1-Youngster’s development
The lack of Premiership club in Kent could be dragging the whole system down but their partnership with Premiership Champions Saracens gives the most talented kids a clear pathway to professional rugby. However, Chris Wilkins and his staff have to make sure that they don’t let the 95% of these youngsters that will not making it with Saracens leave the county to go and play in the Midlands or Western Counties. This was an issue very close to Chris Wilkins heart as to reassure them that even if they don’t become professional rugby players, they can still have a good career in Kent at a lower level and even represent England with the counties team. That tour in New Zealand next summer with the development squad is a clear statement to his dedication to these players.2-Women’s rugby
This is not only noticeable in Kent but the women’s game is picking up in England following the great performance of the England team in the 2010 World Cup in England. Girls are joining younger and younger every year which means, like Max Melville-Brown explained, that 17 and 18-year-old are reaching the seniors teams with a full set of skills and are making the level of the game go through the roof and Aylesford are the perfect example of that. 3-Grass roots rugby
Grass roots rugby is the essence of the sport and the backbone of rugby in Kent and in England. Professional clubs with bigger installations and more money are giving talented youngsters the opportunity to express their talent but grass roots clubs are the ones producing them in the first place. There will always be a place for the amateur game in Kent, England or anywhere in the world as long as these clubs can get the necessary funds to keep running. In this economy, it becomes harder and harder to find sponsors and unfortunately only the strongest clubs will survive as Ian Lodge explained. 4-National League rugby
Kent has five clubs in the three National Leagues. I think it’s more than enough. Kent is not in the best geographical position and quite far from the rugby-mad counties, which makes it harder for these clubs to recruit players. However, they could and should beneficiate from the player development system by having a share of the youngsters failing to make it with Saracens. In this case, Kent Rugby would have a return on investment and the clubs would get talented players to become stronger in the leagues and maybe one day reach their goal of playing in the professional leagues.5-Conclusion
I think Kent rugby in general is in a healthy state. With five clubs in National leagues and a strong grass roots community, they should try to bite more than they can chew. We need to get to grip that Harlequins or Saracens are our local Premiership clubs rather than try to bring one of our own up. Getting all the youngsters from Saracens playing in Kent would certainly raise the level but the Premiership might just be a league too high. Doing so would mean a huge investment from a lot of parties and it’s better to not have one rather than see a club going bankrupt trying to reach an unachievable goal. Helping the struggling grass roots clubs should the top priority of Kent County Rugby. With less money involved than in the men’s game, it wouldn’t surprise me for the first, if not only, Kent team to reach the Premiership one day, if we do get one, to be a women’s team.
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