The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) will host the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) VIS ASPIRE Coach Program at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park, from 2 to 4 October 2026, bringing a cohort of up to 30 early-career women coaches to Melbourne to build the skills, networks and self-awareness needed to coach in the high performance (HP) landscape.
ASPIRE is an initiative of the Women in High Performance Coaching (WiHPC) Project, developed in response to research identifying the barriers facing women coaches entering the HP system: limited access to coaching pathways, unclear role expectations, inadequate remuneration and restricted professional development opportunities. The program is designed to address what the WiHPC research describes as a “leaky pipeline,” supporting women at the entry point before talent is lost to the system altogether, and feeding into the Women’s Coach Alumni Network as participants progress toward Performance Pathway, Senior HP and Head Coach roles.
“Bringing ASPIRE to Lakeside Stadium reflects the work already underway across our programs to build coach-led, athlete-centred environments,” said Hannah Every-Hall OLY, General Manager High Performance.
Victoria has no shortage of talented women coaching at state and national level. What this program can provide is a clear pathway into high performance coaching, and a network to sustain them once they’re there.
Co-designed and co-facilitated by women coaches, the three-day program is led by Michelle De Highden, AIS High Performance Coach Development Senior Lead and ICCE Coach Developer. De Highden brings more than 35 years’ coaching experience across development and World Championship level, holds a Master of Sport Coaching (2021), and completed the ICCE and NSSU Coach Developer Academy in Japan in 2019 and 2020.
De Highden is joined by Every-Hall, who alongside her VIS leadership role is a London 2012 Olympian and NCAS Level 3 rowing coach. Every-Hall returned to international rowing after having two children, becoming one of the first Australian mothers to compete in rowing at an Olympic Games, and continues to contribute to the sport through World Rowing and as a national selector for Rowing Australia.
Also leading the program is Stacia Strain, AIS-VIS Coach Development Lead, on secondment from her role as Head Coach of the VIS Women’s Hockey Program, a position she has held since 2016. Strain is Assistant Coach of the Hockeyroos, the Australian women’s national hockey team, and was Head Coach of the Australian Under-21 women’s team, the Jillaroos, from 2021 until early 2025, leading the program to two Oceania Cup titles.
The facilitator team is rounded out by Stacey Morlang, VIS Coach Developer and Aleda Collective facilitator, who represented Australia in five Lacrosse World Cups, captaining the team in four; Dr Kylie Moulds, a Sport Psychology lecturer at Canberra University and former professional tennis player and coach at the AIS; and Jo Banning, a strategic communications and high performance leadership specialist with more than 25 years’ experience, including roles with the Australian Olympic Committee across five Summer Olympic Games.
The program is open to women coaches aged 18 and over who are Australian citizens or permanent residents, live and coach in Victoria or Tasmania, and have coached at state or national level within an Olympic, Paralympic or Commonwealth Games sport. Selection is assessed against the AIS HP Coach Capability Framework, with applicants asked to demonstrate continuous learning, self-awareness and emotional intelligence, mission, vision and values, psychological safety, understanding the individual, and communication.
ASPIRE sits within the AIS High Performance Coach Development Strategy, and the HP 2032+ Win Well Sport Strategy, both of which prioritise diversifying Australia’s coaching workforce on the pathway to LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032.
Applications open 6 July 2026 and close 2 August 2026.
Free information sessions will run on Thursday 23 July 2026, from 1:00pm to 2:00pm AEST, and Tuesday 28 July 2026, from 11:00am to 12:00pm AEST.
For enquiries, contact [email protected].
