Scottish Futures age-grade programmes announced

Scottish Rugby has announced the creation of two new age-grade development programmes for women from the 2018-19 season onwards.

Scottish Futures U18 and Scottish Futures U20 will introduce new training and playing opportunities from August of this year and are aimed at talented female age-grade players with the potential to play for Scotland Women in the future.

Both programmes include training camps, skills sessions and training matches with Scottish Futures players benefitting from strength & conditioning, medical, nutritional, analysis and lifestyle support.

Scottish Rugby’s Head of Women & Girls Rugby Gemma Fay said: “As we increase our player pool it is important to provide opportunities for young women to grow and reach their rugby potential.

“We want to raise the standards of performance of women and girls’ rugby in Scotland as a whole through greater technical, tactical and physical input and increased competitive opportunities for identified players, which will benefit the game at all levels.

We want more players enjoying rugby and aspiring to play at the highest level with a greater understanding of what it takes and the motivation to work hard to get there.”

The Scottish Futures programmes will replace the current Performance Development Programme (PDP) and develops the route players can take towards representing Scotland Women.

It aims to prepare players for the transition to senior elite rugby by increasing competitive fixtures for a greater number of players, and ensuring these programmes align with the age-grade and senior domestic calendars so players can maximise every rugby opportunity.

Scottish Futures U18 focuses on player development with an emphasis on rugby skills, game understanding and the behaviours needed to succeed in a high-performance rugby environment.

Scottish Futures U20 provides players with opportunities to challenge their rugby skills, game understanding and behaviours in a competitive environment.

Eligible players can be nominated by coaches or nominate themselves. More details will be available in the coming months.

Scottish Rugby is currently recruiting for Head and Assistant Coaches for both Scottish Futures U18 and U20 programmes and a Head Coach for Scotland Women U18 7s programme.

To apply please visit: https://www.cloudonlinerecruitment.co.uk/SRU/VacancyDetails.aspx?VacancyID=203.

For more information please contact Performance Pathway Manager, Sarah Dixon, [email protected].