Leah Blayney and Kat Smith graduate from the AIS National Generation 2032 Coach Program

1 min read 17 October 2024

The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) has celebrated the graduation of the first participants of the National Gen32 Program – an initiative aimed at providing a pathway to the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games coaching ranks.

Run in collaboration between the AIS, national sporting organisations (NSOs), and state sport institutes and academies, Gen32 provides early-career coaches a two-year paid internship within national sporting programs.

Leah Blayney and Kat Smith both represented football during the National Gen32 Program.

Coaches representing 20 different sports gathered at the AIS in Canberra on Monday for their official graduation from the program, and Australian Sports Commission CEO Kieren Perkins OAM says the system will be stronger for their experience.

Leah Blayney (L) and Kat Smith (R) during their graduation from the AIS National Gen32 Program.

Despite officially graduating, all female coaches will be undertaking a third year of the Gen32 Program thanks to a $3.9 million funding boost provided by the Australian Government in 2023.

The funding is part of the drive to get more women into high performance coaching roles in Australian sport, and supports the work being done by the AIS Women in High Performance Sport Action Plan.