Worcester Warriors Academy and Worcester Sixth Form College have joined forces to give young rugby hopefuls across the West Midlands a route to the top.
Under the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence, Academy coaches will identify rising talent with the potential to make professional rugby a career, and develop their skills at Sixways, while the college will provide them with the facilities to study their chosen vocational or academic course.
The RFU-sanctioned partnership is one of just 14 across the country.
A pilot course has been running at the college since September, 2006, but the initiative will be launched officially at an open day on Thursday, January 25, 2007, heralding the start of a search for youngsters to win places on the two-year course next summer.
Prospective students will be able to learn more on the night, while Sixways experts will identify young starlets and recommend the course as a way to develop their rugby and academic education, hand in hand.
“It’s a huge opportunity for talented players and reflects the outstanding success of the Warriors and the commitment of the college to integrate study and qualifications with sporting excellence,” says Principal John Tredwell.
Academy manager Andrew Stanley is delighted that the course will give Warriors the opportunity to work with players at an earlier age, while they’re enjoying the vital benefits of a quality education at the Sixth Form College.
“They’ll be training for three hours a day in the full-time Academy programme based at Sixways,” Andrew says. “It gives us another route to attracting the best rugby talent in the West Midlands to Worcester Warriors.”

For more information contact Andrew Stanley, Academy Manager, Worcester Warriors (d) 01905 459343 (e) academy@wrfc.co.uk or Paul Johnson, Head of Physical Education, Worcester Sixth Form College (d) 01905 362654 (e) psj@wsfc.ac.uk