ELITE YOUTH RUGBY ACADEMYCREATING ENGLAND'S FUTURE RUGBY STARS

For international matches and tournaments, costs remain heavily subsidised, with 50% funded by our sponsors.

Eight trial sessions will run on Monday and Wednesday evenings, 6:30–8:00 PM, throughout July and August. While attendance at every session isn’t required, we ask each participant to attend at least four to ensure a fair and thorough assessment.

By spreading trials over several weeks, we’re able to properly evaluate every player—while also giving them the chance to bond with potential teammates, meet players from other clubs, and experience world-class coaching and facilities.

Bisham Abbey has a proud history as the training base for world-class athletes and teams, including England’s senior men’s football and rugby squads, Barcelona FC, England Hockey, the English Institute of Sport, and the WIN Tennis Academy. You can read more at: https://www.bishamabbeynsc.co.uk/nsc/

Our focus is on developing players who can truly think on the field. By running longer sessions, we have the time to explain key principles, reinforce understanding, and analyse performance in detail.

Each session is structured as follows:

⚬ Warm-up drills
⚬ Theme introduction – exploring the day’s focus, the science behind it, and why it matters
⚬ Skills training – applying the theme in practical drills
⚬ Mini matches – putting new skills into real-game scenarios
⚬ Debrief & analysis – ensuring players understand the how and why behind their performance

Players will lern to row together on the Thames, tackle assault courses with the Army, conquer Tough Mudder challenges, and camp in the wilderness.

We’ll also visit specialist clubs and schools to refine key skills—like sprint training at athletics clubs—ensuring every player develops both on and off the pitch.

These are headed up by Ollie Phillips - the most successful England Rugby Sevens captain leading his team to three World Series Cup victories - including in New Zealand - and six finals. In 2009, he was voted World Rugby Seven’s player of the year. In 2022 Ollie Phillips was appointed the role as Head Coach of the China Rugby Sevens team.

We also provide a full support team—player chaperones, medics, commercial staff, and liaison officers—to ensure every aspect of the programme runs smoothly.

These sessions are non-compulsory, recognising that players have other commitments during holiday periods.

The first tour will be to Wales in 2026, followed by our debut international tournament at the 2027 Tropical 7s in Florida, USA.

None of our sessions are on Sundays, and all are scheduled to minimise any impact on existing club commitments.

Sincura’s events team is involved in major global sporting events like the Olympics and Rugby World Cup. Committed to supporting youth, they partner with charities including Grassroots Rugby, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and British Fencing, and have pledged £250,000 to help develop England’s future rugby stars.

Around the world, elite youth pathways are already well established:

⚪ In the USA, 60 million children play sport—the size of our entire population.
⚪ By age 8, children are often considered too old to start sports like tennis, football, and gymnastics.
⚪ By age 9, scouts begin identifying talent.
⚪ By age 10, the top 1% enter funded elite programmes.
⚪ By age 11, over 90% of future national stars have been scouted.
⚪ By age 12, college scholarships are being awarded.

In the UK, football has pre-academy programmes for players as young as 6 or 7, with official academy entry from age 9.

Rugby has never followed this model. At age 12, most players are still training in mixed-ability groups at the pace of the slowest in the team.

We are changing that.

However, science shows that children progress most effectively when training with peers at a similar level. Private schools, Welsh junior rugby, New Zealand rugby, and football academies all use ability-based grouping—and it works.

From our experience as head coaches, we often see players naturally fall into three categories:

⚬ Category A: Top 10%
⚬ Category B: Middle 80%
⚬ Category C: Bottom 10%

When Category A children constantly play against Category C, they dominate the game, which benefits neither group. Coaching often ends up focused on Category B/C players, limiting the potential of Category A.

This programme is not for everyone, but it is run with full transparency alongside the RFU and operates alongside regular, non-streamed club rugby.

When you are selected for the team you will be given access to the team phone numbers and WhatsApp group.
You will also be given the contact number for your mentor

⚬ Elevate your sports programme and inspire students to reach the next level
⚬ Access professional rugby training and sports science insights
⚬ Create opportunities for future England rugby stars from your school

If one of your students is selected, your school will receive:

⚬ Feature on our website and a digital promotion pack to share the achievement
⚬ Academy and student photos in kit
⚬ Regular updates on your students’ progress
⚬ Invitations to watch training during open sessions
⚬ Invitations to the end-of-year awards
⚬ Support for future scholarship applications for your students

Please contact us to be sent a school pack or to arrange a meeting

We still have spaces available for coaches to join our roster. If you believe you are among the best and are ready to make an impact, we want to hear from you.

⚪ Have played rugby at a respectable senior level
⚪ Hold a senior coaching position within their age group
⚪ Be fully qualified through the RFU, ideally holding an England Rugby Coaching Award (ERCA)

You will also receive your coaching kit.

Throughout the year, coaches will take part in team-building activities, starting with an Outward Bounds weekend in Wales at the end of May with the British Army. During this session, we will also collectively discuss and select the Academy players.