I went on the Sport Lived rugby union academy programme in Brisbane and had a fantastic experience that will stay with me forever. The coaching I received over there from both the Academy itself and the University of Queensland Rugby Club was top class. Unsurprisingly many professional players and even Wallabies have come from the setup at UQRFC. There were a few inconsistencies in what was advertised as included in the Academy, for example there was no nutritionist but there were sports psychology classes. The sportlived contact out there, John Mitchel, was brilliant, helping out with anything and everything along with organising some excellent socials. The premium accommodation I stayed in whilst I was there was very high quality and I would definitely recommend it. I would strongly recommend a Sport Lived programme to anyone thinking about going on a high level sporting gap year!