Southern Sports Academy SSA

The sports currently serviced by the Academy are…

AFLW

Athletes with a Disability

Basketball

Golf

Individual Athlete Program

Netball

Rugby

Softball

Core Program Components

The Southern Sports Academy conducts its sporting programs for a 12 month period from November-October. Squads are selected in October/November of each year with a range of selection criteria used for each sport in the Academy. For example, two trials are held to select our Town & Country Netball Squad each year whereas our Golf Squad is selected principally on handicaps.

Once squads are selected, a formal induction is held as part of the first camp together. Here the athletes and parents are advised of the expectations for the forthcoming 12 month period as well as being advised of the policies and procedures of the Academy.

All athletes in the Southern Sports Academy are issued with a special Southern Sports Academy email address which allows all athletes to be readily contacted by coaching staff, fellow squad members and the Academy itself. The ability to respond to emails as required and in an effective manner is a key element of being a scholarship holder with the Southern Sports Academy.

All athletes in the Southern Sorts Academy also receive a range of apparel which is specific to the sport they play. Athletes are asked to wear their Academy uniform to each camp that is held and for competition-based development opportunities.

All squads in the Southern Sports Academy come together at least once per month for their camps. Here, they receive the highest level of coaching that is available including the involvement of guest coaches from time to time.

The Southern Sports Academy boasts the widest range of sport consultants in the state. We are fortunate to have the knowedge and skills of Michael Kruger-Davis (Mental Skills Coach), Eric Morris (Strength & Conditioning) and Danny Freemantle (Core Strength, Nutrition and Yoga) for all of our sporting programs.

There is also an expectation on scholarship holders to continue their skill (and fitness) development when squads are not in camp together. To achieve this, each athlete receives a home program which includes both skill based and fitness based components. Athletes are asked to keep a record of their home programs and present these to coaching staff at each camp. Home programs are tailored to suit the requirements of each individual athlete in the Academy.

The Southern Sports Academy places as much emphasis on the personal development of its athletes as it does on the sporting development aspect. Each year, Academy athletes are exposed to a range of Personal Development workshops designed to equip them with the skills to manage their affairs off the sporting field to ensure they can continue to perform at their best when they are involved in competitions or at training.

Further, the Southern Sports Academy asks each of its scholarship holders to perform at least 24 hours of volunteer or charity based work in their home communities as a means of offering them some perspective on their sporting achievements. This can include the coaching of junior teams in their respective home competitions which ensures that the sport can continue to grow in their home communities and offer young people opportunities to be involved at the elite level in future years.

Benefits and Services

The Southern Sports Academy provides development programs for athletes in the Southern NSW region which, traditionally, were only accessible in metropolitan areas. This is the basis for the formation of the regional academy network – to ensure athletes in regional centres are not disadvantaged purely because of where they reside.

The Southern Sports Academy focuses on providing athletes with the following:

 1. The best quality coaches in the southern NSW region. There is a direct correlation between the quality of coaches and the quality of our athletes. A key part of our operation is to ensure that coaches can access relevant courses and seminars to ensure their knowledge base develops in line with the developments in the sport itself;

2. Sports Science, Strength and Conditioning and Sports Psychology workshops facilitated by the highest qualified and experienced consultants in the region. Athletes learn about the fundamentals of Nutrition and Hydration, Recovery Principles, Yoga and Meditation, Core Strength and Flexibility screening, Exercise Physiology as well as providing tips on how to improve their mental skills;

3. Personal Development Workshops which are designed to equip scholarship holders with ‘life skills’ that assist in allowing the athlete to excel on the playing fields. Workshops can include Leadership Skills, Media Skills, Study Skills and Tips, Obligations of the Professional Sportsperson, Goal Setting, Time Management as well as workshops on Drugs in Sport.

4. A sense of community responsibility to ensure athletes stay grounded and have a true perspective on the importance of sport in their lives. The Academy philosophy focuses on family first, then school and then sport and we also ask our athletes to offer something back to their communities via volunteer based or charitable work.