About Us
The Academy of Sport: South Island (ASI) is the southern partner of the New Zealand Academy of sport, an elite, sports support network; established to create a world class environment for New Zealand's top athletes and coaches.
Established in 2000, ASI's head office and associated service centre is at Logan Park, Dunedin. Christchurch too has its own service centre at QEII Stadium. At either end of the island, the academy's resource centres for athletes and coaches are based at their respective regional sports organisations: Invercargill (Sport Southland), Nelson (Sport Tasman).
The ASI is the southern segment of the Sport and Recreation Commission's (SPARC) three-region national academy system. Its main role is to provide technical and analytical advice to 21 nationally classified performance sports, and provide significant resources that include a wide range of physical and health services.
These services are provided to 'carded' athletes and coaches that have been identified by their respective sports:
- Athletes at the elite, world ranked level
- Athletes competing internationally
- Coaches of the above
- Emerging athletes with elite potential
- Coaches with elite potential
ASI's assistance includes access to training facilities, Athlete Career Education (ACE) programmes and the latest information on sports psychology, coaching and training techniques and high-tech, training programme development.
ASI's main centres at Dunedin and Christchurch provide specialised services with both the staff and facilities to provide expert advice and analysis for performance-based training. Similar support is available throughout the South Island - from Takaka to Tuatapere - via the academy's fully equipped mobile unit. This means that athletes, no matter where they live and train, can have access to fully professional facilities.
Behind all this is a South Island-wide network of accredited professionals, providing important athlete assistance in disciplines such as sports science, sports psychology and medicine, chiropody, bio-mechanics, nutrition and athlete lifestyle management.
In conjunction with SPARC, other funding bodies and the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Federation, regional sporting organisations and national sports bodies, the South Island Academy has developed new programmes to assist athletes outside the current 'carded' athlete structure. The Winter Olympic programme, the Elite MotorSport Academy, and regional assistance programmes for promising athletes are good examples of this; expansion that will continue.