Elite Athlete Program

The Elite Athlete Program provides support to domestic and international students enrolled at the University of Tasmania who have been recognised as Elite Athletes.

The University of Tasmania Elite Athlete Program supports students performing at a high level. If you strive for excellence in sport and your tertiary studies, we’ll aid you in achieving your goals.

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Feel supported

Access to personalised support from the Elite Athlete Program Coordinator, including academic study support.

Reach your potential

Full year access to state wide Unigym facilities, including high performance centre, weights and cardio gym, sporting facilities and fitness classes.

Scholarship opportunities

Access to additional scholarship and bursary opportunities including subsidies to represent the University at Unisport Nationals competitions.

Those Athletes who are a member of one of the following organisations as an ‘elite athlete’ or ‘elite coach’:

  • Australian Institute of Sport
  • State and Territory Institutes/Academies of Sport
  • AFL Players’ Association
  • Australian Cricketers’ Association
  • Rugby Union Players’ Association
  • Rugby League Professionals’ Association
  • Australian Professional Footballers’ Association
  • Australian Basketball Players' Association
  • National Squad members from Sport Australia funded sports
  • Senior/Head coaches from State and Territory Institutes/Academies of Sport, national teams from Sport Australia funded sports or participating professional sports

Or fulfil one of the below criteria:

  • Those Athletes holding an individual National Ranking inside the top 15; at the discretion of UTAS Sport for sports unrecognised by Sport Australia.
  • Those Athletes who received an individual medal in a Division 1 event in the previous year’s UniSport Nationals Competition or are selected as part of the 2024 University Basketball League squads.
  • The Elite Athlete Program Coordinator will assess your application in line with the Eligibility Criteria.
  • If you have been assessed to not meet the eligibility criteria, you may request that your application be reviewed by an independent panel.
  • UTAS Sport reserves the right to promote or demote a student subject to their ongoing performance.

Meet Your Elite Athletes

Sam Woolford

Sam is currently competing in the National Orienteering League (NOL), which is Australia’s premier elite domestic competition. Sam will be competing in 10 individual races and 2 relays across 4 rounds. The first round this year was in Tasmania last weekend, the next is in South Australia over the Easter weekend. In the first round of races Sam finished 2nd, 5th and rounding out the weekend with 1st winning by 2 mins and 51 seconds. The NOL’s are used as primary selection for the national teams with Sam hopefully of selection for the Junior World Championships.

You can find out more about the National Orienteering League and follow Sam’s result here https://orienteering.asn.au/performance/national-league/

Introducing Abbey Boutcher, Bachelor of Health and Education student.
Abbey has been rowing since grade six and is a member of our Elite Athlete Program. Abbey rows with North Esk, Launceston and represented UTAS Sport at the 2022 UniSport Nationals.
Meet Sam King, an Australian Maritime College student and Elite Athlete. As Tasmania's leading Laser sailor and the 6th-ranked sailor in Australia, Sam has achieved remarkable success.
He captained the UTAS Sport sailing team to victory, securing gold in the 2022 UniSport Nationals.

Sam got introduced to sailing by chance, “My grandma was taking me for a walk along the foreshore (in Sandy Bay) and there was a sailing school at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

“I enrolled on the day and haven’t stopped coming every Saturday since. Ever since my first time sailing, I’ve wanted to race, and whenever I race, I want to win.”

Sam has always been able to maintain a good balance between his sailing and his studies, saying the University has been flexible and very supportive of his Olympics bid, in particular.

“I’m allowed to change the course structure a little bit to suit my needs,” he said.

“If I’ve got a competition in Europe, or I’ve got a training camp in Sydney or in Western Australia, the University works with me and we can help tailor what I need to do for my sailing and combine that with the University requirements.

There’s lots of pressure as my ranking gets better in Australia and the world, but I’m lucky to have the support network through the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Institute of Sport and their elite athlete partnership.
Introducing Brooklyn Bruton, a Bachelor of Business student and passionate basketball player. Brooklyn is a valued member of our Elite Athlete program and participated in the 2022 Unisport Nationals in Perth.
Meet brother and sister squash duo Jamie and Grace Pattison. They've have graduated from University, but during their studies, they represented UTAS Sport on numerous occasions, most notably at the 2022 UniSport Nationals. While at University, they were both members of our Elite Athlete Program.
Meet Meriem Daoui who has graduated from the University of Tasmania. While studying Nursing, and as a long distance runner the recipient of a University of Tasmania Elite Sports Scholarship helped her combine her passion for sport with her love of helping people.

Contact us

Address

Unigym, Grace Street, Sandy Bay