York RLFC Foundation, in conjunction with York Knights, are proud to announce the Excel programme will be delivered again in 2025, taking place at York St. John University Sports Park on Haxby Road, York.
The Excel programme is a community driven programme for boys offering young rugby league players and those new to the sport an opportunity to work in a professional club environment. They will get the chance to work with different coaches and different players, learning new skills at a quality training facility provided by York St John University.
The fantastic work being done at our community clubs and schools has helped play a part in developing local talent and with the support of the Excel programme, we have seen homegrown players such as Myles Harrison and Brad Ward progress into the Knights first team squad with others stepping up into Super League.
Current York Knights Assistant Coach, Will Leatt continues to lead on the coaching programme alongside a strong and experienced junior development coaching team.
Head of Rugby, Andrew Henderson oversees the programme as it forms the foundation of the player pathways system currently in production at the club.
“It is fantastic that we have the support of our foundation once again to run this programme and the benefits of our collaboration are there to be seen.
"The Excel programme stands as the foundation stage in our youth development model. It provides opportunities for players of all abilities to have access to quality coaching and experience a professional club environment.
"We encourage local players from our York and North Yorkshire community clubs to attend, alongside players from clubs outside the area as well. Players who play rugby union, just play for their school team, or have no experience at all and just want to give rugby league a go, are all very welcome here at York RLFC.
"We have a strong coaching team made up of both professional and community rugby league coaching backgrounds overseen by me to support the players. The programme also serves as an opportunity for us to identify any talent to be invited onto our Junior Squires U/14’s and Squires U/16’s programmes which are the first steps on our professional performance pathway.”
The Excel programme will operate in 3 blocks in 2025:
U/12’s & U/13’s
7th April, 14th April | 12th May, 19th May
U/12s Game - Date TBC
U/13’s & U/14’s
2nd June, 9th June, 16th June, 23rd June
Game – Date TBC
U/15’s & U/16’s
7th July, 14th July, 21st July, 28th July
Game v Doncaster Wednesday 5th August – Details TBC
Training sessions for each age group will take place Monday evenings 7pm-8pm on the dates listed above at York St. John University Sports Park, Haxby Road, York YO31 8TA
Sessions are free of charge but registering is essential. To register for the Excel programme click HERE.
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