Specialist Sport
History
In 1995 Ballarat High School recognised that an opportunity existed to introduce a sporting program to the school community, the likes of which had never been seen in Ballarat schools. The first class was established in 1997.
The school envisaged that the benefits would include broadening the community perception of the school to include excellence in sport, developing a group of students with leadership capabilities who would act as role models to the student population, and to complement the existing sporting program by assisting students to pursue careers in sport and recreation.
Originally the specialist sport opportunities existed for students in years 9-12 to participate in specialist training in their chosen sport. In 2008 students where accepted at year 7 and the program extended to year 8 in 2009 as the cohort progressed. We now have approximately 220 students in the Specialist Sport program.
“Whilst I attended Ballarat High School I was a member of the AFL cohort within Specialist Sports Program. The Program assisted my development both mentally and physically via access to expert coaches, individualised training programs, exposure to sporting professionals and sporting tours. I have many fond memories of this time and certainly very thankful to the school for offering the program” – Brad Sewell, Dual Hawthorn Premiership Player