New chapter begins
Yesterday marked the dawning of a new era for the region, with the official launch of the Academy of Sport.
In collaboration with TAFE Queensland, school leavers will have the chance to receive elite-level coaching to further their sporting pursuits without having to relocate from home.
The condition: participants must take up tertiary education, with one-one-one support to be offered in their studies and athletic goals.
Scarff has taken on a development officer role with the Townsville and District Rugby Union, working in schools to help nurture and foster prospective talent.
He himself has become an impressive fly-half, donning the number 10 jersey for Brothers in this year’s Agrade competition.
But had the Academy of Sport been available to him even 12 months ago, his playing future may have taken even greater flight. Scarff said he had developed a passion for coaching and mentoring youngsters, and he wanted to ensure no aspiring stars of tomorrow needed to sacrifice their home lifestyle for a shot at greatness.
“I think definitely if I had seen this when I was at school I would’ve had a long hard think about joining this program and pursuing other dreams of mine,” he said.
“After I finished school I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, and this opportunity came up so I thought it would be a great thing for me to do.
“The future looks pretty bright to me, especially those younger age groups coming through. I don’t think I was that good when I was that young so it’s pretty exciting.”
Retention of athletes in North Queensland has long been a challenge, with the region unable to match the resources and levels of competition experienced in the metropolitan areas.
The academy aims to eradicate that issue.
In addition to rugby union,
football and netball have joined forces with TAFE, as have the Mendi Blackhawks.
TAFE Queensland executive director corporate services Susan Kinobe said the program had already worked wonders in Cairns this year, with athletes not only educated in their chosen studies but also in areas such as nutrition.
She said the holistic approach would not only prepare participants for all facets of their future, but strengthen
the region’s academic and sport presence.
“We know on a sporting stage we’ve got amazing talent here in North Queensland with sports,” Kinobe said.
“They don’t want to always go to the city, nor can they afford it. This (gives us) the ability to be locally grown, locally produced and actually stay here which brings our community closer.
“They won’t be overlooked in their sport by not going to
the capital cities because this is a renowned program. In addition to that there is life outside of sport and that’s what we really want to do.”
FOOTBALL
For Rebels ace Joshua Small, everything he does is football. Having developed a passion for coaching, he is set to engage with the academy in order to further his playing and mentoring aspirations.
While a rise to the ALeague is firmly on his agen
da, Small said the academy would enable him to tackle his future on multiple fronts while allowing him to remain in Townsville.
“It (A-league) is on the radar, but right now I’m just worried about my development and getting all the foundations right to get to that stage,” Small said.
“I definitely would have more been looking at moving away for those opportunities bigger capitals get.
“But with this program and the opportunities to balance sport and education that’s definitely on my radar.”
NETBALL
While the vast majority of sports in North Queensland suffer from the same restrictions distance and isolation from more populated areas present, netball has arguably been more affected than other codes.
Before the creation of the Northern Rays, Townsville City Netball president Peter Mccann said talent would head for the city lights “the second they finish school”.
As a born and bred North Queenslander, he said he had had enough of seeing the exodus. With future plans in the works to ideally host a Super Netball franchise, Mccann said that process needed to begin at the grassroots level.
To do that they needed to provide the stepping stones to further their careers on and off the court.
“The Northern Rays will enable netballers to play local, stay local and in the future we’re looking to have a national side as well,” Mccann said.
“Study is obviously very important, not all of these athletes will remain athletes forever. Down the track injuries can occur, they change their path of direction, and having that extra string in their bow to study and go on to further studies is only going to help.”
BLACKHAWKS
According to Mendi Blackhawks football operations manager Adrian Thomson, the club’s academy involvement could further their player reach.
Thomson said the opportunity had been broached with their under-16s and under-18s players, however it would be open to all players seeking to establish themselves and expand on their career prospects.
“It targets that group who have a year or two to decide what they want to do on and off the field,” he said. “We’re still going to open it up to players outside of our system that want to come through; we could find someone else.”