Saints welcome academy appointment
September 7, 2001

Zurich Premiership side Northampton have warmly welcomed the decision of the RFU to award them one of five licences for England Rugby regional academies.

The Saints along with Leeds Tykes, Leicester Tigers, London Wasps and Newcastle Falcons have been granted three year licences as part of the RFU's World Class Performance Plan.

The World Class Performance Plan was devised by the RFU and Sport England to develop players and coaching during the next seven years and will provide an annual grant of £225,000. The plan has three phases to it:

  • Performance - working with England and Eangland 'A' players
  • Potential - nurturing U21s, Students and U10s
  • Start - U14s and U16s talent search and developing U16s and U18s sides.

    Sport England has invested £8m to be used during the next three years in support of the RFU's Plan, which itself is part of the RFU's eight-year strategic plan.

    The existing Northampton academy, set up and run by former Saints' scrum-half Brett Taylor has already produced 35 first team players over five years and will concentrate on the 'Start' pahse of the plan.

    Taylor commented, "Out of the five clubs chosen, Northampton Saints are in a strong position to make the RFU's plan work after already running an academy for thelast five years. I am looking forward to work with Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle and Wasps in the hope of producing and developing some future world class players for club and country."

    Saints director of rugby John Steele added, "As a club, we honoured to be chosen as one of the regional academies and it is a testament to the hard work put in by Brett Taylor that Northampton has been selected.

    "I have always been a believer in producing and using home grown talent, and 16 members of our current squad of 38 have been through the Saints Academy along with seven members of our squad that have been through our youth system, including Matt Dawson, Ben Cohen and Budge Poutney. Matt and Benhave gone on to be England and Lions players and I hope we can produce more of their ilk in the coming years."

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