For too long, IS, Australian athletes had to choose between sport and education. American professional footballers, basketballers and more recently baseballers come through the NCAA system, i.e., they have university or college degrees.
A quite high proportion of young Australians now attend university. Linking each of our Tier 3 clubs with a university will give rugby players enhanced opportunities to develop their sporting and academic potential at the same time; giving them much better career options after their playing days are over. If that's elitism so be it. I call it acting responsibly towards our players.
Of course not all players are suited by or interested in university study. But I think that they should all be encouraged to achieve tertiary qualifications, such as for example qualifying as a tradesman or technician.
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Bruce I would even say that Australia is beginning to go the way of the states where, unless you want to do a trade, you need to at least complete an undergrad degree to get somewhere.
Expansion of universities is continuing at a rapid rate, at least here in Melbourne. I worked for one of the largest builders in Melbourne in 2012 and when given a discussion on the company direction we were told that the bulk of their work, traditionally residential high rise developments would now be coming from institutional work.
I can also vouch for the expansion of Bond University as an ex student. Since 2007 when I first commenced studying there I have seen a new library, expansion of the law faculty building to double the size, a property faculty building and an architecture faculty building constructed. I haven't been there in the last 12 months so there's probably another building under construction to cater to a few hundred more enrolments, in addition to the acquisition of the former Titans centre of excellence.
Currently MU, Monash, Swinburne and Deakin all have new buildings in the $100M range under construction in metropolitan Melbourne, with further developments pending. Obviously this is to service the demand for increasing enrolments and these state of the art educational facilities are aimed at attracting the best young students of the crop.
