45 / 64
www.
ULSTERRUGBY
.com
43
YOUTH RUBGY
STRUCTURES IN PLACE FOR DEVELOPING
YOUTH RUGBY PROGRAMME
A big focus for Black over the past two seasons
has been on developing the youth game, having
witnessed a small number of players coming
through the club pathway in comparison to the
school system.
There have been some successes, with the
likes of Johnny Murphy, Chris Farrell and Adam
McBurney making an impact in recent times, but
it had been identified as a real growth area.
“There is no doubting the raw material and
physical potential of players in the club game, it’s
about developing it and providing opportunities,”
said Black. “This is being done by investing more
time in these players and the support network
around them.”
One of the challenges in the past has been talent
identification, but that has steadily improved and
has been buoyed further by the introduction of
Jonny Gillespie as Talent Development Officer
last year.
Along with a big network of club and school
coaches, he collates a large amount of
information on players on a weekly basis.
“For club players, their first step on the
development pathway is at U16 Regional
Development Squad (RDS) level. This programme
from U16/U17 level through to U18s has seen
significant changes in recent season,” explains
Black.
Michael Black has been working in the Hughes Insurance Ulster Academy for
three years, first as Age Grade Performance Manager, and more recently as
Provincial Talent Coach.
continued overleaf...