From April 11th to 13th, over 100 athletes, coaches, managers, and families from the Illawarra Academy of Sport (IAS) joined some of NSW’s best young talent at the 2025 Your Local Club Academy Games in Tamworth. Organised by the Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS), the Academy Games were being held in Tamworth for the first time as part of a three-year deal.
With participants from 11 Regional Academies across NSW, more than 1,500 athletes and their families attended the Academy Games.
The Games were officially opened with a ceremony which saw all competing athletes proudly marching around the track at the Tamworth Regional Athletics Centre representing their Regional NSW academies.
IAS athletes competed in hockey, basketball, volleyball, golf and netball, with all the athletes putting in an incredible effort over the weekend and showing an amazing display of talent, skill and teamwork.
The impressive results of our IAS athletes and their efforts are detailed below.
Hockey
In the hockey, the IAS boys team remained undefeated all weekend, and wins against Central Coast Academy of Sport and Western Region Academy of Sport put the team into the grand-final against South West/Western Sydney Combined.
A short corner on half time put the IAS boys ahead, and three more goals in the second half sealed the match to claim the gold medal, with goals to Brayden Dawes and Sam Peoples.
Despite being undermanned throughout the tournament, the IAS girls hockey team fought valiantly throughout, going on to draw 1-1 with Western Region Academy of Sport in the bronze medal match. A huge effort by all players to continue persevering!
Basketball
The boys basketball team went through their round robin games undefeated and finished top of Pool A.
In the semi-final, the team was missing some key players due to the IAS NSW State squad boys being rested and, despite only having five players, the team defeated North Coast Academy of Sport in a close, hard-fought game.
Team IAS then faced Central Coast Academy of Sport in the gold medal match, and with key players missing and fatigue setting in, the basketball boys had to settle for silver.
Congratulations to IAS basketball athlete Nash Wood who was named in the Tournament All Star Five Boys team, well done!
The IAS basketball girls had a young and inexperienced team, and for most of the squad members, this was their first experience at an Academy Games.
The girls improved with each game during the tournament, ultimately finishing the tournament in eighth place.
Volleyball
The IAS boys volleyball team lost to a strong South West Sydney Academy of Sport team on Day 1 and won two solid games on Day 2 against Hunter Academy of Sport and Western Sydney Academy of Sport.
The team drew with the second South West Sydney Academy of Sport team to round out Day 2, as the squad rotated players and experimented with the line up.
The team progressed to the gold medal match and once again took on the strong South West Sydney Academy of Sport team. The IAS boys played some high-quality volleyball and pushed their opponent all the way, before losing in a tight, hard-fought match.
The IAS had a very young girls volleyball team who had the goal of development and building confidence. Most of the girls coming into the weekend had never played in a representative competition before but came in and performed at a high level, taking sets off the other teams and showing that they were super competitive.
The team finished with four losses and two draws and lost the bronze medal match against the Hunter Academy of Sport, a great effort from the IAS volleyball girls.
Golf
IAS golf athletes Sage Laird, Jaidon Kyriacou and Charlie Kerr took on the courses at the Longyard Golf Club and the Tamworth Golf Club and played some high quality golf with some very close matches.
Jaidon and Charlie played a great Round 1, with Jaidon holding a share of the lead at even par and Charlie only 1 stroke back, while Sage drove the ball well and hit some monster drives as she finished in third place after Round 1.
Day 2 was the final round of stroke play with Jaidon coming up clutch and claiming victory.
After a minor stumble on the front nine with a few bogeys, Jaidon put on a ball striking clinic, peeling off birdies on 13 and 17, shooting 1 under par on the back nine to claim his maiden victory by one stroke. Congratulations Jaidon!
Charlie had a solid showing driving and putting well to finish in a tie for 9th, while Sage struck the ball well throughout Round 2 and finished in 3rd place.
Day 3 was the Team Matchplay event and saw some high quality golf from our IAS athletes with some very close matches.
In the semi-final match, Sage and Jaidon chalked up wins, and a hard fought tied match for Charlie saw the team progress through to the final with a 3/2 win.
The final was even closer with Jaidon going down in a very tight match on the last hole, Charlie came up trumps getting the job done in his match with a great win.
Sage fought back from a three down deficit to square her match, which saw the team all square with their opponents, with the IAS team finishing runners up to defending champions Western Region Academy of Sport in Division 3.
Netball
The IAS had two netball teams participating at the Academy Games and both teams showed a great display of teamwork and determination.
IAS Team 1 commenced their tournament campaign on a high at the Tamworth Sports Dome, securing a solid win over Western Region Academy of Sport, while Team 2 showed incredible resilience and fight in a tough contest against Sydney Netball Academy. The team pushed right to the final whistle with Sydney Netball Academy claiming victory.
Day 2 saw Team 1 claim one win and three loses and Team 2 record three loses and a draw, with both teams playing some good netball against strong opponents.
Both netball teams progressed through to the finals fixtures on Day 3, showcasing strong on-court connections and high-pressure one-on-one defence.
Congratulations to IAS netball athletes and sisters Izzy and Lucy Christian who were named MVPs for their standout efforts, and well done to IAS netball umpires Makayla Henderson, Sienna Kaschubs and Lily Martin who all received their National B Badge endorsements.
All our IAS athletes put in an incredible effort at the Academy Games and showed an amazing display of talent and skill.
The IAS would like to thank all our coaches, managers and parents; without such a supportive community, opportunities like attending the Academy Games would not be possible.
Thank you to our long-term major partner the Illawarra Credit Union for going above and beyond in support of our athletes at the Academy Games and thank you to our long-term performance partner BaiMed for keeping our athletes fit and healthy during the Academy Games.
Thank you also to Wollongong City Council, Kiama Municipal Council, Shellharbour City Council, Shoalhaven City Council, Wingecarribee Shire Council, University of Wollongong and the NSW Government Office of Sport for your continued support of the IAS and our athletes.
