The University of Wollongong’s (UOW) UniActive will launch the Female Athlete High-Performance Program, a 24-week initiative starting on 28 April 2025.
It’s an innovative program that aims to empower female athletes aged 14-18 (Year nine and above) by offering tailored, expert-led training and education to enhance physical health, athletic development, and psychological growth.
The program’s roll-out follows the success of a pilot program that supported 25 athletes and will provide a high-performance environment designed to meet the unique needs of female athletes across all sports. Delivered by UniActive, it combines holistic development with flexible schedules to complement existing commitments.
Participating student athletes will have access to individualised training plans tailored to each athlete’s needs, with a focus on areas such as strength and conditioning, mental skills, performance psychology, sports nutrition, female health education, and athlete pathway support.
“This program meets a growing demand in the Illawarra for high-performance support for female athletes. It’s about enhancing their training without disrupting their schedules, helping them excel on and off the field,” says UniActive Sports Program Manager James Pendrigh.
“Collaboration with local schools, clubs, and sporting associations has played a key role in shaping the program to ensure it meets the needs of athletes across the region.”
Creating connections and continuing education
Ahead of the launch, UniActive hosted the Female Athlete Workshop for NSW Sports High Schools, welcoming about 100 students from schools that include Illawarra Sports High, Westfield Sports High, The Hills Sports High, Endeavour Sports High and Matraville Sports High.
This one-day workshop, a condensed version of the full program, introduced athletes to training techniques, injury prevention strategies, and other key components. Athletes from a range of sports, including netball, football, basketball, athletics, tennis, AFL, cricket, swimming and softball participated in the workshop.
“I think having strong links with the university with all their knowledge, their facilities, even just the fact that we can run workshops in fantastic classrooms, at the university is really, really important,” Director of Sport at Illawarra Sports High School, Amy Child says.
“One thing I would really like to see is a lot of our students coming to the University of Wollongong, continuing in their education while they’re here. And while doing that, using sport as a way to connect with the university and, stay connected to their sport and build lifelong healthy habits.”
Illawarra Sports High Vice-Captain & Cricket Team Captain, Cadence Waters is one of the students who attended the workshop.
“The contributions that this workshop has made has helped me learn about menstruation, recovery, and nutrition. Especially with menstruation, it’s not really talked about in women’s sport now,” she says.
“But with this workshop, it’s taught me how I could implement this with my cycle. And then nutrition and how I could implement these with before games and after games to maximise my sport for cricket. And I can also use recovery strategies to help me maximise my time on the field and off the field.”
The Female Athlete High-Performance Program aims to create a positive ripple effect throughout the Illawarra community. By integrating evidence-based training and cutting-edge research, the program empowers female athletes to achieve their goals while fostering a healthier, more connected community.
People interested in participating are invited to submit an Expression of Interest.
Associate Professor in Sport & Exercise Science Dr Ric Lovell says the program “showcases our commitment to advancing female athlete health and performance”.
“By integrating tailored education and evidence-based training, the program empowers female athletes to excel on and off the field, fostering both individual growth and broader community impact.”
