Australian Institute of Sports Launches ASPIRE for High Performance Coaching

The Australian Institute of Sport is intensifying its efforts to achieve gender equality in sport coaching with the introduction of ASPIRE, a new initiative specifically designed for women coaches.

This three-day in-person course, to be held at the AIS in Canberra in October, targets 30 women who have demonstrated potential coaching at state or national level.

Applications for the inaugural program close on 4 August 2025.

ASPIRE is positioned as an entry-level high performance coaching course, aiming to build connections, enhance learning, and foster performance wellbeing among emerging female coaches.

The initiative is directly linked to Australia’s HP 2032+ Sport Strategy: Win Well, which has identified the significant underrepresentation of women in high performance coaching roles as a priority area.

Currently, only 10% of head coaches in Australian sport are women, highlighting a profound gender gap that the AIS is actively working to address through various programs.

The ASPIRE program complements existing AIS initiatives, including the AIS Enhance program, and the National Gen 32 and Experiential Learning Programs which cater to apprentice and elite coaches respectively.

The fact that ASPIRE is specifically tailored for entry-level high performance coaches demonstrates a systemic approach to addressing the “leaky pipeline” challenge, where women are often lost at earlier stages of the coaching pathway.

Dual Paralympic champion Janna Mizens PLY (USA) and Diamonds squad member Ali Tucker Munro are listed as facilitators, lending credibility and inspirational mentorship to the program.

The Australian Sports Commission (ASC), under which the AIS operates, is driving broader change across athlete welfare (particularly female performance and health), leadership (through gender equity policy), and coaching (via the Women in High Performance Coaching action plan).

This comprehensive approach reflects a commitment to creating a more inclusive and equitable sports system ahead of major events like the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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