AFL champion, 2013 UQ Excellence Scholarship and UQ Sports Achievement Scholarship winner Lewis Radford.
AFL champion, 2013 UQ Excellence Scholarship and UQ Sports Achievement Scholarship winner Lewis Radford.
14 October 2013

Elite-level athletes are encouraged to apply for one of The University of Queensland’s 2014 sporting scholarships.

The UQ Sporting Scholarships program recognises the pressure placed on elite athletes to maintain sporting commitments while balancing study.

In the past 23 years, the program has supported more than 400 students in a range of ways, including financial assistance and academic support.

Paralympic Games 2012 gold medalist Brenden Hall, 2012 Paralympic Games finalist Rachael Dodds, national AFL champion Lewis Radford are among past scholarship winners.

Australia’s number one ranked player in fencing (men’s, under 17 and under 20), Henry Mayall-Vandervelde, was another beneficiary.

Scholarships available include the UQ Sports Achievement Scholarship, the Clem Jones Sporting Scholarship, UQ Sport Ambassador Scholarships and the King’s College Sport Scholarship.

Mr Radford, winner of the 2013 UQ Excellence Scholarship and UQ Sports Achievement Scholarship, is using his awards for his Bachelor of Arts/Law degree.

“My scholarship has been extremely useful in helping me pay for the costs involved outside university life, such as sport and living expenses,” he said.

“I have been supported when I have had to defer exams or assessment and have been able to talk to the Athlete Career and Education Advisor when I have needed advice or assistance.

“Recipients can take advantage of the free access to the gym and pool which has become extremely important when I have needed to complete recovery and strength sessions but have also needed to be at university.

“Applying for these scholarships are a lot easier then you think and it doesn’t take too much time.

“Apply for as much as you can because you never know what you might be selected for,” Mr Radford said.

He said his scholarship allowed him to balance studies with sporting commitments outside of university so he can have a well-rounded education while playing the sport he enjoys the most.

UQ has worked with Alumni Friends of The University of Queensland Inc and UQ Sport since 1990 to assist outstanding athletes balance their studies with the demands of elite-level sport.

More information on the UQ Sporting Scholarships is available here.

Applications close 5pm, Thursday 31 October 2013.

Contact: Jaime Krol, Athlete Career and Education Advisor, UQ Sport Academy, 3346 6243, jaimek@uqsport.com.au