Adelaide University Sport & Fitness and Volleyball Australia Scholarship Backs Dream Chaser
Published Mon 06 Jul 2026
The Adelaide University Sport & Fitness (AUSF) and Volleyball Australia (VA) Scholarship is a high-performance athlete scholarship designed to provide a pillar of support to Australia’s elite and emerging volleyball athletes.
This $10,000 annual scholarship is designed around a shared commitment by AUSF and VA to retain and develop Australian volleyball talent domestically, by ensuring athletes can remain within the VA high-performance pathway while undertaking tertiary study at Adelaide University.
Both AUSF and VA are excited to announce that the winner of the 2026 scholarship is Finley Bennett. Finley is a first-year Adelaide University student studying for a Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science who continually gives back to the sport he loves. He is part of the Australian Beach Volleyball Team training full time and competing in the Australian Beach Volleyball Tour and the FIVB Pro tour.
Competing for Australia at the U19 and U21 Beach Volleyball World Championships, as well as winning a bronze medal at the 2025 Coolangatta FIVB Futures Pro Tour event, reflects Finley’s ability to perform under pressure and his continued progress on the international stage.
When informed that he had won the scholarship, Finley said, "As a younger athlete it’s very hard having to fund a lot of things myself, which means working on top of uni and training. It can be very full on. With the Adelaide University Sport & Fitness and Volleyball Australia Scholarship, it has given me an opportunity to go out and play more tournaments without having to worry as much about extra work on the side. I can continue to progress as an athlete."
He continued, "A lot of the time you see people drop out once they reach their mid-20s and they’re struggling to both live their life and to also play volleyball. It’s quite difficult managing both, especially with limited financial help. With this scholarship it’s so much easier to continue chasing my dreams."
Adelaide University Sport and Fitness CEO Michelle Wilson said, "Supporting Finley while he studies at Adelaide University to pursue his sporting dreams is why scholarships like this one exist and we know the impact it will have."
Volleyball Australia CEO Andrew Dee said, "We’re proud to partner with Adelaide University on this scholarship, and congratulations to its inaugural recipient Finley Bennett.
"Finn is a rising star of our beach volleyball program, and this scholarship will allow him to remain in Australia to continue developing in our Beach Volleyroos program in Adelaide, whilst also pursuing his studies outside of sport," he said.
Round 2 of the Adelaide University Sport Scholarships open for applications later this month, with the Don Stranks Scholarship, Frances Adamson Scholarship, University Basketball League Scholarships, AU Rugby Club Scholarship and men's AU Soccer Club Scholarship still to be awarded.