Some of the state’s finest young athletes will arrive in the Wagga Wagga Region from Friday, 8th April for the 2022 Your Local Club Academy Games.
Hosted by the Southern Sports Academy (SSA), the event will be held across various venues throughout the Wagga Wagga region from Friday, April 8th to Sunday, April 10th. The event will run for the first of three years in Wagga Wagga, previously hosted by the Hunter Academy of Sport (HAS) in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
The Games will be bringing together athletes, staff, families and supporters from all 11 Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) across New South Wales. The competing Academies include Central Coast, Far West, Illawarra, Hunter, North Coast, Northern Inland, South East, South West Sydney, Southern, Western Region and Western Sydney Academies of Sport. The Games will also highlight guest Academies, including teams from Sydney and the ACT.
The Games features the emerging talent of 1300 athletes across 7 sports including Basketball, Cycling, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Triathlon and Indoor Volleyball.
Chief Executive Officer of the SSA Mark Calverley stated: “We are extremely excited to be given the opportunity to host the Your Local Club Academy Games in the Southern Region. It is poignant that in our 30th year as an academy we will see the event travel west of the divide for the first time in its 17 year history, and therefore provide an opportunity for our athletes to perform on their home stage.”
“We are fortunate to have taken over the Games from the team at Hunter who did an outstanding job over the past four years despite the interruptions brought on by COVID. Through this success, the 2021 Games generated an estimated 7000 bed stays in the Hunter, with a total economic tourism value of $2.16M.”
Chairman of ClubsNSW, Dr. George Peponis OAM; commented on the above, “As regional communities begin to welcome tourists back after the persistent challenges presented by COVID-19, the Your Local Club Academy Games have arrived in Wagga Wagga at the perfect time. This special event will see thousands of talented young athletes and their families visit the region, providing local clubs and other businesses a much-needed boost in trade and morale.”
The 2022 Your Local Club Academy Games is proudly supported by Your local club, the NSW Government, Wagga Wagga City Council, Southern Cross Austereo, Active Physiotherapy, Regional Academies of Sport and Southern Sports Academy.
For more information on the Games, please visit www.academygames.com.au.