Armidale will be booked out for Academy Games in April

Armidale will be booked out for the three days of the Academy Games from April 7-9, Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay told guests at this week’s launch at the Armidale Bowling Club.
One thousand athletes are expected from across the state accompanied by coaches, support teams, parents and relatives.
Mr Torbay, patron of the Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS), said the event was being held for the second year in Armidale which had superb facilities in the city, at PLC and on the University of New England campus to stage the event.
This year young athletes representing the State’s 13 Academies will compete in hockey, netball, rugby, tennis, lawn bowls, golf and basketball.
The local NIAS team is expected to include 130 athletes competing against around 90 representatives from the other Academies.
“The Academies have an outstanding record in offering talented young people the opportunity to make progress in their sport through special coaching and competition,” Mr Torbay said.
“Next month’s games will be the largest multi-sport event in the region and I urge members of the community to give it their support.”
Games Operations Manager Grayson Wolfgang said a media centre would be set up this year during the Games to broadcast interviews with young athletes and events on the internet for family members and fans unable to attend.
NIAS was praised by Armidale Bowling Club Manager Phil Wheaton who said it was one of the most professional sporting bodies in the region.
He said Clubs NSW had become the major sponsor of the event because of the emphasis on developing the skills of young sportspeople around the State.