Biggest ever gathering of pathway players
The England Rugby Academy Festival returned this week with a camp for all 14 academies and the women’s Centres of Excellence.
From Monday 8 August to Friday 12 August, Malvern College, where rugby union is a major sport, hosted matches on their pitches over the five days.
The festival included two days of men’s U17s and U18s rugby and also included women’s Centres of Excellence players. This brought all pathway players, both male and female, onto one site for the first time ever and involved 1,150 players across the week.
Invaluable development opportunities
Said Don Barrell, Head of Performance Pathways and Programmes: “The opportunity to bring almost every player in the under 17 and under 18 age groups together in one place will provide invaluable learning and development opportunities.
“It’s the first time we’ve had so many players from right across the country on one site and we thank Malvern College for hosting the festival.
“This is also the first time the female players from the Centres of Excellence have been involved in the festival and I know they are all looking forward to the experience.”
