Sports Performance Academy

The Sports Performance Academy (SPA) Blue programme provides an environment for athletes to develop physical and psychosocial skills needed within their sporting lives. The programme incorporates athletes from a range of differing sporting codes, including but not limited to football, basketball, golf, sailing, athletics, and more. This shared space of learning provides a variation in training, perspectives, and skill sets which has proved to be so beneficial in youth sport. The main objective of the SPA Blue programme is for students to develop a healthy and happy relationship with exercise. A secondary objective or by-product of this relationship is improved athletic performance and injury prevention. Implementing evidence-based practice into all aspects of the programme enables athletes to grow and understand how they can better themselves moving forward.

There are multiple attributes and skills which are focused on throughout the year. Movement skill, strength, speed and power are examples of these physical attributes. As well as these areas psychosocial skills, including decision-making, autonomy, and problem-solving, were a target for improvement. An athlete-led approach has been a key tool for aiding in the success of the programme this year. Greater emphasis was placed on the aforementioned psychosocial concepts and the result has been a positive engagement in learning as well as the ability to express and give feedback to their peers.

This year the SPA Blue programme has continued to grow both in terms of numbers and the development of the athletes involved. This continuation from last year consisted of a great mix of returning and new students alike, each with their own characteristics and personalities. It was a personal highlight to see how the group assimilated and welcomed these new students with open arms. It has also been epic to witness the growth of these athletes in relation to their understanding of key competencies as well as their personal confidence in their own abilities. Performance measures were assessed over the course of the year and it was rewarding to see many athletes reach their goals. I commend the effort and engagement from the entire group this year and look forward to building upon these foundations next year.