University nationals
UniSport Nationals events facilitate representative opportunities for student athletes of The University of Newcastle to compete against the best University student Athletes in Australia.
Students in Undergraduate, Postgraduate and Foundation studies are all eligible to compete.
Expand the drop-down menu below for further information.
Thank you for your interest in competing at UniNationals for the University of Newcastle. Please complete the Expression of Interest form.
Represent the University of Newcastle on a national stage! The UniSport Nationals event in 2025 will be held on the Gold Coast from September 27th - 3rd October 2025. Let us know which sport you're interested in participating in, and become part of the team.
| SPORT | FACILITY | TRIAL 1 | TIME | TEAM | TRIAL 2 | TIME | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netball | Stadium Court | Tuesday 6 May | 7:00am - 9:00am | Female & Mixed | Thursday 8 May | 4:00pm - 6:00pm | Female & Mixed |
| Basketball | Stadium Court | Wednesday 7 May | 7:00am - 8:30am | Male only | Monday 12 May | 4:00pm - 5:30pm | Female & Male |
| Volleyball | Stadium Court | Thursday 15 May | 4:00pm - 5:30pm | Male only | |||
| Ultimate Frisbee | Ray Watt Oval | Wednesday 14 May | 3:30pm - 5:00pm | Mixed | |||
| Hockey |
Newcastle International Hockey Centre |
Friday 16 May | 8:00am - 9:30am | Female & Male | |||
| Water Polo | NUsport Aquatic Centre | Monday 12 May | 7:30pm - 9:00pm | Female & Male | |||
| Football | Ray Watt Oval | Tuesday 6 May | 7:00am - 8:30am | Male only | Tuesday 13 May | 4:00pm - 5:30pm | Female & Male |
| Rugby 7 | Bernie Curran Oval | Wednesday 7 May | 7:00am - 8:30am | Female & Male | Wednesday 14 May | 4:00pm - 5:30pm | Female & Male |
| Touch Football | Oval 2 | Thursday 8 May | 7:00am - 8:30am | Female & Mixed | Thursday 15 May | 4:00pm - 5:30pm | Female & Mixed |
| Sport | Details |
|---|---|
| Atheltics |
Gold Coast Performance Centre 22 - 24 April |
| Triathlon |
Peoplecare Triathlon Wollongong 27 April |
| Swimming |
Sydney Olympic Park, NSW 16 - 18 May |
| 3x3 Basketball |
Monash University Melbourne, Vic 27 - 29 May |
| Indigenous Nationals |
University of Western Australia 23 - 27 June |
| Distance Running |
Gold Coast Marathon 5 - 6 July |
| T20 Cricket |
Sunshine Coast, QLD 28 July - 1 August |
| Cross Country |
Australian Cross Country Championships, Ballarat VIC 23 August |
| UniSport Nationals |
Gold Coast, QLD 27 September - 3 October |
| Cheer & Dance |
Gold Coast, QLD 20 October |
National Indigenous Tertiary Education Student Games (NITESG) began in 1996 as a joint class project between 13 students enrolled in a Diploma of Aboriginal Studies (Community Recreation) at the then Wollotuka School for Aboriginal Studies, The University of Newcastle.
Now referred to as Indigenous Nationals, the event is a week-long multi-sport competition for indigenous student-athletes. The annual event aims to bring together student-athletes from universities across Australia to compete in a variety of sports and ultimately crown one university team the champion of the games. Indigenous Nationals is an amazing environment to not only celebrate the rich sporting culture of indigenous Australia but to also acknowledge the heritage and history of the participating student-athletes.
In 2025, the 29th Indigenous Nationals will be held from 23-27 June at the University of Western Australia in Perth, WA. The event will contested in a mixed competition across four sports: touch football, basketball, netball, and volleyball.
For more event details visit www.unisport.com.au
World University Games are the pinnacle sporting events for elite University athletes. The World University Summer and Winter Games (Universiades) are held every 2 years, and are elite multisport events second only to the Olympic Games.
All World University Games and Championship teams are selected by the relevant National Sporting Organisation. Contact the High Performance arm of your sport's governing body to access selection policies and more information, or visit www.unisport.com.au/uniroos-international-events
Some funding may be available to selected athletes to assist with the cost of attending these elite events. Contact NUsport's Elite Athlete Support Officer for more information.
For all event details and more on Unisport Australia visit www.unisport.com.au
Am I eligible to compete?
Eligibility rules are available to view here. Students who have deferred study, dropped enrolments, taken a leave of absence etc, over the time of the event, are not eligible to compete. Competitors at the World University Games and Championships may be eligible to compete up to 12-months following completion of their degree.
Do I need to meet selection criteria?
Certain sports have specific criteria – for example Swimming and Athletics. Competitors in these sports MUST be able to demonstrate recent attainment of minimum qualifying times/distances etc. This can generally be shown via online results at events such as State Championships or similar. If you are not able to demonstrate qualifying standards you will not be permitted to compete.
For team sports, selections will be made via trials. If NUsport believes a team will not be competitive at a given event, it reserves the right to refuse entry for that team.
Will there be random anti-doping testing?
Yes. As an ASADA certified organisation there will be random anti-doping testing at Nationals. Athletes are encouraged to complete the ASADA Level 1 Anti-Doping Course to familiarise themselves with anti-doping processes and prohibited substances.
University of Newcastle defend
mixed touch title at unisport nationals!
In 2023, 250 University of Newcastle students represented Newcastle with pride across 12 sports and 19 teams at the annual UniSport Nationals held on the Gold Coast, QLD. Highlights of the tournament included Bronze - Women’s Hockey, Women’s Rugby 7s, Women’s Touch football, Women’s Water Polo, Silver - Lawn Bowls. In a close fought match, the UON mixed touch football team managed to out pace UQ with a final score of 7 - 6 bringing the mixed touch trophy to Newcastle for a second year running.
