It's been more than 12 months since the UOW Tottenham Hotspur Global Football Program launched. The five-year player program offers a suite of scholarships specifically for Illawarra students, along with receiving training from FA and UEFA-qualified coaches.

Now, the Illawarra Academy of Sport is getting involved in the Global Football Program through their partnership with the UOW.

The IAS will manage the strength and conditioning component of the program. To help provide further support, the Academy has also extended the role of physical performance coach Mitch Nielsen to a full-time position.

IAS chief executive officer John Armstrong said "it just made sense" that Nielsen's expertise and experience could provide an "exciting, additional layer of support" to the initiative.

"The IAS is continuing to forge strong relationships with the UOW network and linking high quality strength and conditioning programs with the high quality football coaching delivery by Tottenham Hotspur builds expertise and integrity to both programs," Armstrong said.