• Identify the most talented young players through clear player pathways
• Develop them towards maximising their potential to play at the highest levels
• Provide appropriate exit routes for players leaving the academy process
• Foster good relationships with key stakeholders working with the players
• Promote professionalism within the game to support and develop local rugby

The catchment area is the counties of Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland and within these counties there are structures and support mechanisms in place to develop the most talented players towards being involved with the Newcastle Falcons Academy.

The club has always taken a holistic view that the ‘person’ is more important than the ‘player’ because for the small percentage of people that make it as professional players, rugby is not a life-long career. For those who do not reach the professional ranks it is hoped that they will filter back into the community game in the region at a level appropriate to them. Managing the expectations of players and putting rugby in perspective are important parts of the academy process and despite the elitist nature of the academy the whole programme is very much player-centred and developmental.

The academy operates a tiered system whereby players will receive different benefits based on their potential to progress towards the first team squad. Once a player becomes involved in the academy the aim is for them to push into the top tier and stay there because at the senior end of the academy this group merges into the first team squad. However, there are very good players in every age group so to stay in the top tier is very difficult and requires dedication and commitment. There are no guarantees that a player will stay involved with the academy if they do not continue to demonstrate the potential to reach the highest levels of the game.

Junior Academy (U16-U18)

The purpose of the Junior Academy is to identify, educate and develop the most talented players in the region towards being involved in the Senior Academy. Players are identified for the Junior Academy from the CB School of Rugby programmes, U16/U18 county and representative sides, club scouts and occasionally other sports. The players who progress from the Junior Academy into the Senior Academy tend to be of international calibre, such is the level of competition for places.

The Junior Academy players train together every fortnight and have different degrees of support depending on their level of involvement with the club and their potential to progress. We play a few U16 and U18 fixtures but there is no ‘team’ as such in the Junior Academy, so the primary playing/training programmes for these players is at their club, school and county where they should aim to play one game per week. Players in the Junior Academy are still classed as minors and most of them are still in post-16 education so rather than bringing the best players to Kingston Park all the time, those with the most potential are visited at their school/club to aid their development. Players who cannot logistically attend sessions at Kingston Park will have access to sessions at a satellite centre in South Cumbria and some of the Junior Academy players study on the AASE programme at Gosforth High School.

Players from the Junior Academy may be invited to train or play with the Senior Academy on occasions because this is the natural progression for them. Even at this age expectations must be carefully managed which is why players are highly encouraged to continue with their education.

School of Rugby

The School of Rugby (SoR) is an RFU initiative designed to up-skill the most talented young rugby players in each county. It consists of the best 15-20 players at each age group (U13-U16) from each county (Durham, Northumberland and Cumbria) and is delivered by county-based coaches with support from the Newcastle Falcons Academy. These players train together roughly once per month to develop their core skills and the representative playing programme for these players is via district and county squads. Screening takes place every summer for existing School of Rugby players and new nominations from local clubs/schools.

AASE Programme
The RFU in liaison with the Learning Skills Council recently set up an Apprentice scheme called the AASE programme (Advance Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence). Each premiership club runs their AASE scheme in a different way but the purpose remains the same - to offer talented rugby players with a different educational option whilst developing their rugby. The Newcastle Falcons AASE programme is at Gosforth High School in Newcastle, where players who are invited to join the scheme will complete an NVQ in Sporting Excellence alongside their A Levels/BTec courses.

Senior Academy (U19-U24)

The purpose of the Senior Academy is to identify, educate and develop the best players in the region towards professionalism. Players are identified from a number of sources, including the Junior Academy, university rugby, local club rugby, U18/U20 representative programmes and nominations from club scouts. The programme is elitist and most of the players involved are of international standard.

Each player within the Senior Academy can expect to receive different benefits and provisions dependant on their potential to progress into the first team squad at the club. The players train at Kingston Park during the week and play for the ‘A’ team. The vast majority of players will also have a playing and training programme outside of the academy at a local university or national league club to help them fulfil their development needs. Each year a new batch of players will come into contention for selection so it is important that players continue to show the potential to progress should they wish to remain within the academy.

As players progress through the Senior Academy they may be invited to train with the first team squad and from here they will have a chance of earning a first team contract. Only a tiny percentage of players will ever become professional players and most will filter back into an appropriate level of the community game, hopefully having learnt from their experiences with the academy and being able to raise the standard of local rugby.