In partnership with AFL NSW/ACT, the GIANTS Academy aims to identify, nurture and develop elite athletes in NSW and the ACT.

The Academy offers players individual skill development programs, to mould and better the AFL talent pathway within the club's zone.

The Academy also supports and engages our local communities through health, harmony, education and employment initiatives to build a sustainable fan base, strengthen the brand of the GIANTS and grow the game of AFL throughout the region.

In late 2009, the AFL commission approved a set of list concession rules that gave the GIANTS zoned access to AFL players from NSW and the ACT.

The Academy was born to provide an improved development pathway for young players within the vast region. Officially launched at the University of Canberra on February 12, 2011, the Academy has helped nurture players and helped them to achieve their dreams of reaching an AFL list.

In 2020 the GIANTS announced the establishment of the GIANTS Female Academy.  

Female football has enjoyed rapid growth in recent years, particularly in NSW, with the GIANTS representing New South Wales and the ACT in the AFL Women’s competition since inception in 2017.  

This Academy will build on the previous female talent development programs run by AFL NSW/ACT and the Regional Academy of Sports.  

The GIANTS Female Academy will include matches against cross town rivals the Swans, NAB League games against the best players from Victoria and will feed into the Eastern Allies program as part of the AFL National Championships.  

There are 10 Regional Centres of Excellence based in Broken Hill, Wentworth, Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Albury, Deniliquin, Griffith, Western Sydney, Orange/Bathurst and the South Coast.