Rugby League Development: Our Quarter in Numbers

Each quarter, we will be looking over our stats from across the Rugby League Development sector, to see how our work in the community is benefitting Rugby League throughout the city.

In January of this year, the Leeds Rhinos Foundation launched our Rugby League Development Plan for the next 4 years. The launch saw 200 representatives from the community game at Headingley Stadium, to find out how we plan to help grow the game with our resources.

Taster Sessions

It is a known fact that every successful rugby player must start somewhere, and in most cases, this journey starts with a community club. However, getting into a community club can be a daunting experience for any young child. That is why the Leeds Rhinos Foundation conducts regular Taster Sessions at different clubs around the city. These sessions are arranged around club recruitment needs and follow a campaign of delivery in local schools that raise interest and awareness. This allows young, aspiring rugby players to come along and get a taste for the game, in a fun and safe environment. Not only does it give them the opportunity to learn the basics, but it also gives them a chance to make new friends. We have seen that this plays a huge role in children joining their local clubs, making that leap that little bit easier.

Since January, 95 children have attended our Taster Sessions at community clubs around the city, and as we continue with our schedule throughout the year, we hope that this number will continue to grow.

Workshops

Throughout the first quarter of the year, we have run an array of workshops, available to community coaches and volunteers. Our workshops are led by qualified Rugby League coaches from Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Rhinos Foundation alongside special guests, invited to share their expertise. Our workshops are free to attend and are designed using feedback from the community game, with the aim of supporting club and school coaches and volunteers with their needs.

The first quarter of 2023 saw 110 community club coaches and 80 volunteers take part in our workshops.

Please see below for details of our next workshop with Leeds Rhinos Head Coach, Rohan Smith.

Upcoming workshop: Developing a Coaching Philosophy

Date: Monday 17th April

Time: 6:30pm

Our next coaching workshop will be held here at Headingley Stadium and will be hosted by Leeds Rhinos Head Coach, Rohan Smith. The workshop will give coaches the chance to think about their own coaching philosophy and how this fits in their environment.

To book your place, please CLICK HERE.

Or to view our full workshop schedule, please CLICK HERE.

Rhinos Talent Pathway

The new-look player Talent Pathway development programme, which is linked to the RFL’s England Talent Pathway initiative, aims to increase the number of quality rugby league players aged between 12 and 16 and will be the driving force behind providing a clear pathway from the grassroots game into Scholarship, Academy rugby and beyond. Our Development Days are also part of the programme and give young, aspiring players around the city a chance to develop their skills, learning from our fully qualified coaches.

Since the beginning of the quarter, we have seen a record number of players attending our Rhinos Talent Pathway sessions, with 300 boys and 150 girls (in years 7-11).

School Competitions

Schools throughout Leeds do a fantastic job to develop and promote Rugby League and this work is proudly supported by Leeds Rhinos Foundation, who recognise the contribution that school rugby plays in the pathway to creating the next generation of players.

Through our links with High schools and Primary schools in the city we can work together to encourage pupils to participate in the sport, both in school and with their local clubs.

A prime example of this is the competitions that we run throughout the academic year, including the Leeds and Hunslet Schools RL Cup Finals, the Rhinos 9’s Tournament, indoor touch festivals, development festivals, Girl’s War of the Roses and many more. Since January, we have seen 200 Primary school children take part in our competitions and a further 533 players participating at High school level.

Our competitions are a key date in many schools’ academic calendar, and we look forward to seeing the talent that this city has to offer as that calendar continues into 2023.

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