GIANTS Academy launched

The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS have unveiled the GIANTS Academy, which will benefit young athletes from Western Sydney, the ACT, South Coast and Southern NSW.

In partnership with AFL NSW/ACT, the GIANTS Academy aims to identify, develop and nurture elite athletes in NSW and the ACT.

The Academy was officially launched at the University of Canberra by GIANTS Head Coach Kevin Sheedy with more than 150 local athletes taking part in the first Academy combine testing session.

“This a great day for our Club and more importantly for young footballers and athletes in NSW and the ACT,” said Sheedy.

“We have been given a huge opportunity with our zone, so it’s important that we work hard to offer the best development and education programs for this next generation coming through the system.

“There is so much talent is this region, we just need to make sure that every kid is being offered the opportunity to reach their full potential. This is not just about these young boys becoming better footballers, it’s about helping them to become better people with a holistic approach to their development.

“We’re serious about our commitment to our zone and this is just one of the first steps for us to offer genuine opportunities to local talent,” he said.

Professor of Sport Studies at the University of Canberra, Keith Lyons, said the program was an integral part of the partnership between the GIANTS and the University of Canberra, with a memorandum of understanding signed in September last year.

“The academy program will enable young athletes to experience the campus as well as gaining access to our facilities and the expertise of our staff,” Professor Lyons said.

“It is a great opportunity for students to work with elite athletes and learn about high performance environments.”

To celebrate the launch of the program the GIANTS announced the signing of its inaugural Academy member, Ned Mortimer.

Ned, the son of ARL premiership player, NSW and Australia representative player, Chris Mortimer, is the first mature age GIANTS Academy member.

Mortimer is a talented athlete who has played AFL for NSW in the U15, U16 and U18 representative sides. He returns to the AFL two years after he succumbed to a knee injury playing for the under-18 RAMS and missed the carnival. He will be used as a mature age top up player throughout the year for the GIANTS.

“It’s a great opportunity to join the Academy and to be considered as a top up player with the GIANTS, I’ll grab it with both hands, I’m just really excited to be playing AFL again,” said Mortimer.

“I love rugby league, if I could I’d be playing both sports but the opportunity to play under the coach at Collingullie Kapooka and against some mates from Wagga just proved too much. My family is really supportive of me, I also find that the aerobic fitness is probably the most challenging.”

This Academy offers players individual skill and personal development programs. It will incorporate a number of aspects including physical preparation, skill development, nutrition, recovery and personal development.

Overseeing the program will be GIANTS Academy Manager Lachlan Buszard. The program will be delivered through eleven Regional Centres of Excellence and a number of camps to combat the geographical challenges that many families in Regional NSW face.

Regional Centres of Excellence will be based in Broken Hill, Wentworth, Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Deniliquin, Griffith, Western Sydney, Orange/Bathurst and on the South Coast.