Two squash coaches included in new AIS program helping to Elevate women coaches

Amanda Hopps and Jemma Wratten are amongst the 28 talented pathway coaches, coming from 20 different sports, who will participate in the AIS Elevate Women Coach program, one of the new professional development programs organised by the Australian Institute of Sport.

The second program in the series - AIS Elevate Athlete2Coach - includes 19 more coaches, for a total of 47 coaches from 27 different sports involved in the Elevate program overall. 

The programs are delivered in partnership with leading tertiary institutions and designed to facilitate professional development for women coaches and former high performance athletes now focused on coaching. 

Perth-based Amanda Hopps said she’s excited to be able to take part in the program to continue her path of professional development, with the goal of helping players to an even greater extent and also supporting fellow coaches in Western Australia.

“Coaches are the backbone of sports development,” Hopps said. “An integral motive of why we coach is that we have an inbuilt passion for the sport and we want to pass on the skills and knowledge to those that are interested. 

“Coaches facilitate learning and development for athletes, and at their very best create a culture of trust, safety, openness and build a hard work ethic for athletes to follow by role modelling these attributes themselves.”

Hopps added that the Elevate program will be a great opportunity to gain new knowledge on athlete development, sports psychology, programming, coach development and wellbeing.

“I am looking forward to gaining cutting-edge knowledge from the leading academic minds in sports coaching, as well as collaborating with many full-time female coaches from leading sports around Australia,” she said.

AIS CEO Peter Conde said the AIS Elevate Coach programs had a strong educational component and he commended the collaboration with La Trobe University, University of Sydney and University of Queensland. 

The Elevate programs are part of the AIS Performance Pathway strategy, but also align significantly to the AIS’s National Coach Development Strategy, launched this year and aimed at making Australia the world leader in modern high performance coaching development before the end of the decade.

“The results in Tokyo were a huge boost, but the AIS’s vision is to build sustainable success for Australian sport,” Conde said. “It’s fundamental, therefore, to continue investing in the professional development of pathway coaches and, more broadly, the high performance workforce guiding Australia’s emerging athletes,” Conde said.

Hoops said she’s grateful to be able to play a crucial role in developing young talents, but she also sees coaching as a way to give back to the sport she loves.

“Squash has been a pillar for me throughout my life. In many ways it has saved me. I have a deep love for the game and am forever grateful for what it has given me. 

“I coach because I want to help other people feel what I love about the game, for it too to become a pillar in their lives,” she said.

For more information, including the full media release from AIS, please click here.