The Oceania Sailing Federation (OSAF) is pleased to announce the upcoming World Sailing Coach Scholarships for the 2025-2028 quadrennial, supported by the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Solidarity fund. Following an extensive review by World Sailing's development team and committees, this program offers two distinct pathways to develop coaching expertise across our region.

Two Specialized Pathways for Coach Development

World Sailing has redesigned the scholarship program to offer two separate tracks, each providing focused skills development.

Performance Coach Scholarship

This 16-month program aims to develop high-performance coaches working at a national level within their Member National Authority (MNA). It targets coaches working with national-level youth to adult athletes who want to improve their skills as their sailors begin competing internationally.

The program includes:

• Four-week in-person course in Portland, UK (Mid-September to Mid-October)
• Two remote modules focused on developing and supporting performance
• Practical training in race coaching, safety operations, sports psychology, meteorology, and foiling techniques

Development Coach Scholarship

This 12-month program is aimed at coaches and instructors looking to develop grassroots sailing programs. The course focuses on teaching sailing fundamentals, developing learn-to-sail programs, running sailing schools, and progressing to learn-to-race coaching.

The program includes:

• Four-week in-person course in Portland, UK (Mid-April to Mid-May)
• Three remote modules covering social media, booking systems, partnerships, leadership, marketing, and staff training
• Practical training in developing inclusive sailing programs and running training centers

Program Schedule 2025-2028

To help our Oceania MNAs plan effectively, the scholarships will run on the following schedule:

2025: Performance Scholarship
2026: Development Scholarship and Performance Scholarship
2027: Development Scholarship and Performance Scholarship
2028: Development Scholarship

Funding Support Available

Through Olympic Solidarity, funding is available for coaches to attend these programs. World Sailing will notify MNAs directly regarding program dates and the application process for each scholarship.

Key Benefits for Oceania Sailing Development

The scholarships offer significant benefits for the development of sailing across the Oceania region:

Performance Coach graduates will:

• Receive a year-long program applicable to their own sailors and competitive landscape
• Gain in-depth high-performance knowledge applicable to all youth and senior performance pathways
• Apply their skills at international performance events
• Be equipped to build high-performance programs at the national level

Development Coach graduates will:

• Be able to run Learn to Sail and Learn to Race programs for sailors of all ages
• Gain knowledge in running sailing centers and managing other coaches and volunteers
• Understand the structure and benefits of a national training program
• Develop participation pathways for sailors to progress to racing

Application Process

OSAF encourages all member nations to identify suitable candidates for these scholarship opportunities. World Sailing will provide detailed information about the application process directly to MNAs, and OSAF will support our members throughout this process.

For further information, please contact the OSAF office or visit the World Sailing webpage.

This program represents an excellent opportunity to enhance coaching capabilities across our region and build stronger sailing pathways from grassroots to elite levels. We look forward to seeing Oceania coaches benefit from these scholarships in the coming years.