Training in the same facilities as some of NSW’s greatest rugby league players is likely on a few people’s bucket-lists, but for UNE Exercise and Sports Science students, it’s something they’re able to tick off while studying their degrees.
As part of UNE’s partnership with the NSW Rugby League (NSWRL), students have the unique opportunity to learn from the NSWRL Centre of Excellence (CoE) at Sydney Olympic Park during intensive schools in their second year of study.
For third year Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology student, Casey Woodward, being able to complete the practical elements of her degree using the same world-class facilities as the professionals has been a transformative experience.
“We got to go down to the tunnels to see how they go from the stadium back to the Blues between games,” says Casey.
“We got to see their ice baths, their locker rooms, and we got to do our practice in the gym that they train in, which was really cool. We also got to see a lot of them train on the field that we'd been practicing on just the day before.
“The University was very good at making sure we got to see the facility and really be a part of what was going on there to reignite why we're studying, what we’re learning, and how important it can be.”
Through her studies, Casey was also lucky enough to attend a Westpac NSW Blues training camp, where she was able to meet the team’s high performance and strength and conditioning coaches.
“That was really cool because I got to interact and ask questions with people that are in the industry and have been for years,” she says.
“I was able to see how they run their sessions, what they're looking for, and the kind of environment that they have or try to create and facilitate.”
It’s this practical, hands-on learning that Casey loves about her UNE experience, despite being an online student living in Melbourne.
The University was very good at making sure we got to see the facility and really be a part of what was going on there to reignite why we're studying, what we’re learning, and how important it can be.
"I’ve been able to do my work completely online but simultaneously have experiences like developing exercise programs for telehealth clients, seeing the NSW Blues train, and having professors who take genuine interest in me as a person and where my development is going,” she says.
“It changes the whole university experience."
For some of her placement hours, Casey is being given the chance to develop personalised exercise programs via telehealth for a player in the NSW Indigenous Under 16s rugby league team.
She says it’s been invaluable to get this experience before she graduates and that it has benefitted her work as a personal trainer outside of uni.
“Having the support of the university to be able to say, look, you're doing really well with this, but maybe translate it like this – means that I'm constantly refreshing and improving my abilities to work with clients of different ages and physical abilities.”
While Casey doesn’t know exactly what she wants to do when she graduates, she’s keeping her options open by taking placements wherever she can.
“This year I'm doing placement at Project Gap, which is focused on junior AFL athletic development,” she says.
“Next year I know that I have to go into a clinical placement, which I'll hopefully get placed in the disability or aged care sector, which is where my interest in clinical exercise physiology began during my time working in aged care and disability support.”
You can find out more about the NSWRL Centre of Excellence here.
