Eli Smith was recipient of the inaugural Hunter Scholarship from the Hunter School Sports Association recognising his outstanding performance in not one, but five different sports during the 2025 school year.
The 12-year-old attends Singleton Public School and through the Public Schools Sports Association, Eli was selected in AFL, rugby league, touch football and rugby union Hunter teams and also represented the Hunter for golf.
He was a key contributor across all the squads and helped guide the Hunter Touch Football team to a silver medal at the NSW PSSA Championships and was further recognised with selection in the NSW PSSA Rugby Union Squad.
Eli has also represented the Upper Hunter PSSA in cross country and athletics and locally at his own school, he took out the title of both swimming and athletics senior boys champion.
Specifically, Eli’s scholarship is for rural and remote athletes and is aimed at reducing some of the costs involved in travelling to training and championship events.
Hunter School Sports Association’s scholarships system has been in place for around 12 years but the target recipients changes regularly to match the needs of the participants.
President of the Hunter School Sports Association Kristy Bultitude said Eli had overcome the challenges of training and competing from a regional area, especially across so many sports.
“His success underscores the importance of providing support and opportunities for talented athletes outside metropolitan areas, ensuring that distance and location are no barriers to reaching one’s full potential,” Kristy said in the statement.
The full school presentation at Singleton Public School on Monday also saw Eli presented with the sports award.
While he loves all his sport, Eli told The Hunter River Times that a highlight was his selection in the NSW Union Squad.
-DI SNEDDON
