精东传媒

August 26, 2019

How Dragons player Euan Aitken balances sport and study

UOW Graduates of League program helps Aitken excel off the sporting field

The NRL and UOW will sign a five-year memorandum of understanding on Tuesday, 27 August, renewing the Graduates of League program.

The program supports NRL players, like Dragons鈥� centre Euan Aiken, off the field.

Hundreds of thousands of NRL supporters have watched Aitken in his prime on the football field. His fans know how many tries he鈥檚 scored, how many tackles he鈥檚 made, and how many games he鈥檚 played 鈥� 34, 304 and 100 as of this year.

Aitken surrounded by Rabbitohs in an NRL clash.

What they might not know about him is that Aitken also likes to hit the books.

Aitken studies Exercise Science at the 精东传媒 of 精东传媒 (UOW).

It鈥檚 his goal to become qualified as a strengthening and conditioning coach, and eventually work for a sports club.

His academic studies are a welcome break from the physicality of the NRL and the ongoing pressure to perform at that elite level.

鈥淚 feel like having something else aside from NRL is quite good for you, it takes your mind off things,鈥� Aitken said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 helpful, it gives me something to focus on and prepares me for life outside of football.鈥�

The UOW Graduates of League program has allowed him to tackle his university assignments with the benefit of support.

The program assigns him a mentor, a high-performing student or recent graduate, who is available for an hour each week.

鈥淪ometimes questions in an assignment or the subject outline can be a little unclear, the program allows me to bounce questions off my mentor, and go through the content in depth,鈥� Aitken said.

鈥淚t gives you the chance to understand the subject at the same level as someone who鈥檚 done well.鈥�

Aitken in a recent NRL match.

He鈥檚 also lucky enough to be surrounded by a network of sporting and exercise science specialists, and he鈥檚 not afraid to pick their brains, when their expertise is required.

Nearing the end of a challenging season with the Dragons, Aitkens is focused on building for next season.

鈥淚t can be hard losing, we鈥檙e all competitive people,鈥� he said.

鈥淭eams that end well tend to start strong, so we鈥檙e working towards that.鈥�

The Graduate of League program was established in 2012 by UOW鈥檚 Faculty of Business to support NRL players off the field.

The Faculty of Business has decided to once again support NRL players through this program, signing a new agreement with the NRL.

Signatory and UOW Chief Finance Officer Damien Israel said a continuing partnership with the NRL has been of great value to the 精东传媒 and the broader community.

鈥淲e understand completing a 精东传媒 degree is no mean feat, particularly for students with significant external commitments like NRL players,鈥� Mr Israel said.

鈥淲e are reaffirming our relationship with the NRL to ensure that when players eventually retire from the game, they are empowered to enter the workforce with a world-class education under their belts.鈥�