Performance Pathways and coach development continue to be key focus areas for the AIS, especially as Australia builds towards hosting the 2032 Brisbane Games and beyond.

All nine selected coaches are immersed in the AIS Elevate Coach program, which provides intensive learning and support for coaches directly focused on working with the development of performance pathway athletes.

AIS Performance Pathways Coaching lead Graham Turner said the Tour was successful in providing experiential learning and professional development for the coaches.

“This proved to be a fantastic group of professionals who committed 100 per cent to both supporting and challenging each other’s ongoing learning journey,” said Turner.

The 10-day Study Tour included five days of Peer-2-Peer learning at Commonwealth Games events including Athletics, Basketball, Diving, Netball, Rugby 7s, Squash, Swimming and Triathlon.

This was followed by three days at the International Council for Coaching Excellence Global Coaches House Conference which included daily themes such as ‘Coach as Leader’, ‘Coach Learning Never Stops’ and ‘Coaching on the Excellence Pathway’.

The group also held a Q&A session with former Great Britain hockey coach and 2016 GB Coach of the Year Danny Kerry MBE, and visited English Premier League’s Liverpool Football Academy where they were able to observe training.

“The combination of peer-to-peer learning while attending events, taking field trips and listening to guest speakers, provided a rich and stimulating learning environment, and encouraged a broad range and level of conversation across all topics pertaining mostly to sport and coaching,” said Netball's Jenny Borlase.

"I am very grateful for the experience which has broadened my understanding of the high performance sport environment and I'm looking forward to sharing my learnings with the athletes and coaches in the Netball pathway.

“Thank you to Netball Australia, SASI (South Australian Sports Institute) and the AIS for the opportunity to participate in the Tour.”

Rugby 7s coach Reg Tayler was full of praise for the unique opportunity to collaborate with coaches from a mix of sports.

"The AIS Elevate Coaching Study Tour was a very unique experience and not like any other personal development I have encountered before,” said Tayler. “The ability to mix and learn through peer-to-peer conversations about day-to-day challenges, strengths and differences of each sport while being at a world-class event was extremely beneficial.

“I will be able to implement my peer learnings into the daily training environment that I deliver for Rugby 7s in Queensland."

The coaches have used the experiences and insights to adopt into their Coach Development Plans.

For more information, visit the Elevate Coach Program | Australian Institute of Sport (ais.gov.au)

Coaches on the AIS Elevate Coaching Study Tour:

• Jenny Borlase (Netball)
• Matthew Brown (Swimming)
• Reg Tayler (Rugby 7s)
• Nathan Turnbull (Squash)
• Amber Cameron (Diving)
• Elizabeth Doherty (Football)
• Janine Kaye (Triathlon)
• Sebastian Kuzminski (Athletics)
• Jamie O’Loughlin (Basketball)