ACADEMY
PROGRAMS
The College currently coordinates six sport Academy programs across Athletics, Australian Rules Football, Basketball, Football, Netball and Tennis.
The Academies act as feeders to the College’s high performance pathway and provide opportunities for talented students to be exposed to intensive technical coaching and other high performance elements designed to improve skills, develop resilience and enhance performance.
ATHLETICS ACADEMY
The College’s Athletics Academy is coordinated by former National level athlete and Level 2 Athletics Australia Coach, Thomas Wilson. Utilising the College’s own modified synthetic Athletics track, Academy athletes are provided coaching and high performance services and are eligible to apply for the College’s Athlete Development Program (ADP). Students involved in the academy have the opportunity to compete for the College at the annual SACCSS Athletics Championships, along with the Victorian All Schools Championships late in the year. In 2023, it was a historic day for St Monica’s College at the 2023 SACCSS Athletics Carnival. The squad as a collective, achieved a feat that no other College in the history of SACCSS has completed. This involved St Monica’s College winning all 9/9 aggregate age group shields, along with 10/10 individual age group champions and an astounding 6 SACCSS Records, with 2 being association records. A perfect day that capped off a great term for sport at St Monica’s College.
“The Academy is continuing to grow and develop maturity and determination of its student athletes in a professional setting in which we strive to be recognised on a state and national level. In 2023 the College had multiple State champions and finalists at the Victorian All Schools Championships along with a student selected for the Australian 10-12 Year Old championships and acquiring multiple State Records in her events. The Athletics Academy will be looking to surpass the exceptional recent success in 2024”.
– Mr Thomas Wilson – Director of Athletics
AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL ACADEMY
The College’s Australian Rules Football Academy program provides development and competition opportunities for both boys and girls across all year levels. For boys, both Senior AFL (Year 10, 11, 12) and Premier League opportunities at Year 7 and Year 9 in the Sports Association of Catholic Co-educational Secondary Schools (SACCSS) exist. In 2022 the introduction of both Year 8 and Year 10 boys Gala Day Tournaments took place. In 2018, a Senior Girls (Year 10, 11, 12) competition was introduced, again competing in the SACCSS competition with Junior girls (Year 7 and 8) and Intermediate girls (Year 9 and 10) competing in Gala day tournament each year.
The program is headed up by experienced professional Coach, Brett Potter, utilises qualified AFL Coaches and High Performance staff and has created local connections for representative pathways for talented student athletes. The Academy also works within the College’s Athlete Development Program which provides talented junior boys and girls additional technical coaching, to enable the development of basic skill fundamentals combined with quality strength and conditioning programs.
The Academy also coordinates local and interstate performance camps to assist in the development of its students.
“The AFL Academy has produced a memorable 2023. Our Senior Boys squad won the SACCSS Division 1 Grand Final with this being the first in 18 years. Our Senior Girls Squad was narrowly beaten in their Grand Final by under a kick. Our remaining programs all played in Grand Finals or Semi Finals in their respective competitions. We had multiple NFNL League Representative Squad players, Northern Knights players and in 2023 one student be selected in the U/15 Girls Victorian School Squad. In 2023 the growth of our AFL Program continued to develop, and we look forward to continuing that growth in 2024.”
Mr Brett Potter – Director of Australian Football
BASKETBALL ACADEMY
The College’s Basketball Academy is managed by 2 time Olympian, 4 time NBL Champion and former NBL Coach, John Dorge and Indiana Bodley a former collegiate Division 1 athlete at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Students have the opportunity to play against some of the finest and most respected Basketball Academies in Melbourne such as Rowville Secondary and Maribyrnong Secondary College. The program participates in SACCSS Senior Sport, Premier League, Victorian College Championships and the Elite Championship Cup conducted by Basketball Victoria.
The College has a proud tradition of Basketball excellence and provides its students with multiple opportunities to compete nationally and internationally. Academy teams have had the opportunity to travel overseas to America and New Zealand as well as National based trips to the AIS. These tours allow the Academy teams to further strengthen their bond and skills by being exposed to high level competition and experience playing in different environments and cultures.
“The Basketball Academy offers this program to all students. For athlete’s, passion is what drives them, they just love the game. Being a part of a team builds lifetime friendships and motivate athletes to set small goals every time they come together”.
– Mr John Dorge – Director of Basketball
“Our program focuses on the growth of both fundamental and complex skills to develop students of all abilities. In catering for all students and providing over 4 hours of training we are aiming to develop a reputation for success. In 2023 the growth of our Girl’s program saw the College win its first Senior Girls Basketball Title in over of 7 years.”
– Miss Indiana Bodley – Assistant Director of Basketball Female Pathways
NETBALL ACADEMY
This strong program is headed up by Samantha Kolonis and supported internally and externally by qualified coaches who have outstanding VNL and Premier League careers. Academy teams train prior to or after school and students may also be offered individual skills coaching under a Talent Identification and Development Program to assist in fast-tracking their Netball development. With strong ties to all the representative teams in the North / North East, many student athletes in the Academy play in representative teams. Elite level student athletes are also eligible to apply for the College’s high performance student athlete program, the Athlete Development Program. In addition to excellent play and skill development, the program offers additional pathways, such as coaching and umpiring opportunities.
Academy teams also have the opportunity to travel overseas to New Zealand and Singapore as well as National based tournaments on the Gold Coast and the Victorian All Schools Championships. These tours allow Academy teams to further strengthen their bond and skills by being exposed to high level competition and experience playing in different environments.
The Netball Academy provides all our academy athletes with pathways for high level external competition playing. We also pride ourselves on providing coaching opportunities for our alumni both internally and in the community, coaching the next generation of SMC netball stars.
– Ms Sami Kolonis – Director of Netball
NORTHERN FOOTBALL ACADEMY
The College has a proud history of footballing excellence and provides its students with an elite developmental pathway, commencing with entry to the Football Excellence Program at Year 7 and culminating with acceptance into the prestigious Northern Football Academy Immersion Program in Year 10. The College prides itself on its prestigious partnership with the Western United Football Club.
Football Excellence Program
The Football Excellence Program is an elite pathway program for selected Year 7-9 students. The Year 7 and 8 Football Excellence Program operates before or after school and are coached by qualified AFC licensed staff members and sessional coaches.
The Year 9 Football Excellence Program prepares the student for a more advance preparation into the world of football. Both male and females are competitively selected and operate as elective subjects via two double lessons a week with a specific coach designated to each gender.
In 2023, the College introduced a specialist Goalkeeper School Program. This provides students with regular specialist training using elite Goalkeeping Coaches from the Western United Football Club including Tony Belica.
“The Northern Football Academy is one of the country’s top Collegiate Football Programs. Specialist curriculum-based subjects provide each student with a holistic football education, with Academy teams consistently challenging for titles in Victoria and beyond. The Academy aims to send teams overseas to play in tournaments that give our students international exposure.”
– Mr Mark Torcaso – Director of Football
“At the heart of our footballing community is the inclusive participation of male and female athletes within the Year 9 Football Excellence Program, emphasizing equality and opportunity. Our proud partnership with the Western United Football Club further solidifies our commitment to providing an elite developmental pathway for aspiring footballers. Together, we shape the future of football, celebrating the achievements of all athletes who contribute to the rich tapestry of our Northern Football Academy’’
– Miss Adriana Taranto – Assistant Director of Football
TENNIS ACADEMY
The College Tennis Academy is coordinated by the highly respected Vassallo Tennis, who have been coaching tennis and running extensive programs in Epping, Mill Park, South Morang and Thomastown areas over the past 20 years.
Vassallo Tennis has developed 8 National Title winners in singles and doubles over the past 8 years, multiple ITF Junior title winners and consistently has players competing in Junior Points Tournaments throughout the year.
The Academy is broken into four playing groups, based on the student’s current playing ability.
- Bronze Group (Junior Development Squad)
- Silver Group (Junior Development Squad)
- Gold Group (Athlete Development Program – White)
- Platinum Group (Athlete Development Program – Gold & Blue).
The College utilises six new artificial grass courts on its Dalton Road campus, with high performance coaching sessions held up to three times per week before school hours. Additional strength and conditioning and squad hitting opportunities are afforded to the Gold and Platinum groups throughout the year. The Academy boasts multiple students with Junior ITF tournament experience, National Development Squad involvement and has produced several Pizzey Cup and Bruce Cup representatives in the past three years.
More on Vassallo Tennis can be found here.
The Academy’s program has developed rapidly over the past years. The program caters for developmental playing strength through to elite junior playing talent and with up to 6 hours of coaching per week the program is quickly developing a reputation for excellence.
– Mr Matt Sheens, Director of Sport and Tennis Academy
