The South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) has welcomed the newest member of its management team, who brings with her world-class experience and a passion for the future of sport in South Australia.

Jill Leckey has taken on the role of Performance Support Manager and will lead a dynamic multi-disciplinary team responsible for supporting South Australia’s current and future Olympians, Paralympians and world champions.

Originally from Belfast, Jill has always had a keen interest in sport science/nutrition, which saw her make the move to Australia in 2014 where she completed her PhD in Melbourne.

She began working with AusCycling in 2017 as their Performance Nutritionist and while she was in this role, Jill worked closely with cyclists at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Following the Games, her career quickly progressed within AusCycling where she became the Performance Support and Nutrition Lead before being promoted to the Director of Health, Wellbeing and Performance Support.

Through these roles, Jill experienced working with SASI for the first time.

“I’ve worked closely with SASI over the years throughout my time at AusCycling and it’s always been a great organisation to work with – they have a solution-driven approach to everything,” Leckey said.

It was these previous interactions and the move into SASI’s new era which inspired Jill to apply for the Performance Support Manager role.

“Seeing Keren Faulkner come into the Director role, I can see that’s a great opportunity for SASI to drive things in a different direction and continue evolving all programs,” Leckey said.

“I think the new building is a really exciting time for South Australian sport as a whole – it presents new opportunities not just for high-performance sport but also for developing athletes on a pathway and community engagement.”

“Part of what I really love in this role is collaboration – working across a team that is really diverse and every role brings unique skills to the table and their own specialties as well.”

New SASI Director Keren Faulkner is focused on fostering a work environment which encourages partnerships and creating positive experiences and believes Jill will be an important part of this.

“Jill has exceptional skills when it comes to sport science and athlete wellbeing and I know she is going to be an asset to our team, further enhancing SASI’s world-class reputation,” Faulkner said.

“Working with our performance support experts, Jill’s leadership in this space will be crucial as we rely on each staff member’s unique skillset to develop athletes for the 2028 and 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Looking ahead to the future, Jill believes she has all the ingredients she needs to create a recipe for success at SASI.

“We’ve got great staff and we’ve got great athletes, so seeing how we can work together to bring that out and showcase everyone’s talents is what I will be focused on.”