About AIS Beach Volleyball

In July 2005, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) joined with the AVF and SASI to establish the AIS/AVF Beach Volleyball National Centre of Excellence (NCE) in Adelaide to dramatically enhance the support to Australia’s best beach volleyball athletes in the daily training environment. The AIS Beach Volleyball Program offers scholarships to up to 20 residential and camps-based athletes each scholarship year, usually for the period October to September. These athletes are exposed to world class coaches, quality facilities and expert sport science and medicine personnel to maximize their performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and beyond.

Once selected, scholarship holders will also become members of the AVF’s Beach Volleyball National Squad (Senior) receiving funding and other support to engage in international competition including the Asian and World Tours, World Championships and Olympic Games.  The Program’s first intake of AIS scholarship athletes took place in November 2005, with the following athletes being awarded scholarships: Natalie Cook, Nicole Sanderson, Summer Lochowicz, Tamsin Barnett, Kylie Gerlic, Stacey Kloeden, Andrew Schacht, Joshua Slack, Martin Suan, John Byron, Allister Lyne and Travis Moran.