Further education grants for elite archers to study sports management

World Archery has partnered with the World Academy of Sport since late 2020 to offer scholarships towards postgraduate studies in sports management – offering continued education for international archers and talented sports administrators.

The programme is run by the University of London and is aimed at helping athletes transition to professional life after sport.

It’s run online and takes between one and five years to complete, making it possible to fit around competition or other life commitments.

Since 2020, World Archery and the World Academy of Sport have issued 12 full or partial scholarships to applicants from Australia, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, India, Iran, Luxembourg, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, and the US Virgin Islands.

Among the latest intake, which began in September 2021, were three representatives of the sport, including 23-year-old Luxembourg international Mariya Shkolna.

“Archery is part of my life, and I don’t want to leave it even when my athlete career is over,” she said. “I believe these studies will give me even more knowledge which, when put together, can be a strong asset to make our federation and our sport run better.”

Mariya received a full scholarship, covering the entirety of the 3700 GBP course fee.

South Africa’s Catharina Whitehead, who received one of the 25% grants, said she hoped to learn the “technical and administrative skills” required to build a strong athletic programme, helping archers progress from “club level competitor to international contender”.

This postgraduate certificate (PGCert) in international sports management is globally recognised and worth 60 credits towards a master’s degree. Financial management and sports strategy form the core syllabus, with optional modules covering topics such as development, events, marketing and media.

Applications are now being accepted for scholarships towards the January 2022 intake. The deadline is 12 December 2021 and submissions must come through member associations.