The Youth Sports Scholarship (YSS) runs annually and invites City of Melville residents aged between 12 and 19 years of age to apply during July and August.
The Scholarship provides a 1 year membership to LeisureFit Booragoon and LeisureFit Melville to complement the successful applicant’s current training regime as they strive to succeed in their chosen sport.
The Youth Sports Scholarship is aimed at athletes aged between 12 and 19 years of age before 1 September 2021 who have aspirations to compete at the highest level.
The Scholarship is designed to support sportspersons during the teenage years when research shows that the largest dropout rates occur. It is for this reason that the Youth Sports Scholarship provides free entry into City of Melville LeisureFit facilities for additional training purposes associated with their chosen sport. The aim is to lessen these teenage drop-out rates.
The lower age limit has been set at 12 years as it is around this age when Sport Australia research shows that junior athletes start to take sport more seriously and begin competing at the level of competition that is supported by the Youth Sports Scholarship.
The upper limit of 19 years has been set as at this age the sportspeople are adults, even if in their particular sport they may still be able to compete through the junior or youth pathways.
The Youth Sports Scholarship support and mirror the SportAus programme for Local Sporting Champions.
There will be no exemption for any application that is not within this age bracket.
There are no limits on applying for a Youth Sports Scholarship each year; as long as the criteria and eligibility is met.
Previous Recipients of the Youth Sports Scholarship Said:
"I am proud and grateful for the opportunity to develop and grow my sports potential to the highest levels, including using the gym to build muscle mass for strength and power, swimming pool for aerobic exercises and endurance in long matches and fitness classes for enhanced stamina." - Jasmine Wu – Table Tennis
"The gym has aided me greatly - I regularly go to the gym to help increase my fitness, reduce muscle imbalances and increase my power - which has played a crucial role in injury prevention for me over the past year. When I am having niggles or am taking a break from running, doing gym sessions and using the bikes and ellipticals have been a perfect replacement for my sessions and keeps me at a high level of strength and fitness." - Kayla Van der Linden – Athletics
"I am so grateful that I have been a City of Melville Youth Sports Scholarship recipient and have benefited so much from using the excellent facilities regularly. The proximity of these services close to home is extremely beneficial. Social interaction with friendly centre staff and other athletes in the community helps motivate me to keep fit and healthy." - Charlotte George – Athletics
"Last year I received the scholarship, this allowed me to have unlimited access to the centre. This allowed me to do sessions outside of my squad swimming and also access to the other facilities to help improve my strength and condition. These benefits assisted me in making it to Open Water nationals earlier in the year." - Thomas Dreverman – Swimming