St Andrew’s College has an enviable and well-deserved reputation for excellence in sport.
Over the years we have been extremely successful in intercollegiate sport, where each of the colleges compete enthusiastically in cricket, rowing, swimming, rugby, tennis, soccer, basketball, athletics, netball and hockey in order to win the Rawson, Rosebowl and University Cups.
St Andrew’s students are highly represented in the University’s Elite Athlete Program, accounting for more than 22% of Named Scholarships this year. This remarkable percentage continues a trend of excellence in high performance over recent years.
The College also offers a comprehensive social sport program run by the Students’ Club and all students enjoy the use of tennis courts, an oval, basketball courts and a brand new gym.
St Andrew’s Head of Sport is Nick Ryan. Nick has a wealth of experience in the university and high-performance areas from his roles as Director of Rugby at Harvard University and Head Coach of Australian University Rugby. Nick has an excellent track record of establishing and growing quality programs. We caught up with him recently. Meet Nick Ryan.
What attracted you to the position; what most interests you?
Working with talented, driven and balanced athletes who are successful and prepared to work hard, on and off the playing field.
What are you hoping to achieve overall as Head of Sport at St Andrew’s?
Firstly, increase the participation programs for sport at college – boot camps, yoga classes, health and wellbeing education, along with improved organisation, coaching and performance across the Rosebowl and Rawson campaigns.
What has been a highlight so far in this role?
Finishing a strategic plan for sport across all levels of the college that will increase participation, performance and hopefully increased engagement with alumni to support the students across the sporting programs.
What are your outside-of-Andrew’s recent career achievements/goals?
I have recently returned to SUFC as Director of Rugby after recent stints with Melbourne Rebels as General Manager of Professional Rugby and Pathways. I have been coaching the St Andrew’s Rugby team since 2006 and working with Wayne Erickson on student recruitment for the college over the past 15 years.