The Balderstone family has been involved in professional sport since 1958. Chris Balderstone was one of the last dual professional sportsmen. He playing county cricket for Yorkshire and Leicestershire, helping Leicestershire to the County Championship in 1975, 3 Benson & Hedges Cup medals and 2 John Player League titles. He played 2 test for England in 1976 against the unstoppable West Indies team. In his football career he made 566 appearances for Huddersfield Town, Carlisle United, Doncaster Rovers and Queen of the South. He played in England's top flight for Carlisle, where he is still considered by many as the finest player in their history.
His son Michael Balderstone, the Founder of BSI, played professional golf in UK and Europe before embarking on a 20+ year PGA elite golf coaching career in UK, USA and South Africa. Michael has been recognised as a PGA Master Professional for his contribution to golf. In 2004 Michael established The Golf School of Excellence (now BSI Golf Academy), which was the first elite performance golf academy in South Africa. Four years later an education component was added, providing students with alternative career paths to competing professionally.
To date the academy has produced many professional tournament winners in South Africa and beyond, as well as launching international careers for many dozens of graduates in the golf industry.
It was this model of combining elite performance coaching and education that lead to the formation of the Balderstone Sports Institute, to enable athletes in all sports to commit to demanding competitive schedules and training regimes without compromising their education.
BSI Football Academy was added to the academy portfolio in 2019 and the success has been tremendous. As with the BSI Golf Academy, we prioritise a world class standard of coaching and player support, as well creating multiple pathways and opportunities for our players across the world. Our latest addition to the BSI portfolio are our Tennis, Rugby and Basketball Academies.
In addition to high school and tertiary education solutions for athletes across multiple sports, BSI also provides athletic training for any sports and consultancy services to individuals, teams and federations.
