A PROGRAMME which aims to capture the next generation of Sixways stars is set to be up and running before the beginning of next season.
That is the ambition of high performance director Nick Johnston who has been working tirelessly to get Worcester Warriors’ Development Player Pathway scheme off the ground.
The club revealed in September that it was looking to launch centres in Telford, Birmingham, Coventry and Worcester where youngsters can train under the guidance of top class coaches.
And Johnston, who joined director of rugby Dean Ryan’s backroom staff in December, said he had identified a number of other sites in the West Midlands which Warriors could tap into.
“I thought the catchment area at Northampton was big as we went out as far as Ipswich and Essex and up to Cambridge,” Johnston said.
“But the old petrol miles are clocking up here as it is a talent rich area. There are some genuinely good people that really want to see this club do well and that makes your job easier.
“For instance we had a headmaster today who rolled the red carpet out for us, which is really pleasing to come across and quite refreshing.
“You only have to look at the top end of the Premiership and international rugby to see how many players have come from here and are now playing at other clubs which is sad.
“But that has happened and we can’t dwell on the past. We have just got to sort it out and put the systems and procedures in place.
“I am pretty confident it will happen because there is the appetite for it and there are a lot of people in Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Birmingham who want it to happen and that’s the key.”
Johnston also revealed the club will be looking to recruit further strength and conditioning coaches and physiotherapists to support its ambition to create a flourishing youth system.
“Warriors are the professional outfit in the middle but your feeder systems are your schools, colleges and junior rugby clubs which have got to be a central part of the club and we will look to get space within those environments,” he said.
“At the moment we have got four really good kids at Hereford Cathedral School, but we are asking them to come here three times a week, which means their parents are leaving at 3pm and getting home at 10pm and that’s unfair.
“If they only have to come here one night a week and have two nights in Hereford then that will be a massive help and that’s where the centres come in.
“I want these centres up and running by September and that is a major target for me as there are a few barriers to break down, but there is a will do it which is pleasing.”