You must have seen and experienced how popular Tennis is in the country, and just like other Athletic scholarships in Australia, or even netball scholarships, there are several opportunities for young talented, and hard-working players. These Tennis scholarships in Australia will help to reduce the financial burden in both high school and University, which also help these students to majorly focus on their pursuits.
One of the advice we would always give our readers, especially in this kind of scholarship is to explore other opportunities outside the usually athletic scholarships. And, I’m talking about academic scholarships too, sometimes, academic scholarships provide more funds than sports financial assistance.
In this blog post, we’ll be listing different types of Tennis Scholarships, some of their eligibility requirements, links on where to apply, and also provide some tips on how to increase your chances of receiving any of the scholarships. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Tennis Scholarships in Australia
1. Ashley Cooper Scholarship
The Ashley Cooper Scholarship was established with the core purpose of identifying tennis players who are 12 to 24 years old across Australia who need support to help deliver on their elite potential. You don’t need to be a citizen to apply, neither do you need to have stayed a very long years, as long as you have resided for at least 3 years during the time of your application, you’re good to go.
2. Wests Tennis Scholarship Program
This is among the Tennis scholarships in Australia that were established to provide financial assistance to junior tennis players who compete at a high standard. It’s required that applicants are current financial members of SDTA for a period of twelve (12) consecutive months.
Also, athletes applying must have participated in at least 2 events run by SDTA during the eligibility period and must have been coached by a qualified coach.
3. Study and Play US Scholarships
At first, I didn’t want to add these scholarships because you won’t be studying in Australia, or even if I wanted to add it, it should have been, perhaps close or the last scholarship on our list. But, after reading through their guidelines and proposal, I thought it might also interest you.
First of all, eligible Australian Tennis student-athletes are given full scholarships to study, which means you won’t pay a dime to study in the United States. And, when you return to Australia after four years of both a rigorous academic and strong Tennis career, you’ll have a wealth of options to choose from, whether to continue a career from your studies, go pro in tennis, or combine both.
It is worth noting that at any given Grand Slam event in recent years, there were over 30 current or former U.S. college players contesting the event, so going to the United States gives you a strong opportunity.
4. McDonald College Tennis Scholarships
McDonald College is partnering with Voyager Tennis Academy to provide Tennis scholarships in Australia to students from Years 5 – 12 who are already demonstrating a strong level of play. Besides the scholarship – which, by the way, can help some eligible candidates study in the United States on tennis scholarships – student-athletes will be opportune to regularly compete against and alongside some of the best young players from overseas.
5. School Sport Australia
School Sport Australia was established in 1981, and since then it has been living according to its name, i.e. being responsible for the development and promotion of school sport in Australia. If you intend to apply for their scholarship, your kid needs to be 12 years and under and must be experiencing financial hardship.
The $1,000 worth of scholarship won’t be used for academic purposes but for attending events – which, looking at it from another angle, is also for educational purposes.
6. Women’s Tennis Foundation Inc. Scholarship
This foundation was built to support upcoming, talented, hard-working, high-potential young female tennis players. And, one of the ways they provide this support is by delivering scholarships and mentorship programs.
The scholarship fund will go as far as helping young females to reach their potential to become world-class international tennis players.
7. UQ Sporting Scholarships
The University of Queensland promotes a wide range of sports, in fact, it is part of their student life, and one of the ways they promote it is by providing other athletic and Tennis scholarships in Australia. Due to the level of support student-athletes in this school receive, most of them have gone on to excel at the highest international levels, including at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.
8. VIS – Wheelchair Tennis Scholarship
The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) provides individual athlete scholarships annually to athletes from sports that do not have a VIS Tier 1 program, in which Wheelchair Tennis is included.
9. Sydney Uni Sport & Fitness Scholarships
For more than 2 decades, this university has provided sporting scholarships through their Elite Athlete Program helping over 2,000 Sydney University student-athletes to find balance and achieve their goals. One of the things that makes their scholarship so special is that student don’t only receive scholarships, but also other benefits and services, plus the care and encouragement of their staff and community.
10. Curtin University – Elite athlete program and Scholarships
This list of Tennis scholarships in Australia wouldn’t have been complete without making mention of these scholarships provided by Cutting University. And we said so because of the different scholarships they provide.
According to the school, for you to be considered an elite athlete one of these organizations must have identified you as such;
- The Australian Institute of Sport
- A state institute or academy of sport
- A relevant national or state sporting association
5 Tips to Increase Your Chances of Winning Tennis Scholarships in Australia
I believe you should have noticed by now that getting any Athletic scholarship is very competitive, and the number of scholarships made available is very few. Also, not all students that participate in a particular sport will receive scholarships, in fact, only a fraction of these students receive scholarships.
Here are some things you need to do or have, to stand out.
Work on your Skill
One of the things you should know is that you can’t achieve a lot being an average player, so one of the best ways to stand out is to outperform other student-athletes. It’s by having a high-quality skill that the coach can notice you in the pool of other competitors.
So, please, hone your skills, and put in the work.
Work on your Grade
Please, don’t assume because you’re applying for Tennis scholarships in Australia that coaches will turn a blind eye to your grades. We can’t give you a specific number these coaches might demand because they vary.
Be Involved in Your Local Tennis Community
The local Tennis community opens doors to lots of things including networking sessions where you can meet some amazing players and probably a coach that might sign you.
Compete in Tournaments
It’s worth noting that most coaches visit tournaments and events to look for potential recruits who will still be eligible for scholarships. So, which best place to be if not for where coaches are going?
Start Early
The earlier you start applying for scholarships the easier, and early notice also helps you to improve on some skills that the scholarship demands that you are probably lagging a little behind.
Finally, we believe with the right hard work and consistent dedication, you’ll land the best scholarship you deserve.
Conclusion
Tennis is one of the most popular sports in Australia, most schools that welcome sporting activities have tennis on the list, and there are a handful of opportunities for high-performing players with good grades to receive scholarships. You’ll also notice from our list that scholarships are available both in high schools and universities.
Performing well in Tennis is not the only criterion for receiving these scholarships, you also need to be academically outstanding.
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