Indigenous Talent ID

The 2026 Hunter Academy of Sport UAA Indigenous Talent ID Day is being held on Thursday 25th June at Maitland Federation Centre and Wednesday August 26th Muswellbrook Indoor Sports Centre.

The Hunter Academy of Sport (HAS) in partnership with Underwriting Agencies Australia (UAA) have developed an exciting program for students of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island descent. The day is designed for participants wishing to advance their opportunities in sport. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talent ID Day is a ‘first of its kind’ where HAS have developed a sporting platform for athletes to be identified in multiple sports. Those identified will be offered the opportunity to advance to fully funded scholarship positions with HAS Scholarship programs.

What is Talent ID?

Talent ID is an attempt to identify people with specific skills, personal qualities and physical attributes that may lead that person to become a high performing athlete. It is much more than just assessing a persons physical capabilities, it includes the emotional side of performance, aspects like; desire, determination and resilience. These qualities can often be found in mainstream sport, but a little harder to assess when participating in a talent ID day.

Eligibility

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply to the Indigenous Talent ID day a person must firstly be of indigenous descent, in addition, the applicant must be ‘endorsed’ by the school or sporting association in which he/she attends.
The program is open to both male and females that turn 13, 14 , 15 or 16 years of age in 2026
You must currently reside within the Local Government Area (LGA) of the Hunter

Program Information

How the Day Works

Participants will enjoy an introduction to multiple sports, where each student will play either games or participate in sport specific skills in a fun atmosphere to showcase their skills within each sport. Every student will participate in each of the sports on rotation throughout the session. All coaches are of the highest quality and well versed in talent identification. At the end of the day the coaches will assess the participants and those identified will be provided an invitation to attend the HAS 6 week Scholarship Program, with the aim to integrate the students into a HAS Talent Program.

HAS Scholarship Program

HAS will run a 6 week program for all identified students from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talent ID Day in their Strength and Conditioning gym. Successful participants will be offered a position to a sport scholarship program where applicable. Students must be committed to the opportunity before accepting the scholarship.

WHEN: Thursday June 25th

WHERE: Maitland Federation Centre

COST: Free, with thanks to UAA and Santos

Register: Via your school sports coordinator or Aboriginal Educator. Please contact the HAS office if you need more help

Scholarship Opportunties

Explore a variety of scholarship opportunities available through the Hunter Academy of Sport to support athlete development and growth: