About the IAS
About the IAS
As the pioneer for the regional Academy model in Australian sport, the Illawarra Academy of Sport is a not-for-profit sporting organisation that exists to provide localised training and education opportunities for talented young athletes, coaches and administrators across the Illawarra region.
Each year the IAS provides developmental support to over
5 Council Regions
The IAS operates through the Illawarra’s geographic region comprising the five local government areas of; Wollongong, Kiama, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and Wingecarribee. The region has a population of over 410,000 residents and covers an area of around 8,485 square kilometres.
The Illawarra Academy of Sport, with the support of our many partners, provide athletes with the programs to develop, excel and achieve through sport while maintaining strong community ties —this in turn produces young ambassadors for the Illawarra community, the Illawarra Academy of Sport and their valued partners.
11 Sport Programs
The Academy currently provides athlete development programs across 11 sports disciplines including basketball, cycling, golf, hockey, netball, surf sports, triathlon and volleyball as well as Future Stars Individual Athlete Programs, Athlete with a Disability program and Indigenous Talent program.
These programs provide not only on-field technical skill acquisition and physical development, including Musculoskeletal Screenings and individualised movement competency programming, but focus also on the personal and professional maturity of the athlete through an education curriculum including Sports Nutrition, Performance Psychology, Financial Fitness, Youth Leadership, Drugs in Sport, Public Speaking and Media Awareness. This unique approach to athlete development assists in positively and significantly influencing the next generation of athletes and in the process creates better sporting citizens within our community.
Pathway Framework
The Regional Academies’ role is to prepare talented young pre-elite male and female athletes for the rigours of the elite levels of their chosen sport. Regional Academies provide critical opportunities for young sports people to access quality support and development opportunities in an holistic environment – opportunities that would not otherwise be available.
As a part of the Australian Institute of Sport’s Winning Edge Strategy, the FTEM (Foundations | Talent | Elite | Mastery) Model was developed to identify elite pathways in Australian sport. The Regional Academies of Sport are recognised in the FTEM model. The Academies operate in the T (Talent) section of the model, moving athletes from T1 to T4.
The Regional Academies represent an extensive geographic area across NSW, over 100 Local Government areas and provides support services for some 2,000 athletes, 300 coaching and program staff with a combined annual operating budget in excess of $4 million. In essence, RASi represents individual Academies that are the delivery arm of pre elite athlete development programs.
The Vision of the collective network is ‘To be a collaborative, efficient and integrated lead organisation for Regional Academies of Sport’.
Future Champions
FUTURE CHAMPIONS is a four-year strategy launched in December 2019 by the NSW Office of Sport, that aims to equip and empower our foundational and emerging athletes (and their parents, coaches etc.) to fulfil their sporting aspirations and engage and unite our pathways sector and stakeholders to provide them the best support at the right time.
FUTURE CHAMPIONS positions NSW as a national leader in supporting the next generation of NSW participants and athletes to be FUTURE CHAMPIONS on and off the field.