What We Do

The Otago Academy of Sport coordinates and delivers a range of athlete and coach services catering for individual athletes and teams across Otago, Central and North Otago. 

This support includes education for individual athletes and team academies through workshops and one on one consultations in sports science, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, and athlete life and support. We see this as crucial to the development of our regional athletes and coaches, and to assuring they get the support they need to not only progress and achieve in their sport, but to remain in their region around their support networks and education/work opportunities. The goal is to ensure we have well balanced and supported athletes who have a healthy perspective on their sporting lives, with a focus on developing the athlete as a person not just an athlete.

Our Talent Development Program is a two year commitment that assists the athletes and their coaches on their sport(s) pathway. This is done through education including a series of workshops covering information about athlete life, mental skills training, sports nutrition, financial skills, emotional and mental health and wellbeing and strength and conditioning training.  Year 1 of the Academy is the foundation year, and is followed by Year 2 which has more of a focus on leadership and self-responsibility. There is an option for ongoing support beyond year two, in our Excel program where athletes are still committed to their sport and striving to achieve their goals.

Our Strength and Conditioning Program is run by Matt Blair who has 30+ years experience in working with both team and individual athletes. He continues to provide our athletes with a great foundation in training to be an athlete, individual programs for specific needs and a focus around injury prevention and recovery strategies. The gym offers athletes a unique environment to be inspired by other athletes and exposes them to different sports, training methods and levels of success and achievement. Matt monitors their progress and oversees their technique and movement competency. He also liaises with the athletes’ coaches to ensure they have input and are complimentary to what is they are trying to achieve.

OAS are also involved in coordinating the annual Elite Motorsport Academy week-long camp in Dunedin and the Motor Sport graduate program that follows the camp, and provides services that have been identified through their individual performance plans. This is delivered in partnership with Motorsport NZ and the Motorsport NZ Scholarship Trust. This has been running for 18 years and since its inception in 2004,  over 150 motorsport athletes have been through the programme. We’ve seen many successful motorsport academy graduates achieve on the world stage including the van Gisbergen’s, Hayden Paddon, Scott McLaughlin and Brendon Hartley.

OAS is very grateful for the support of our major funder, the Otago Community Trust and also the Aotearoa Gaming Trust (formerly Southern Trust), who help to fund our numerous programs and in turn enable us to support our Otago future sporting champions. Bendigo Valley Sports and Charity Foundation also kindly supported us to help contribute to our office lease costs. 

PERFORMANCE:EXPERTISE: VALUE: ENGAGEMENT: GROWTH: INVOLVEMENT