Giants to launch Category 3 Academy
Huddersfield have confirmed that launch of their Category 3 Academy, which will provide a professional pathway for potential rugby league stars, in an educational setting.
Category 3 Academies offer students a pathway to professional rugby league in an education setting.
The Rugby League Development Programme will launch in September 2017, and will offer youngsters an education in sport, alongside training and playing rugby league in a professional environment.
A college who has this status has a formal partnership with a professional rugby league club, and is committed to providing a high performance player development environment that meets the RFL standards, while also allowing students to continue their further education study.
Students will study the BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sport Performance and Excellence.
They will also represent Huddersfield Giants in the College Rugby League divisions.
The two-year qualification is the equivalent to three A-Levels.
Principal James Mahoney said: “We are very excited to announce the introduction of the Rugby League Development Programme in partnership with Huddersfield Giants.
“The Scholarship will give young players the chance to study a full-time academic qualification, whilst also developing themselves as Rugby League players.
“At Huddersfield ESEA we place a huge emphasis on creating a professional environment for young people to succeed both on and off the pitch.”
Giants Head of Youth Andy Kelly added: “I am excited by the development programme.
“It has a natural fit and sits parallel with what we are trying to achieve.
“Rugby League is notoriously a late development sport and what we are allowing for here is players who have not quite got there yet and who maybe deserve a second chance.
“From a performance and academy point of view it gives us a chance to work with more players and monitor their progress.
“There are some good examples throughout the game at the moment of people from other clubs who have actually come from the Category 3 element of the game into the academies and into Super League.
“Connectivity is really important so having the performance players alongside development programme players in the Education Academy is going to be an incentive for each to mix and aim to bridge the gap.”