Matti Clements said it was an opportunity to maximise knowledge and resources as Australia builds towards LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032. 

“Our greatest advantage won't come simply from having outstanding experts. It will come from how effectively we bring that expertise together,” Clements said. 

“At its best, the performance team is a collection or specialists sharing problems, challenging thinking, combining perspectives and making better decisions together. 

This forum has brought together incredible expertise from across Australia’s sporting sector, combining collective insights to drive a competitive advantage.” 

Keynote presentations from neuro futurist Professor Joel Pearson and High Performance Sport New Zealand Head of Psychology John Sullivan challenged participants to consider how intuition, experience and data can shape better decision-making in high performance sport. 

Other sessions examined exceptional team environments, cultural connection, athlete and workforce development, and the home advantage of Brisbane 2032. 

Paralympics Australia Performance Services Lead Siobhan Crawshay said she could already see the long-term value that can come from the forum.  

“The real benefit in bringing this group together is that if several sports and several disciplines have similar challenges in their environment, we can share ideas and see if we can collectively solve problems together with solutions that can be applied across the whole high performance sector,” Crawshay said.  

“If we start now, we can really see what's working within our system, what can maybe be vetted and really build that connection as we look towards Brisbane 2032.”