Academy
Nominations
Schools, colleges and clubs play an important role in helping us identify talented players.
One of our core focus areas has been to ensure that there are no barriers to entry for talented Yorkshire rugby players. Creating a nominations system was integral to this. We know teachers, coaches and club volunteers who work closest with young players often have the best insight, and so we made them central to the nominations process. By building relationships with schools, colleges and clubs in our region, and educating them on the qualities we look for in our academy players, we’ve been able to identify more players who demonstrate elite level potential.
What is a nomination?
When a nomination has been completed for a player, it means that either their teacher or coach – or other club volunteer – has identified they have the skills, knowledge and attitudes we are looking for and has put them forward to us for consideration. Nominations are predominantly done electronically via a formal nomination form.
The Nominations process.
Our nominations process has been designed to ensure that talent from across the region is given fair and consistent access to development opportunities.
School or club identifies a star
Nomination form is completed
Player gets an invitation to assessment
Player assessed during 3 or 4 week assessment period
Player notified of outcome within 7 days
Our nomination windows and assessment periods.
Due to the way our academy seasons work, nominations are not open all year round.
Instead, we have two specific nomination windows.
Under 16s nominations
Nominations for the Under 16s age group are accepted during a two-week period towards the end of preseason which is typically August/September. After the window has closed, we invite players to be assessed at one of our foundation centres. The assessment period takes place in the 3 weeks following the closure of the nomination window.
Under 15s nominations
Nominations for the Under 15s age group are accepted during a two-week period typical late September/early October, usually after the assessment period for the Under 16s has finished. Similarly to the Under 16s, assessments take place at one of our foundation centres, although due to the number of nominations we get for this age group, the assessment period is usually 4 to 6 weeks long.
FAQ’s
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Nominations give us the opportunity to learn more about players who are demonstrating strong rugby ability, positive behaviours, and a willingness to develop. It’s not just about current performance; we’re also looking for indicators that a player is ready for the challenges and opportunities that come with the Academy environment.
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Right now, we’re only accepting nominations via our electronic forms during the windows. However, if you’re a coach or teacher who really feels you have a STAR we should be aware of, please contact Luke at lukependlebury@yorkshirerugbyacademy.com for further information.
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All nominations we receive will get an opportunity to be assessed. To ensure our assessment days are as valuable as possible and players have the chance to have a good experience with us, we ask that you visit our star page to review what we are looking for before submitting a nomination.
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In theory, yes. However, our priority is always to ensure each player has a positive and encouraging experience. Repeated nominations without noticeable development after a ‘not now’ decision could potentially affect a player’s confidence or enjoyment of the game.
We encourage nominations where there is clear progress aligned with the STAR model, and we welcome opportunities to revisit players who have made those improvements.
We’re always interested in hearing about players who show the potential to become future stars. So, if you’ve seen a player that really shines, put them on our radar by nominating them below.
SEEN A PLAYER THAT SHINES?
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SEEN A PLAYER THAT SHINES? //