July 29th, 2026Central Highlands Coaches Collective launch

Sports Central and FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport have launched the Central Highlands Coaches Collective.

The launch was held at Federation University’s Mount Helen Campus on July 22 with the collective bringing together 95 current and aspiring coaches and leaders from the Central Highlands region.
Keynote speakers at the event included Hannah Every-Hall OLY, GM High Performance at the Victorian Institute of Sport, former Australian rower, world champion and Olympian, pictured, Brad Dubberley, former Australian Wheelchair Rugby head coach and Paralympic athlete and Mick Malthouse, an Australian Rules player and premiership coach as well as a Ballarat native.
Sports Central is the Regional Sports Assembly for the Central Highlands and delivers a range of programs and services for the community sport and active recreation sector.
It services the Central Highlands region which includes six local government areas – Ararat Rural City, City of Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Moorabool and Pyrenees shires.
FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport CEO Scott Allison, a national cycling coach, said it had been a night of education, sharing and networking.
“We really wanted to create opportunities for coaches to network and learn in the regions. A lot of coaching seminars are held in Melbourne but many coaches are volunteers so we want to bring that education to the regions.
“We’ve got 153 athletes in our programs that we help mentor, coach and support. Without good coaches, you can’t have good athletes. If we can upskill the coaches, we can upskill the athletes as well. I think that’s why we got such great support for the event, people are crying out for it in the regions.”
Sports Central executive manager Michael Flynn said the event captured “the very essence of what Sports Central is all about: supporting all clubs and associations across the Central Highlands to be the best they can be”.
“Encouraging participation and leadership through sport by promoting welcoming and inclusive opportunities for all to socially connect, grow, play and compete.”
Link: www.sportscentral.org.au

From left, Michael Flynn, Hannah Every-Hall, Brad Dubberley, Michael Malthouse and Scott Allison