Coventry College Rugby Education Programme Celebrates 18 Years of Excellence

Coventry College’s Rugby Education Programme will be entering its 19th year this September. Over nearly two decades, the programme has consistently prepared learners for careers as players or in supporting sports roles. The programme’s success is reflected in its former learners, many of whom have progressed to professional and semi-professional playing opportunities and significant employment and higher education roles within the sporting industry.

Since its launch in 2006, the Rugby Education Programme has provided a unique learning opportunity where students can develop their rugby union skills while gaining a Sports qualification. Learners benefit from a bespoke tailored rugby union programme, delivered by RFU Level 4 and 3 qualified coaches. As well as the flagship men’s Rugby Education Programme, the College supports female players who aspire to develop their game and also works alongside the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) for 16-18yr olds.

All learners receive professional training, coaching and support from a team of expert coaches, many of whom have played and worked in the professional game. Coventry College Academy Manager and Head of Rugby Pete Glackin founded the programme in 2006 while still pursuing his own playing and coaching career. Pete has coached teams including Coventry and Birmingham and Solihull RFC. He is the current National League 1 Birmingham Moseley Rugby Head Coach and the England Counties RFU Senior Assistant Coach.

The Rugby Programme is also bolstered with Lead Coach and full-time Lecturer Danny Wright – formerly of England U20s, Gloucester Rugby, Stade Francais, Coventry Rugby and Birmingham Moseley Rugby. Danny and Pete are supported by former Coventry College and current Broadstreet RFC senior player Callum Hopkin. Callum supports the on field coaching alongside the strength and conditioning elements of the programme.

In 2021 the curriculum programme for Sport and Uniformed Services moved into the state-of-the-art high performance Alan Higgs Centre. The partnership significantly enhanced the Sports provision at the College, including the Rugby Programme where learners now have access to an extensive range of high-performance equipment and facilities to undertake elite strength and conditioning training, game analysis, fitness testing and physiotherapy.

In addition to the rugby development and academic study, the programme embraces a holistic approach, which includes supporting learners with work experience placements – to enhance essential industry skills. Learners also hear from industry experts and players, such as semi-professional rugby player and author Aquile Smith, who works with the learners to understand the importance of mental wellbeing in sport. Former student, rugby captain and Founder of Against the Odds, Aaron Abbott also speaks to learners to highlight the dangers of gambling and the impact this can have.

Over the years, the men’s Rugby Education Programme has celebrated numerous achievements. In 2023, the team was crowned Midlands champions of the Association of Colleges Sport (AoC Sport) Regional 7s tournament qualifying for the National 7s and collected the Portugal Youth Festival Plate Winners for 2024.

Previous accolades include being awarded the AoC Rugby Union College of the Year in 2015. The team were RFU Regional U18s Vase Winners in 2021 and previous teams have been crowned AoC Sport Premier League and Regional 7s Tournament winners for three consecutive years.

The programme also offers learners international exposure through the annual Portugal Youth Rugby Festival in Lisbon, where the squad have just returned after their 8^th consecutive year. The trip provides learners and staff with an unforgettable experience both on and off the field and the opportunity to play against teams from across the world.

Many alumni have gone onto have outstanding success, securing playing opportunities at Premiership and Senior Academy level for clubs such as; Wasps and Gloucester and Harlequins, as well as RFU National League success with Coventry Rugby, Birmingham Moseley, and Hull RFU. Some learners have also represented England Counties U18, England 7s, and Great Britain’s Junior American Football Team, where former player Amrit Chatha has recently secured a professional contract in Germany. Most recently players Nick Nattress and Henry Quance have both secured scholarships at the prestigious St. Bonaventure University in America.

Coventry College’s Rugby Education Programme is also committed to supporting community and representative rugby across the Midlands with many players, each year, continuing to play for their parent clubs while representing County and Divisional Representative teams and Premiership Academies. This further enhances their experience and development which is an important factor at such a crucial time in their development.

Pete Glackin, Head of Rugby stated,

“The community clubs provide an excellent pathway for all the players and it’s where the players start the game of rugby union, the clubs invest an amazing amount of time and resources in to developing each player. We continue to strive to work with all the clubs and the coaches to ensure all the players get a full rounded experience and player development while they are at Coventry College.”

Rugby Union is developing oversees and Coventry College, as well as supporting the local community, have for the past five years donated playing kits to the Ghana RFU, strengthening the ties between the UK and Ghana rugby communities and supporting the game worldwide.

As the Rugby Education Programme enters its 19th year, Founder and Head of Rugby Pete Glackin reflects on the journey and looks forward to the future.

“I am incredibly proud to see our Rugby Education Programme entering its 19th year. Our past successes have laid a strong foundation, and we are committed to building on this legacy. Our goal is to continue to build on this successful programme, ensuring positive progression for all our learners both on and off the field. The future holds exciting opportunities, and we are ready to embrace them.”

Coventry College’s Rugby Education Programme is now enrolling for September 2024 entry.