Federation University Australia has been chosen from universities around the globe as the World Academy of Sport’s partner to deliver its first distance undergraduate degree.

Australian Olympic 800 metre runner Peter Bol and table tennis player Milly Tapper – the first Australian athlete to compete at both an Olympics and Paralympics – helped launch the new partnership at an event at Federation University’s Mt Helen campus on 6^th November 2019.

Through the partnership, Federation will provide a new undergraduate degree in International Sports Management that will be delivered online to students globally. The World Academy of Sport will contribute to content development with a wide range of material including customised case studies, study centre options and interviews from world leaders in sports management.

Based in Manchester, England, with offices in Etoy, Switzerland and Melbourne, the World Academy of Sport delivers learning programmes for athletes, managers, administrators, officials and coaches around the world through tailored educational programmes.

The new International Sports Management degree is aimed at elite athletes who want to pursue a future career in the business of sport, and who need to balance studying with elite-level training and competition. It is also aimed at those looking to enter the sports industry or those wishing to enhance their existing careers within the industry.

Federation will also deliver three new sports management subjects to secondary school students through the International Baccalaureate Career Programme. The secondary school subjects provide a pathway into the new International Sports Management degree and will be available to up to 5,000 schools in Australia and around the world.

This international partnership highlights Federation University’s strength and growing international reputation in sports science and management, and comes as the university prepares to open its new AU$15 million Health and Sports Precinct next year.

Federation University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Helen Bartlett, says: “Federation University’s sports science programmes and research are world-class and this new partnership demonstrates that. Through the World Academy of Sport, our new international sports management degree will be offered to elite athletes and those aspiring to a sporting career right around the world.”

The World Academy of Sport’s Managing Director, Chris Solly, adds: “Our aim at the World Academy of Sport has always been to offer a complete education pathway for the sports industry and we are excited to be working with Federation University to launch the undergraduate stage of that journey. Through offering this degree as a distance programme, it will provide flexibility for those looking to achieve this important qualification alongside their existing careers or activities. In many ways, our industry is looking to reinvent its products and services so that they are more contemporary and in line with modern societal values and this requires a ‘root and branch’ rethink of how we prepare the future sporting leaders of tomorrow. The offer from Federation University stood out and perfectly fits with this strategic direction of the Academy.”