Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s Under 13s Development Programme relocated to Headingley Carnegie Stadium on Wednesday for a special evening of workshops supported by Leeds Rhinos coaching and playing staff.
The programme which falls under the charity’s Rugby League Development Plan sponsored by Mears, has been designed to bring together promising players from clubs and schools in the region in the under 13s age group to offer additional specialist coaching to help them achieve their potential in the game.
Wednesday evening brought together all three of the regional training hubs from the programme for the first time with over 175 players and parents invited to the stadium to take part in the special skills coaching workshops led by Leeds Rhinos stars Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Jordan Lilley and Carl Ablett.
Over the past five weeks players put forward by their clubs and schools have taken part in skills and coaching sessions at venues across the city, with a regional hub for the outlying areas and hubs for both the North East and South West incorporating up to 60 players each.
For week 6 in the programme, players and parents were able to benefit from talks from Leeds Rhinos Head Coach Brian McDermott who addressed players on the topic of teamwork and what attributes make a good player and then addressed parents on supporting young players and making fun a priority.
Community Coaches who have supported the programme over the first five weeks alongside Leeds Rhinos Foundation staff were also able to run small sided matches on the Headingley Carnegie pitch as part of the evening.
The evening also included a workshop from PHD Sports Nutritionist from Leeds Beckett University, Tom Geeson-Brown on ‘nutrition for the younger player’ and a talk from Head of Programme Francis Cummins about what the programme will consist of for the final 5 weeks.
Cummins commented: “There is no doubt the programme has been a great success. We know we are on to something really good here, it’s not about becoming a professional, although that might well be a by-product down the line for some players, that is not the main aim here.
“The main aim is to complement the great things that are going on in the community clubs and if it helps out with player’s performances with their clubs then great, but if it gives the kids a better insight into to some of the better practices in coaching then we are definitely helping the game.
"This evening is at the end of a five-week block where we have had three different hubs working separately over the first five weeks of coaching.
"Initially this was due to be the end of the programme but as we have worked with the RFL and through a few of their stipulations, we are now going to extend this, but this is really just a taster to bring everyone together to show that we are all part of the same programme that has been focusing mainly on core skills over the first five weeks."
See below for the full Francis Cummins interview or visit the Leeds Rhinos Foundation Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwmhcH2fLxcNFLCC0aksCg