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| PLAYER DEVELOPMENT |


LEARNING THE GAME WITH DAVE ROTHERAM


PLEARNING TO COMPETE – DLAYING THE GAME AND


T EVELOPING PERFORMANCE


his article is aimed at coaches of players aged 16–19. It outlines their needs in relation to the environment in which they compete and looks


at key issues in transitioning from age-group-specific environments to a world where they will be in mixed-age settings.


When players reach the top end of the Under-16s age category, they have come to a point in their lives where they experience several changes. These include changes of school, training courses, starting work for the first time, having more independence and developing personal relationships.


There is also likely to be a transition in their Rugby League career. Potential destinations for a 16 year old are:


• community clubs (age-group-specific or open age) • community, regional or national representation • colleges of further education (FE)


• student Rugby League regional and national representation


• professional club academies • England Academy.


A young player aged 16–19 can still be part of one or more of these playing environments. Let’s look at community club and professional club academy environments, and also the considerations for the coach.


Community clubs


The key objective here is that coaches continue to engender a love of the game through a supportive and


FOR PLAYERS AGED 16–19


welcoming environment. In the community club setting, this may be through either an Under-18s programme or at an appropriate level of open-age competition.


Ideally, the club will provide two training sessions per week following a progressive curriculum that allows players to develop in all areas of performance. The playing load for community players should be monitored and 24 games per year is recommended. Anecdotal evidence suggests some players may play more than this, as they may be involved in college, representative or open-age programmes. This must be monitored closely to avoid burn out and an increased risk of injury.


Professional club academies


Academies are used by all major professional team sports in the UK. The aim of an academy is to identify and develop talented athletes to compete to a world- class standard.


The following diagram illustrates this in a Rugby League context.


MORE SKILLED HOME-GROWN PLAYERS


High Standard of Youth


Development


HIGH -PERFORMING INTERNATIONAL TEAM


(England winning World Cups)


BETTER SUPER LEAGUE


COMPETITION


MORE


COMPETITIVE TEAMS


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