18/09/2026
With the 2026 AIS-VIS ASPIRE Coach Program just weeks away, we wanted to take the opportunity to celebrate our coaches again.
From 2 to 4 October, this cohort of 20 women coaches from across Victoria and Tasmania will spend three days at Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park, immersed in high performance coaching practice, covering athlete development, coaching craft, leadership and the realities of working within a high performance system, all led by some of the country's most experienced high performance coaches and leaders. It's the start of an ongoing journey, with small-group sessions continuing over the following six to 12 months as each coach builds their pathway into high performance roles.
Delivered by the Victorian Institute of Sport in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport, ASPIRE was developed through the Women in High Performance Coaching (WiHPC) Project to address the barriers women coaches face entering and progressing in high performance sport.
As the program draws closer, congratulations again to our 2026 ASPIRE coaches:
Rebecca Thompson – Hockey
Jiali Shu – Badminton
Caitlin Murphy – Diving
Karen Atkins – Athletics
Hannah Ryan – Soccer/Futsal
Abbie Genders – Swimming
Leanne Del Toso – Wheelchair Basketball
Monique Lenehan-Moustafa – Netball
Caitlyn Lake – Cycling
Ellen Juhasz – Sailing
Tegan Philip – Netball
Bridget Lin – Swimming
Esther Lavelle – Lacrosse
April Whiston – Basketball
Kathleen Knott – Netball
Katie Keighrey – Netball
Chantelle Glogolja – Gymnastics
Nikki Holmes – Basketball
Milagros Arrotea – Hockey
Izabel Caligiore – Swimming
We can't wait to see this cohort step into the program and take the next step in their coaching careers. Follow along over the coming weeks for more on the program.
