He said: “There are around 60 rugby clubs in Kent including no less than 5000 members in both the minis and the juniors sections around the county. Even women’s rugby is picking up since England’s performance last year in the World Cup in England where they narrowly lost to New Zealand in the final.
“We are trying to get as many people playing the game as we can and once they do, we want to make sure they are in the best environment to keep them playing for as long as possible and to their full potential.”
With Blackheath, the top club in the county, playing in the National League One, Kent seems to lack a high profile club to help youngsters reach their goal of playing professional rugby.
“We do have pathways for our talented boys to develop and fulfill their potential. We are linked with the Saracens academy where they can progress to maybe one day become professionals.
“We have a School of Rugby for boys aged between 13 and 16 as well as a Player Development Centre for the ones aged between 16 and 20. Both of these programs are linked with Saracens who runs training sessions for these boys,” he added.
In another fashion, Kent schools also provide a path for talented youngsters to reach the highest level and even play for England.
He concluded: “There are quite a lot of rugby playing schools in Kent with their own union who organises a lot of competitions. The talented boys are then picked in the U16 and U18 county teams.
“From the county championship we play in, a selection for the London and South East is then selected to play a Regional Championship and from these regional teams, an England U16 and U18 squad is selected to play at the end of the academic year.”
To listen to David Corry's interview, click here.
To listen to David Corry's interview, click here.
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