From April 11th to 13th, over 100 athletes, coaches, and managers from the Southern Sports Academy (SSA) joined the state’s most promising young talents at the 2025 Your Local Club Academy Games in Tamworth. Organised by the Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS), this event marked the first year of a three-year tenure in Tamworth.
With participants from 11 Regional Academies across New South Wales, more than 1,500 athletes and their families competed in this prestigious tournament. SSA put in a strong showing across the weekend, demonstrating grit, growth, and some standout individual and team performances. The highlights from the weekend are detailed below:
Basketball
The SSA Boys and Girls Basketball teams impressed across the weekend, both showing grit and flair in a stacked competition. The girls won 2 out of their 4 pool games and qualified through to the quarter-finals, putting up a spirited fight in the knockout round. The boys had a tough draw but managed to hold their own with some close games and a thrilling win over South West Sydney.
The SSA Basketball squad is proudly sponsored by the Rules Club Wagga Wagga.
Golf
The SSA Golf team had a stellar weekend. Oliver Nelson tied for 3rd place in the Boys category on Saturday with rounds of 73 & 74, and Jesse Barac wasn’t far behind, finishing 5th with scores of 73 & 75. In Sunday’s Teams Event, SSA came out on top in Division 1, showing class and composure to claim 1st place ahead of a strong Hunter side.
It’s been an incredible journey for this squad — from not having enough athletes to field a standalone team in the 2023 teams’ event, to claiming silver in 2024, and now winning the overall title in 2025. It’s a remarkable achievement and a true testament to the dedication and hard work of the athletes and coaches over the past two years.
Netball
Our Div 1 girls team finished the pool rounds with a 2/2 win-loss record, while the Div 2 team progressed through to the quarter-final with some standout performances. Abbey Hunt from SSA was named an MVP for Div 1, and Ella Richens was named an MVP for Div 2, highlighting their outstanding contributions across the weekend.
The SSA Netball squad is proudly sponsored by Wagga RSL Club.
Hockey
The SSA Hockey squad worked incredibly hard throughout the tournament, showing great determination and spirit. While they didn’t walk away with a medal, their perseverance, teamwork, and growth across the weekend were evident, laying the groundwork for future success.
The SSA Hockey squad is proudly sponsored by UAA.
The success of the 2025 Your Local Club Academy Games is made possible through the support of major sponsors, whose commitment to youth sport and regional development is instrumental. We would like to thank Clubs NSW (Your local club) who are celebrating 20 years of supporting this event, along with NSW Office of Sport, Tamworth Regional Council, Regional Australia Bank, The University of New England, Wests Entertainment Group, Tamworth Toyota, and our media partners NBN News and the Super Radio Network (2TM AM, 92.9 FM).
Full results from the tournament can be found at www.academygames.com.au.