In what can only be described as a major boost to young regional NSW athletes, the Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) have signed an exciting and beneficial partnership which will assist the development of close to 3000 young Academy athletes and 500 coaches across the NSW each year.
Steadfast Group have signed with the RAS on a multi-year contract, with the partnership having 3 main projects which will deliver multiple outcomes in our community:
- The Annual Steadfast Regional Academy Awards and Athlete Well-Being Event
- The Steadfast Athlete L.E.A.D program
- The Steadfast Coach L.E.A.D program
All programs will kick off mid-year and come off the back of a highly successful partnership that RAS has initiated with the support of key partner and stakeholder to Steadfast Underwriting Agencies Australia (UAA). The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talent Identification program, supported by UAA, has unearthed young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sportspeople through-out regional NSW and placed them into health and well-being programs before long term placement into pre-elite sporting and development programs.
Chair of RAS, and Chief Executive Officer of the Hunter Academy of Sport Brett O’Farrell commented, “With Steadfast following the success of UAA’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Talent ID days across the region, it simply made sense for RAS to reach out to Steadfast. This program is an investment in our regional young future leaders which will see direct outcomes resulting in strong leaders, job-ready future generations and most importantly our next crop of Olympians receiving quality coaching and development preparing them as we look forward to Brisbane Olympics in 2032.”
“RAS is excited to welcome onboard Steadfast as a new major sponsor, with the idea stemming from strategic plans to develop regional athletes almost a decade out from Australia hosting its next Olympic Games. Over the last 2 Olympic cycles at both Tokyo and Rio 59 past RAS athletes represented Australia winning 31% of our medals. The sporting stars that we will be cheering on at Brisbane 2032 are currently teenagers and in the RAS cohort,” he stated.
Mr Robert Kelly, Steadfast Group Managing Director followed on from the below, “This partnership will fast track the holistic growth of both the athletes and their coaches.”
About The Steadfast Group
Steadfast Group is the largest general insurance broker network and the largest group of insurance underwriting agencies in Australasia, with growing operations in Asia and Europe.
Steadfast Group has 3 business units primarily focused on the intermediated general insurance market. By working together, our three business units empower Steadfast to serve our main goal of ensuring our brokers provide their clients with exceptional service and superior products.
The Steadfast Network has 434 general insurance brokerages in Australasia who receive superior market access, exclusive products and services, backed by the size and scale of the Steadfast Group.
Steadfast actively promotes the health, safety and wellbeing of our people, and many of the charities we support through various initiatives aims to enhance the health and wellbeing of communities across Australia.
About The Regional Academies of Sport (RAS)
Each year, RAS provides thousands of regional and rural-based athletes, ranging in ages from 10 to 18, the opportunity to access national and international standard training and development programs within their regional bases. The academies are made up of nine Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) operating across New South Wales (NSW), working with State sporting bodies and the NSW government’s Office of Sport as the delivery arm of regional-based pre-elite athlete development programs throughout the state. More information about RAS can be found at www.regionalacademies.org.au