Mission Statement
"To offer a centre for personal development to young rugby players to allow them the opportunity to play the highest level of rugby they are capable of."

Academy Objectives
- To offer a highly specialist and highly professional rugby education to identified youth age groups who are showing potential.
- To encourage integration and retention of players between youth age groups and senior rugby.

Reason for an Academy
It has been acknowledged by Stewartry Rugby Club that it is difficult to maintain playing membership at the secondary age groups and we feel that this is for a
number of reasons which include:
- Being unable to provide meaningful progression for those players not challenged enough by the current club squads.
- Reduction in the number of suitable opposition clubs
- Difficulty in managing the transition to senior age group rugby in an ongoing and structured way.

Approach
The Academy is led by the Academy Manager, John Muir. John is responsible for;
- Producing the overall action plan.
- Co-ordinating and directing specialist coaches for specialist positions or techniques.
- Running the main Academy coaching session each month.
- Overseeing a team of Academy mentors.
- Monitoring the development of each Academy player at; club, school and representative level.

Training
There is one academy training session each month at Stewartry Rugby Club plus potentially some additional sessions for individuals or positions depending on the needs of the group. Sessions may be handled on different days by different coaches, whose responsibility is purely for planning a given session as directed by the Academy Manager.

All Academy training sessions and events will be communicated to all players, coaches and parents by the Academy Manager.

The Academy will offer players the following:
- Specific Strength and Conditioning Programme for Rugby
- Micro Skill Development
- Positional Skill Development
- Specialist Coaching Sessions
- Individual player assessment and feedback
- Player Monitoring Programme

Playing / Teams
The Academy will operate independently from any one age group but will work in consultation with that players’ current coaches. The team to whom the Academy players decide to play for would depend on the individual circumstances, including:
- Club/School/Representative commitments
- Playing ability
- Geographical location

We expect that Academy members will show a commitment to rugby and play for their School, Club and Pathway team where available. Players will be encouraged to make their own decisions and targets with the support of the Academy Manager.

Who qualifies for the Academy?
Any registered player within the age bracket will qualify for the Academy. The youngest age group players eligible for the Academy will be in the U15 age group. The eldest eligible players will be assessed individually, considering; current and previous playing
background, and playing position.

If there are a high number of players within the Academy from U17 and U18s then the Academy Manager may choose to restrict entry from U15 players until the following year.

Membership of the Academy will not be a condition of playing membership (see below).

Interaction with Club/School/Representative Rugby
The Academy will offer players flexibility in their rugby education. In all cases, the Academy Manager will liaise and share all Academy plans with all other coaches who have players within the Academy. This is to ensure that the Academy does not conflict with club/school/representative rugby commitments and that the interests of the player are put first. The aim of the Academy is to enhance the level of local rugby, not hinder it.

The Academy provides additional coaching; and some players will already receive a lot of coaching (either from their school or from the club) in these cases it will still be entirely appropriate for them to continue to play for their age group and participate in the Academy.

If the U17/U18 form the basis of the Academy the team coach from this age group should work with the Academy Manager on player selection for player development purposes.