Partnerships & affiliations in sport & exercise

Key sporting partners

Athlete Friendly University Network

VU is a member of the Australian Sports Commission's Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) Network. Our athlete support program aims to help students balance study with training and competition demands. 

Find out more about our Elite Athlete program.

Australian Institute of Sport / Australian Sports Commission partnership

In 2011, VU's Institute for Health and Sport (then known as ISEAL), signed a partnership agreement with the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).

The ASC is the Australian Government's primary national sports administration and advisory agency. The ASC plays a central leadership role in the development and operation of the Australian sports system, administering and funding innovative sport programs and providing leadership, coordination and support for the sport sector. The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is Australia's premier sports training institute, internationally acknowledged as a world's best practice model for high performance athlete development.

An important part of the long-term partnership was the establishment of jointly funded research positions such as the appointment of Professor Damian Farrow, funded by the AIS and VU.

Joint appointments and scholarships such as those with the AIS and the ASC increase collaboration between our organisations to bring together the best of academia and the sport industry.

In 2011, the Australian Institute of Sport launched a national applied research effort in collaboration with the National Institutes and other relevant external agencies (CSIRO, Institute for Health and Sport at Victoria University, NICTA) to enhance athlete performance.

Maribyrnong College

Victoria University also has a close association with Maribyrnong College, Victoria's first government sports school.

The College has access to Victoria University staff for expert advice and input into a range of fields connected to the specialist sport curriculum - exercise physiology, biomechanics, exercise prescription, rehabilitation.

Elite athletes from the school have the opportunity to transition into tertiary education through relevant and convenient study and career pathways to our sports themed courses.

Real Madrid Graduate School Universidad Europea

The five-year deal signed early 2015 with Real Madrid Graduate School Universidad Europea sees students in selected masters programs travel to Spain where they will be embedded at the school as part of a residential program and have access to the club.

Our recently signed off partnership with Real Madrid Graduate School Unversidad Europea highlights our unique position as we are the only University in the Asia Pacific to partner with them. They work in partnership with Real Madrid Football Club, the biggest sporting club in the world. Their decision to partner with Victoria University further cements our reputation as Australia’s leading sport university.

The partnership also brings Real Madrid expertise directly to classes in Australia. Real Madrid Graduate School Universidad Europea staff visit Victoria University to teach courses, and share their expertise with students in Australia.

More about the partnership between Victoria University and the Real Madrid Graduate School Universidad Europea.

Sport and Recreation Industry Pathway (SARIP) Program

Sport and Recreation Industry Pathway (SARIP) is a Department of Education & Early Childhood Development (DEECD) funded project that is a partnership between VU and Essendon Keilor College, Maribyrnong College and Manor Lakes College.

The SARIP program delivers a quality sport based curriculum in conjunction with Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) guidelines.

Sporting Success project

The Sporting Success project is jointly funded by the Australian Sports Commission, Gymnastics Australia and Victoria University. Through a systematic 5-year program of research, the project will identify the key predictors of long-term engagement in sport and physical activity and its association with academic achievement.

Western Bulldogs AFL club

The Victoria University and Western Bulldogs partnership is one of the longest relationships between an AFL club and a university. This unique partnership is like no other, with the range and depth developed over two decades of association.

We sponsor the AFL team and also partner with the state VFL team and the women's football team (AFLW). We'll also support upcoming players through the Next Generation Academy.

Key factors in our partnership with the Western Bulldogs include:

• training and research
• conjoint or shared staff
• Bulldogs friendly schools program
• practical placements for our students in business, event and hospitality fields.

The Bulldogs use our facilities and expertise of our sport scientists in performance enhancement and development, rehabilitation and recovery.

 

Western United

Victoria University Polytechnic is proud to be an inaugural Premier Partner to Western United Football Club.

Other sport-related collaborations

A full list of strategic partnerships and collaborations is available on our Institute for Health & Sport webpages.

A few of the key relationships are:

• Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS)
• CSIRO
• ESSA
• YMCA
• Australian Sports Technologies Network.