The Athlete Development Program (ADP) is a unique program designed for athletically talented students and focuses on all aspects of athlete development including practical skills, strength conditioning, training principles and sports science theory.
Athlete Development Program Outline
The ADP provides our young athletes with the best opportunity to succeed in their chosen sport and to develop career pathways in sport. The program is tailored to each individual athlete and their needs, allowing each student to focus on excellence in their chosen sport.
The ADP is selected as an elective subject in Years 9 and 10, allowing talented young sportspeople to focus on their sporting excellence, while also achieving academic success.
Currently, the program includes AFL, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Cricket, Dance, Equestrian, Gymnastics, Hockey, Netball, Rowing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Triathlon, Tennis, Volleyball and Water Polo. Additional sports will be added according to student needs.
Individualised Program
The ADP is customised to each young athlete’s needs, with specialised coaches and experts providing guidance in all areas of athlete development.
Strength and conditioning: Under the guidance of specialised trainers, students work through core strength and conditioning activities applicable to their chosen sport. This builds student knowledge of their musculoskeletal balance and leads to enhanced performance and injury prevention.
High performance skill sessions: Students partake in individual or small group skill sessions with state and nationally accredited coaches to develop their athletic skills and knowledge. Athletes with heavy external training loads can use this time for academic studies.
Long-term athlete development: The program empowers athletes by providing them with knowledge in training principles, nutrition, biomechanics, coaching and other essentials for careers in the sport industry.
Tactical development: Athletes develop an understanding of game principles and technique adjustment through use of video analysis, GPS and personal reviews.
State and National Level Coaches
Highly regarded and specialised coaches are sought for each athlete’s chosen sport, and work closely with our young athletes to provide them with tailored training programs and high level feedback to shape student development.
Current coaches include Michael Knoll (Sydney Swans and Norwood Redlegs Football clubs), Lucy Sharman (2021) (Australian Hockeyroos player), Trish Adams (former Australian Lacrosse Coach), Adriano Pellegrino (Adelaide United and other professional Soccer clubs).
Athlete Wellbeing
Athlete wellbeing is paramount within the Athlete Development Program, where students are taught the ways it can affect their sporting performance, and how to manage it effectively.
Student athletes have access to on-site physiotherapy as well as the School’s student Wellbeing Team. They use sports psychology principles and GPS data to monitor their training loads, recovery and sleep schedules.
Parents are invited to quarterly guest presentations offering support and strategies to families of high performing student athletes.
Selection to the Athlete Development Program
Selection to the ADP is via an application process with the following considered:
- Involvement in a high-level representative sporting team (e.g. state or national)
- Demonstration of student’s potential involvement in elite programs outside of the School
- Student’s performance in the Health and Physical Education subject
Enquiries about the Athlete Development Program should be referred to Mark Reid, Head of Athlete Development & High Performance: mreid@pembroke.sa.edu.au
This unique program supports the development of students (and their coaches) with potential for competing on a national or even world stage. As an Olympic athlete, I understand the importance of high-quality training and coaching and the ADP provides students with this very opportunity. I wish I had this when I was in school!
I focus on showing students how the best in the world do things, and love that I get to pass this on to young players. The players benefit as they can make changes to their techniques that will make them better players for the future.