AA ALUMNI PROGRAM

Overview 

Archery Australia recognises the importance of supporting athletes as they transition away from being a high-performance athlete. Archery Australia currently offers its AIS funded program (National Recurve and Para Program) athletes 12 months of transition support through Wellbeing & Engagement service provision and resources, as well as six months support through Performance Psychology service provision. There are also transition support services from the AIS that are available ongoing such as the AIS Mental Health Referral Network (MHRN) and the AIS Career Practitioner Network (CPRN). This transition support provided by Archery Australia is on par with what is offered in majority of the countries National Sporting Organisations (NSOs) and the National Institute Network (NIN) system and provides individualised planning and support services to athletes in a crucial time in their journey.  

Research tells us that this point of transition away from elite sport can lead to significant issues with athlete wellbeing, particularly a lost sense of identity, community, and purpose. Anecdotally, it can be a point of significant change for an athlete in terms of finance, career, relationships, residence, and other factors of personal life.  It can also be said that when an athlete retires, they take with them years of experience, knowledge, and insight into being an elite athlete in the sport of Archery.  

Given the significant investment made in our athletes, and by our athletes, in time and resources, Archery Australia would like to create a clear and supported program in which to maintain engagement with Archery Australia Alumni.  

Aim 

This program aims to be mutually beneficial, by facilitating and funding Alumni to maintain connection with their sport and community for wellbeing benefit and contribute to the development of athletes and staff within the high-performance pathway of Archery. The aim of the Alumni program is to develop a directory of alumni athletes interested in maintaining connection with the sport of Archery, and to facilitate a range of engagements that support athletes to share their knowledge and experiences.  

Delivery 

Eligible Alumni  

To engage in either the Alumni Directory or the Alumni Engagement Pool the athlete must be: 

• Retired from High-Performance Archery 
• In a transition period or extended break from High-Performance Archery.  
• Currently in High-Performance Archery and actively preparing for transition or retirement and are in leadership/senior positions.  

The alumni must also have represented at: 

• World Cups or World Championships  
• Olympics, Paralympics, or Commonwealth Games 
• The National Recurve Program or National Para Program for more than a two-year period 

Currently the Alumni Engagement Pool is only available to athletes who meet the above criteria but are in Recurve and Para Archery disciplines. 

Alumni Application Process 

To apply for inclusion in the alumni program, eligible alumni must submit and expression of interest through the link here: Alumni Program 23-24 EOI. Applications can be made at any time in the calendar year, and the applicant can expect follow up contact from the Archery Australia HP Wellbeing Manager to discuss the application. 

To see the full program outline or discuss your application please email the Archery Australia HP Wellbeing Manager. 

Key Contacts 

Rhian Bird 

High Performance Wellbeing Manager (Lead of Alumni Program) 

Rhian.bird@archery.org.au 

*Please Note: Elements of this program are only funded for disciplines of Recurve and Para Archery at Archery Australia as the funding for this program is provided through the AIS and must be allocated accordingly. Archery Australia has included non-funded disciplines, including Compound, Barebow and Longbow, in areas of the program and will endeavour to increase funding in this program to those disciplines after reviewing feasibility.