A sport centre of excellence would be a game changer for local sport, says the executive director South West Sydney Academy of Sport, Gerry Knights.
Already a massive supporter of the proposal, Knights has commended both Campbelltown Council and MP Russell Matheson, who has promised funding during the current election campaign.
Mr Matheson has announced more than $7 million to start work on the centre of excellence on a Western Sydney University Campbelltown campus site.
Knights is well qualified to assess the value of such a centre of sport excellence for a region.
He was an integral part of the three year development process of the South West Sydney Academy of Sport Academy (SWSAS) from 1994 and he is still at the helm today.
Knights said Matheson and Campbelltown City Council have shown great commitment to the project on behalf of the local sporting community.
“The sporting and health benefits to the community will be massive, from junior elite to elite athletes, and mums, dads and their families,’’ Knights said.
“This state of the art project will make SWSAS the leading junior elite athlete development academy in the State.
“And it will also enable SWSAS to provide quality development pathway programs to more than 500 local athletes every year.
“We currently service 345 scholarship athletes across a wide range of sports, with many more sports waiting to come on board in 2017 and beyond; working from a facility of this calibre would be a dream come true,’’ Knights said.
It is anticipated that the academy will work hand in hand with the university’s sports and exercise science program in the areas such as skill acquisition, motor control, biomechanics, human anatomy and exercise prescription.
If you would like to know more about the South West Sydney Academy of Sport visit their website here.
