New Partnership A Boon To Scottish Exiles

Scottish Rugby is pleased to announce today a three-year partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University to establish a coaching base for Scottish Exiles at their Headingley Campus. The site already has historical links to Scottish rugby, as it was there that both national coach Frank Hadden and his predecessor Ian McGeechan studied.Scottish Rugby is pleased to announce today a three-year partnership with Leeds Metropolitan University to establish a coaching base for Scottish Exiles at their Headingley Campus. The site already has historical links to Scottish rugby, as it was there that both national coach Frank Hadden and his predecessor Ian McGeechan studied. The deal will enable Scottish Exiles to run a development camp and assist in the creation of an elite Exiles academy on the campus, where Scottish qualified players will be able to access state-of-the-art playing and sports-science facilities. Frank Hadden said: “We know that there are thousands of Scottish qualified players in England and we value the enormous contribution Scottish Exiles have made to Scottish Rugby over the years. “I welcome this partnership as it will enable young Scottish Exiles players to access high quality coaching and have a support network in place that will give them every chance of realising their full potential. “I’m also looking forward to going back to my old college and seeing the advances that have been made since I was at Carnegie in the 1970s.” Brendan Foster, Chancellor of Leeds Metropolitan University and another former Carnegie student, said: “This is fantastic news and Scottish Rugby is to be commended for its vision in creating opportunities for young players south of the border to have access to the very best coaching through this partnership with Leeds Met Carnegie.” Ninian Watt, Chair of the Governors of Leeds Met, said: “As a Scot and a regular spectator at Murrayfield, I assure Scottish Rugby that this pioneering partnership means a lot to us.” Henry Edwards, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Player Development, said: “This partnership will enable Scottish Rugby to integrate the Exiles programme into its player development pathway. “The facilities and support structures which are available at the university will enable Scottish Rugby to organise training camps for players with potential international ability. “The Exiles have proved in the past that there are players based outwith Scotland who have the ability to represent their country. This association with Leeds Met will ensure that the identified players will have the correct levels of support and opportunity to develop and promote themselves through the Scottish national age-grade squads.”