Five high-performing talents from the QBE Sydney Swans Academy have been rewarded for their dedication to their training with QBE Academy Scholarships for 2023. 

Ruby Spark (Under 18s Academy), Amaia Wain (Under 16s Academy), and Lauren Appleby (Under 16s Academy) are the three female recipients, while William Kelly and Beau Guthrie (Under 18s Academy) are the winners from the male contingent.

The scholarships were introduced to reward the dedication of high-performance athletes within the program, and to those who often travel long distances to and from training.

Coaching Director of the QBE Sydney Swans Academy, Leon Cameron, praised the dedication of each of the recipients and is excited to see their individual progress with the financial assistance of QBE.

"We're all extremely excited for each of our winners and they each are incredibly deserving. Each player has shown an enormous commitment to the program, and not only have they put in their best effort, but they have performed at a top level on a consistent basis," Cameron said.

"It's also important to acknowledge QBE and the role they play in supporting the program, and we hope that with their help, that each of these players can now put their best foot forward to hopefully one day play in the AFL or AFLW."

David Hirsch, Head of Marketing & Insights, QBE Australia Pacific, spoke of his pride in knowing that the long-standing partnership between the club and QBE has had a profound impact on boys and girls across the program.

"Helping bring to life the QBE Sydney Swans Academy is incredibly rewarding for QBE as we watch players progress through the program. There have been many graduates who now play in the AFL and AFLW and it fills us with enormous pride," Hirsch said.

"These scholarships recognise the hard work each athlete has put in and we hope each recipient benefits from the academy.

"The scholarships recognise not only sporting endeavour, but the commitment and the values that are important to the club and to QBE."

Amaia Wain, who joined the Academy in 2021, relocated from Victoria and is loving Academy commitments, while Ruby Spark hails from Tamworth and has enjoyed a seamless transition into the Top End Academy which saw her played a key part in the 2022 Winter Series at North Sydney Oval. Lauren Appleby joined the Academy in 2022 and hails from Moree. 

Beau Guthrie and Will Kelly both became part of the program in 2016, impressing in the Open Assessment Trials in the Under 10s and 11s respectively.