Professional Development Scholarships Program available to build craft for leadership roles

Staff Writer
Professional Development Scholarships Program
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Victorian women can build specialist skills to make their mark in the sport and active recreation sector, as part of the Change Our Game Professional Development Scholarships Program.

The program will support women throughout leadership roles in different career stages as per the following:

  • New to the workforce or returning from a career break
  • Aspiring to become a CEO or senior executive
  • Current senior executives, and
  • New or aspiring board directors

With grants available up to $5,000 and $10,000 to complete professional development courses, there is no shortage in career possibilities through four different streams.

There are four streams, each designed to teach industry skills:

Learning Stream:

  • Access specialist skill development, specific to the candidate’s paid role in the sector.

Next Generation Leaders Stream:

  • Access to a leading career coach, on an individual and group basis, to develop the pathway, skills and techniques to become a CEO or senior executive leader.

Executive Stream:

  • Access development in technical skill areas such as strategy, negotiation, change management, accounting & finance.

Governance Stream:

  • Access to a high quality governance program relevant to sporting boards

Ballarat resident Shenae Keleher took part in last year’s 2022-23 Change Our Game Professional Development Scholarships Program in the Next Generation Leaders Stream. She has since been promoted to Chief Executive Officer at FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport.

“The time spent working with my career coach has been immediately impactful, empowering and supportive, which I feel has provided me with the skills for swift professional growth. I’ve described the program to peers as ‘a psychologist for your career, a really great guiding hand’. Connecting with fellow women in our local sporting industry has been invaluable and created a supportive network,” she stated.

Since 2018, the Office for Women in Sport and Recreation has helped 553 participants through Change Our Game professional development programs, including 97 participants in last year’s first Professional Development Scholarships Program.

Individuals and organisations can go for their preferred program stream, with all applications closing at 5pm AEST on Monday 28 August 2023.

For full information and to apply, click here.

Frequently asked questions can be found here.

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Western Australian Institute of Sport to earn $20.8m funding boost

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Image credit: Western Australian Institute of Sport

The Cook Government is set to inject a $20.8 million funding boost over four years to enhance the operations and athlete development programs at the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) in preparation for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.

Starting from 2024-25 and continuing until 2027-28, this funding increase will supplement WAIS’s existing annual base funding of $9.5 million.

The new resources are aimed at providing enhanced support to athletes aspiring to international success and improving athlete care with an overall goal to build on WA’s best-ever Olympics result in Paris.

The additional $20.8 million funding package includes:

– A $9 million increase in base funding for WAIS.

– $7.5 million allocated for advancements in WAIS operations, governance, and athlete development and care programs.

– $500,000 earmarked for refurbishments to the WAIS High Performance Service Centre to accommodate additional staff.

The WAIS played a crucial role in the early development of Sam Kerr and other Western Australian footballers before they transitioned away from the program following the FA’s national pathway change in 2012.

Today, football is no longer a primary focus for WAIS, much like the AIS, despite the sport’s continued inclusion in the Olympics.

Premier Roger Cook commented on the upgrades his Government are leading following a proud WA cohort in Paris 2024.

“Western Australian athletes have had an unbelievable Paris 2024 Olympic campaign, with stunning medal-winning performances across athletics, sailing, swimming, cycling, diving, surfing, rowing, tennis, basketball, water polo and boxing,” Cook said in a press release.

“This major funding boost for WA’s peak athlete support organisation reflects my Government’s commitment to fostering sporting talent.

“The additional resources will provide a clear pathway for our athletes and future Olympians to thrive on the world stage, and ultimately give them the best chance of bringing gold home from Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032.”

WAIS Chair Dr. Neale Fong spoke on the success in Paris 2024 and the future following the upgrades.

“Fifty-three Western Australians have performed on the world stage at the Paris Olympics, and a further 20 will strive for success in the Paralympics shortly,” Fong said in a statement.

“WAIS is proud to support these athletes as a vital step on their path to representing Australia, and this funding from the Cook State Government is vital in ensuring that how we win is just as important as winning itself.

“With the focus firmly on Paris at the moment, we are getting an insight into the ability of athletes to inspire a nation, which will only increase in magnitude at a home Games in Brisbane 2032.

“This investment enables WAIS to ensure we have strong foundations for future growth as we look to increase the number of athletes we support in preparing for Brisbane 2032 and beyond.”

Futsal’s potential influence on the upgrades:

With Futsal emerging as a potential candidate for future Olympic Games and participation rates skyrocketing across all states in recent years, this upgrade could pave the way for developing some of the sport’s top athletes, should they choose to pursue that path.

The situation is extremely similar of the Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre, approved in early August and constructed for the 2032 Olympics. The Moreton Bay City Council highlighted that the facility would accommodate various sports, with futsal noted as a possible activity on its 12 multi-use courts.

Football West and Football Queensland have both emphasised the significance of futsal’s growing popularity, recognising it as one of the fastest-growing sports in Australia.

While the question of futsal’s inclusion in the Olympics remains unanswered, the facility undeniably has the potential to host National and State Championships and serve as a breeding ground for the next generation of elite futsal players.

Football Australia joins with the Australian Government in supporting Pacific football

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Football Australia officials helping to run referee knowledge-sharing sessions with the Solomon Islands Football Federation

Football Australia has partnered with the Australian Government to support the growth of elite football in the neighbouring Pacific nations.

Through the four-year investment deal delivered by PacificAus Sports, this new partnership will focus primarily on regular international competitions between Australian and Pacific Island international teams.

The outcomes of PacificAus Sports are complemented by the Australian Government’s Team Up program, which focuses on sport for development in the Pacific.

These competitions will include both men’s and women’s teams from all age groups.

The renewed partnership follows a number of successful initiatives involving Pacific nations, starting with the 2019 Pacific Tour to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga by Australia’s Junior Matildas, before expanding to include Australian age-group men’s and women’s national football teams.

Furthermore, this will include futsal national teams and competitions and allow for regular competitive games for pacific nations against upcoming and experienced Australian teams.

This partnership will also aim to deliver capacity building initiatives for the development of players, officials and administrators in the Pacific.

In conjunction with this, PacificAus Sports also partners with the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC) to promote Pacific sport through ABC Television’s ‘That Pacific Sports Show’ and ABC Radio’s ‘Fresh Off the Field’.

Though Australia left the Oceania Football federation (OFC) for the Asian Federation in 2006, due to the geographical proximity of the pacific nations, Football Australia has always tried to maintain a strong and supportive relationship with its island neighbours.

Football Australia’s Chair Anter Issac commented:

“Australian football has many natural connections and intersections with the Pacific through a long-shared history of the game in this region. The surge in interest and inspiration for the game across the Pacific, particularly after our co-hosting of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand™, is undeniable,” he said via media release.

“Our relationship with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is a cornerstone of our regional strategy.

“The collaborative efforts between Football Australia and OFC and Member Associations across the region have been critical in strengthening our ties within the Pacific, allowing us to work together towards common objectives and ensuring the continued development of football in the region.”

Australia’s wealth and talent in football is a massive asset for its neighbours and one which they count on for a lot of support.

It will also help to try and bring connection and personal links with the sport and the local communities to help with the growing support of the sport in the region.

Additionally, there is opportunity for investors and sponsors to gain huge benefits form this partnership and its future.

For Australia, this initiative in supporting the Pacific Island’s football both helps develop Pacific footballing quality, and connects the entire region closer.

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