Rugby League: Huddersfield Giants unveil plans to run academy from next year

Huddersfield Giants have announced they will run a full-time academy from the 2015 season with up to 25 players between the ages of 17 and 19.

The significant move underlines the club’s commitment to junior player development following a full review of structures by head of youth Andy Kelly, who joined the claret and gold in February.

The business level of the club and the academy is to provide Super League players for the Huddersfield Giants.

Kelly is confident that the considerable time, money and effort involved in setting up and running a full-time academy will reap the rewards:

“We’re moving very quickly," he said. "Since coming into the club I carried out a full review of the academy and then made some recommendations to the board of directors.

Significant

"This follows accreditation from the RFL where we were given Grade 3 status although they did identify significant improvements. Our aim is to become a Grade 1 Academy. Next year we will have between 22 and 25 full time players and it’s about investing quality and time into them.”

“Paul Anderson (Giants head coach) fully supports what we’re doing, I had a conversation with him before I’d even started my job in February and one of the things he talked about was a fuller timetable for the professional players and it is also gives him some involvement in their development.”

“They will undertake a three A-Level equivalent BTEC in Sport Performance and Excellence through The Zone Learning Centre before carrying out their training programmes which completes their full timetable of activities.

“The business level of the club and the academy is to provide Super League players for the Huddersfield Giants. 

Further education

Giants managing director Richard Thewlis said: "One of Andy’s key objectives which we tasked him with when joining us was to significantly increase our contact time with our younger players and ensure that education remained a key part of their days so that those who don’t ultimately make full time Super league professionals have a qualification to assist employment or further education.

We will continue to invest into this section of the club and we look forward to seeing the benefit of this in the coming years.

"The implementation of this from our side needed investment in staff, facilities and educational partners all of which Andy has dovetailed nicely into a superb offering that as can be seen from his recruitment is very attractive to elite players.

“The club will continue to invest into this section of the club and we look forward to seeing the benefit of this in the coming years and for next year Johnson, Dickinson and Learmonth will be the flag bearers for the next intake to aspire to follow.“