AIS athletes to receive scholarship for life after sport

Liam Watson

40 athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) will receive funding as part of a pilot scholarship.

The cohort of athletes will be included in the inaugural AIS Education Scholarship program. It is an initiative that aims to find the balance between sport and study, preparing athletes for their transition to life after sport.

The key consideration for the program is looking at easing the financial burden on athletes who are undergoing education.

The pilot scholarship was established this year as the AIS got a generous one-off private donation which supports athletes looking to strive towards their academic goals – striking a perfect balance between sport and study.

“Pursuing a passion away from sport can help provide athletes with a more well-rounded perspective, and ensure that they have more balance in their lives,” AIS Director People Development and Wellbeing Matti Clements said.

“It is common for athletes to struggle to adapt once their sporting career comes to an end however we find that athletes who undertake some form of study are better prepared for the transition.

“This AIS has a strong focus on helping athletes thrive in all areas of their lives, and this scholarship is one of many programs we offer to help athletes achieve all their goals, both on and off the field.”

Matilda’s veteran Clare Polkinghorne is one of the scholarship recipients, studying a Master of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University in Queensland.

“Obviously there will come a time when I will retire from football and I need to be prepared for that time and this gives me many options post football to continue with another career,” she said.

“I do think that having something other than football to focus on, actually helps me as a footballer.

“Study provides a different outlet for me, something else to focus on and recharges the batteries so I’m not constantly thinking about football.

“I’ve always enjoyed learning and I do think it provides a good balance to my life.”

For a full list of 2020’s scholarship recipients, you can find it here.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Football NSW supports Female Coaches CPD as Women’s Football Surges

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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Football NSW has used the platform of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to deliver a targeted professional development workshop for female coaches, bringing together scholarship recipients for an evening of structured learning and direct engagement with elite women’s football.

Held at ACPE last month, the session was open to female coaches who received C or B Diploma scholarships through Football NSW in 2025. Coaching accreditation carries a financial cost that disproportionately affects women, who are less likely to have their development subsidised by clubs or associations operating in underfunded community football environments. Scholarship access changes that equation at the point where many women exit the pathway.

Facilitated by Football NSW Coach Development Coordinator Bronwyn Kiceec, the workshop focused on goal scoring trends from the tournament’s group stage, with coaches analysing attacking patterns and exploring how those insights could translate into their own environments. The group then attended the quarter-final between South Korea and Uzbekistan at Stadium Australia.

The structure of the evening mattered as much as its content. Female coaches in community football rarely have access to elite competition environments as a professional resource. The gap between the level at which most women coach and the level at which the game is analysed and discussed tends to reinforce itself. Placing scholarship recipients inside a major tournament, as participants rather than spectators, closes that gap in a way that a classroom session cannot.

Female coaches remain significantly underrepresented across all levels of the game in Australia. The pipeline that will change that depends not only on accreditation access but on the professional networks, peer relationships and exposure to elite environments that male coaches have historically taken for granted.

The workshop forms part of Football NSW’s ongoing commitment to developing female coaches through scholarships and structured learning opportunities.

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