July 16, 2019

Helping local rugby league players, supporters into university

Applications open for UOW College Australia, Illawarra Rugby League sports scholarship program

The 2019 UOW College Australia and Illawarra Rugby League sports scholarship program was launched today (Tuesday 16 July) at the University of Wollongong (UOW).

The scholarship, initiated in 2018, has been designed to recognise a player or volunteer at the grassroots level who has demonstrated sporting success or significant accomplishments in community service for their club.

As part of a broad two-year agreement with the Illawarra Division Rugby League, UOW College Australia will provide financial support up to the value of $20,000 in course fees at UOW College Australia to a player or volunteer affiliated with the Illawarra Division Rugby League (IDRL) Competitions to achieve their educational goals.

Last year, two candidates received scholarships to pursue further studies in their chosen areas of interest.

Nat Blud and Matthew Thompson at UOW on Tuesday.

Scholarship recipient Nat Blud, a member of Collegians, completed a preparatory university pathway program (University Entrance Certificate). He is now studying a Bachelor of Engineering.

“The scholarship really helped me by relieving my financial position, allowing me to have more time to focus on academic and sports excellence,” he said.

Fellow scholarship recipient Matthew Thompson, a member of the Avondale Football Club, is studying at UOW College. He hopes his studies will advance his career with Australia Post.

“This scholarship will help me immensely, especially, as I compete against other team members who have more experience and industry knowledge than me,” Mr Thompson said.

IDRL Manager Chris Bannerman said the partnership with UOW College Australia continued to be a major achievement for the local rugby league competition.

“Our partnership with UOW College Australia provides a great opportunity for people like Nat and Matthew who otherwise may not have been able to undertake educational study,” Mr Bannerman said.

UOW College Australia General Manager Julie Renwick said she was delighted to again be able to provide a player or volunteer with the opportunity to begin their studies with the College, as well as allowing UOW College Australia to uniquely engage with the local community.

“We were really happy with the scholarship program last year. In fact, we were unable to split Matthew and Nat so we decided to award a scholarship to both of them,” Ms Renwick said.

“This scholarship program also allows us to provide more people with more chances to further their education by extending our reach through sport and other sectors of the community.”

About the scholarship

Applications for the scholarship are now open and can be submitted by eligible candidates in the following categories: Indigenous, humanitarian (financial hardship or disrupted schooling), sporting excellence, or volunteering.

The application form and eligibility criteria can be downloaded from the IDRL website or by contacting the Illawarra Steelers Club on +61 2 4227 4225.

Applications close on Sunday, 19 August. The winner will be announced on Sunday, 9 September, at the IDRL Grand Final at WIN Stadium.