TEAM WA PATHWAY PROGRAM

We are extremely proud of the Triathlon WA State Pathway Program (Team WA) culture and experience, and we are excited to continue to support our young WA triathletes in the 2026-27 season. Team WA provides a supportive environment for young Western Australian triathletes to build skills and knowledge through development opportunities that complement their home training, to help them grow, thrive, and reach their potential in the sport. Focused on holistic athlete development, the Team WA Pathway program covers areas such as health and wellbeing, technical and tactical skills, goal setting, communication, season planning, and building mental skills & resilience. Team WA also fosters a strong culture of camaraderie, pride, and shared success.

Application to the Team WA Pathway program isn’t performance-based and doesn’t require any benchmark times. It is open and available to all Standard or Premium AusTriathlon members born in the years 2004–2014 who reside in WA and have access to a road bike.

To further align with that framework, this season we are introducing a new layer to our program, called the Team WA Academy, which is designed for our younger athletes (DOB 2013-2014) and any slightly older athletes that are very new to the sport.

 The Academy program will provide opportunities for these athletes to learn, make friends and have lots of fun through regular skill development focussed training sessions designed to build their skills and confidence without any pressure or expectations.

We will continue to be one team, with each group overlapping so we stay connected while ensuring athletes are getting the most suitable development opportunities in the best environment possible.

Based on that, the focus for each of our groups within Team WA will be:

• Academy: Deliberate play – foundation skill development, race play, community & fun
•  Squads: Deliberate practice – development of skills under pressure and fatigue. Education support and community focus with occasional performance goals
• Futures & Target Talent Program: Specialise to perform – additional support around performance focus and preparation for next steps.

The Futures and Target Talent Programs are selection based development opportunities embedded within the Team WA Pathway Program to support athletes born between 2004-2011 who have demonstrated talent or potential through meeting AusTriathlon performance standard benchmarks for a 800m swim and 5000m track run. These programs offer additional skill progression opportunities tailored to help relevant athletes prepare for national-level competition or progress toward the High Performance pathway. Selection into these squads is completed in October following a national testing session and is based on athletes meeting the required performance benchmarks outlined in the Team WA Futures and TTP Selection Policy which will be released in early August.

Please note:

• Athlete Agreements take effect upon signing and remain in place for the duration of the 2026/27 season.
• To help support the delivery of a high quality program, a $170 (+GST) levy is required for each athlete selected into Team WA. Regional discounts and financial assistance are available for families that might require support. 
• To access the Regional discount or financial assistance info, please contact the Athlete and Coach Development Manager, Janine Kaye, on 9443 9778 or Janine.kaye@wa.triathlon.org.au
• Athletes must sign an Athlete agreement as part of the registration process. Please see the links below to read and review the relevant agreement.  Athlete Agreements take effect upon signing and remain in place for the duration of the 2026/27 season. 

For more details about the program, check out the Information Booklet linked below.

REGISTRATION PROCESS & OPTIONS

Registration for Team WA will remain open for the season. The first round will open in line with our 2026-27 season starting on July 1st and closing on Tuesday 21st July. During registration you have the option to choose which program you wish to register for, Academy or Squads:

ACADEMY: Athletes born in the years 2013 or 2014, or any older athletes that are new to triathlon that would feel more comfortable starting their journey in the program at this level.

• If you were born in 2013 and are returning from last season, you can choose between Academy and Squads based on your confidence and goals
• Academy athletes will not be required to complete any sport integrity modules and there will be no pressure or rush to get draft endorsed.
• Instead, you will be offered more regular touch points to build your bike skills and confidence through regular training sessions.

SQUADS: Athletes should register to be a Team WA Squad member if they are born between 2004- 2012 or Athletes born in 2013 that have been a previous member of Team WA or have had some experience in the sport.

• Squads are based on your date of birth and are aligned to World Triathlon age groups (age you are Dec31st 2027): Youth (2012-2013), Junior (2008- 2011) and Under 23 (2004-2007)
• There are no performance or data collection time-based benchmarks to be in a Team WA Squad. Performance goals will be supported and guided based on athlete readiness but are not required.
• Squad athletes must complete, or provide evidence they have already completed, the Sport Integrity modules in line with National Pathway guidelines.
• Squad athletes should have their draft legal endorsement or be at the level to obtain it within the season.

Following the 21^st July, we will open an ongoing registration portal through the link above so interested athletes can join at any time across the season.

Before applying for Team WA, please ensure you have read and understood the relevant Athlete Agreement.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For further enquiries or questions about the WA Pathway Program / Team WA, please contact the Athlete and Coach Development Manager, Janine Kaye, on 9443 9778 or Janine.kaye@wa.triathlon.org.au.