Following the success of our inaugural Executive Sport Management Programme (ESMP)and Elite Sport Coaching Symposium (ESCS) in 2005, SKA successfully ran these programmes again in 2006.

The ESMP attracted current and future leaders in sport management from sports as wide ranging as Rugby Union, Rowing, Horse Racing, Cricket, Basketball and Golf as well as National Olympic Committees from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hong Kong, Tonga and Samoa. Of the 19 participants, 5 were women, with 2 women receiving an SKA scholarship under the categories of 'Indigenous Sport' and 'Women in Sport'.

Juanita O’Brien, CEO of Cairns Taipans Basketball Club commented “The course was very well organised and structured – couldn’t be faulted organisation wise and the SKA staff were all very helpful and friendly. I would definitely recommend the course to my NBL colleagues and would attend future suitable courses and send my staff to appropriate courses. Thank you very much for the experience, the course is certainly unique and I definitely feel I go home more knowledgeable than when I arrived on Sunday.”

Equally successful, the ESCS attracted elite coaches from Rugby League, Rugby Union, Football, Cricket and Swimming from Australia, New Zealand, UK, South Africa, Singapore and Malaysia.

Dwayne Woolliams, Coaching Development Director of Paralympics New Zealand commented "Thanks to your course, Paralympics New Zealand now has a Coaching Evaluation document / process that I have implemented. I presented a session to the staff with regards to learning styles that was invaluable for staff and management to use as an extra management tool and I’ve been able to modify a recovery and stress questionnaire that is being used to measure the effectiveness of a heat strategy put together to overcome climate issues in KL and Beijing. Thanks again."

Highlights of the programmes were the involvement of some very highly regarded figures in the world of sport including David Gallop (CEO of the NRL), David Howman (DG of WADA), Robbie Deans (Head Coach of the Canterbury Crusaders) and Brian Thorburn (GM Commercial Operations of the ARU) who presented in ESMP 2006 and was in fact one of the participants in ESMP 2005.

ESMP and ESCS in 2007 will be run on 14-19 October and 7-10 November respectively.