Budding local young athletes took centre stage and were acknowledged for being selected into the South West Sydney Academy of Sport (SWSAS) at a special civic ceremony last night.

More than 60 young people across eight different sports will now have access to specialist support services, including coaching, sports science and sports medicine in their quest to become professional athletes.

SWSAS Sport Program Manager, James Watson, said the athletes now had a chance to take the next step in their careers.

“Our role in the sport development pathway is talent identification and then we apply a wholistic approach to set them up on the right path,” Mr Watson said.

“The athletes will now have access to a program where they can take themselves to the next level.

“Camden Council also does a lot of great work for our athletes by providing state-of-the-art facilities in the area. This helps the athletes with their own training regimes.”

Mayor of Camden, Cr Theresa Fedeli, said Council is committed to improving and maintaining sporting facilities in the area.

“This year we’ll show that commitment by starting construction on Stage 2 of the Narellan Sports Hub and also our first synthetic football field,” Cr Fedeli said.

“Many local athletes have joined the Academy and gone on to represent Australia internationally and I am confident our latest crop of stars will benefit from the skills they gain from their SWSAS scholarship.”

SWSAS was established in 1997 and services the Camden, Liverpool, Campbelltown and Wollondilly Local Government areas.