18/01/2023

South Australia will be home to a world class high-performance sport, research, and education precinct thanks to a multi-million-dollar partnership between the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) and UniSA.

The Malinauskas Labor Government will contribute $68 million towards the development of a new state-of-the-art SASI facility at Mile End, with UniSA contributing a further $20 million for capital costs of the project.

The investment brings together key pieces of sporting infrastructure and creates a hub that will support athletes to perform at their best and attract national and international teams to Adelaide in their preparations for the Olympics, Paralympics, and Commonwealth Games.

The new facility will provide improved opportunities for school students to visit, be inspired and boost participation in sport.

The UniSA Sports Science Hub will be built on the third floor of the SASI building, and will host research and learning, with laboratories and teaching spaces for students undertaking a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

The state-of-the-art facility will be the only one of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

The new SASI will be co-located at Mile End with the new National Centre for Sports Aerodynamics, the UniSA Sports Science Hub, SA Athletics Stadium and Netball SA Stadium, creating one of the best high-performance sports precincts right on the doorstep of Adelaide’s CBD.

With more than half a million people visiting the Mile End sports precinct each year, the new high-performance hub will promote greater talent identification and pathways for aspiring athletes.

Highlights of the revised plans include:

  • An inclusive experience for Para-athletes
  • Purpose built training environments for testing and preparation of athletes
  • Dedicated spaces for high-performance health practitioners
  • Recovery facilities and new environmental chamber
  • Movement studio with analysis suite
  • Greater opportunities for school student interaction
  • Improved landscaping
  • Formalised parking at SA Athletics Stadium
  • Enhanced pedestrian connections and lighting to connect the precinct

Works are set to commence in early 2023, with the project expected to be completed by mid-2024.

Quotes attributable to Premier Peter Malinauskas

My Government committed to getting more children off screens and participating in sport so they can enjoy all the physical, psychological, and social benefits it delivers.

To inspire those kids, we need the athletes representing South Australia on the world stage to have truly world class facilities – and this project will deliver them, for the long term.

The new SASI partnership with UniSA is another example of South Australian sport being innovative and leading from the front.

It means we can truly capitalise on the efforts of the best high-performance sporting professionals in the world, who are already based right here in Adelaide.

Quotes attributable to Katrine Hildyard, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing

Some of South Australia’s greatest athletes – Jess Stenson, Kyle Chalmers, Maeve Plouffe and Darren Hicks – developed their talent right here in Adelaide at SASI.

When these and other remarkable athletes perform at the highest level, future generations are inspired, and we see an increase in participation in sport and physical activity. This is so important; children and young people being physically active and involved in sport brings so many benefits – to mental, physical and emotional health and wellbeing and to social connectivity.

The new world class SASI will further enhance these benefits ahead of Brisbane 2032.

As sports institutes all over the world embrace evolving technology to gain a winning edge, this brilliant new SASI facility will keep South Australia at the forefront of sport performance and research, support the work of staff and athletes and empower even more young athletes to chase their sporting dreams.

Quotes attributable to UniSA VC, Prof David Lloyd

The new UniSA Sports Science Hub presents an outstanding opportunity to develop stronger research, teaching and commercialisation collaborations with SASI and other sports industry partners who are located at the site.

It will provide vibrant, integrated learning opportunities for our students.

Coaches and allied health personnel will work together to deliver cutting-edge research to better prepare athletes for competition.

The UniSA Sports Science Hub will have the latest industry facilities and expertise to ensure world-class learning, practice and research, which will benefit South Australia’s sports industry now and in the future.