Developing Yorkshires rugby talent

The fourth instalment of the Carnegie Conversations guest lecture series features Andy Rock, Academy Director at Yorkshire Carnegie; Dr Ben Jones, Head of Academy Athletic Development for Yorkshire Carnegie and Leeds Rhinos and Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett; and Dr Kevin Till, Strength and Conditioning Coach for Yorkshire Carnegie and Leeds Rhinos and Senior Lecturer at Leeds Beckett.  The speakers will be addressing the priorities of, and the challenges facing, both codes of rugby in Yorkshire; and how the Carnegie Adolescent Rugby Research (CARR) project is being applied as it aims to create a world-leading, evidenced-based talent development system.

The talk, sponsored by Frontrow Legal, will take place from 6pm to 7pm on Thursday 10 March at the Lewis Jones Suite, Headingley Carnegie Stadium.

Developing Yorkshire-born players is a priority for both Yorkshire Carnegie and Leeds Rhinos.  Yorkshire Carnegie has the challenge of finding and developing talented young rugby union players from across Yorkshire; an area that covers more than 6,000 square miles. In contrast, Leeds Rhinos is challenged with identifying and developing young league players from a relatively small talent pool with four other professional clubs competing for the same talent within a 20-mile radius.

Andy, Ben and Kevin will be explaining how to address these challenges. Leeds Beckett, Yorkshire Carnegie and Leeds Rhinos have initiated the CARR project to investigate the factors influencing the identification and development of talented young rugby players.  The talk will provide an overview of the project and its achievements to date.

Speaking ahead of the lecture, Professor Andrew Slade, Deputy Vice Chancellor, said: “I know how passionate the people of Leeds and the wider region are about rugby.  You only have to look at how many fans travelled to see the Rhinos secure the treble last year. Yet talent acquisition and development in this great and proud county has always been a problem for both codes.

“However, the work that Andy, Ben and Kevin are doing through the Carnegie Adolescent Rugby Research project, and the time, effort and commitment they are investing should mean that talent is spotted sooner and nurtured so we can continue to grow young players and be leaders in both sports.”

Andy Rock graduated from Leeds Beckett University in 2012 with a BSc (Hons) in Sports Coaching. He headed up the Achieving Academic and Sporting Excellence programme at Prince Henry’s Grammar School in Otley, helping to produce a significant number of England age-group players and future professionals. Andy was appointed Academy Director at Yorkshire Carnegie in 2014.

Dr Ben Jones, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology at Leeds Beckett, completed his PhD (exploring fluid balance and sodium homeostasis in rugby players) in 2013.  Since then, Ben has undertaken a number of studies investigating performance and development in rugby as well as publishing numerous scientific research articles and co-editing The Science of Sport: Rugby.

Dr Kevin Till, Senior Lecturer in Sports Coaching at Leeds Beckett, completed his PhD on talent identification and development in rugby league.  He has published numerous academic articles on his research within rugby and co-edited The Science of Sport: Rugby, with Ben. 

For information on this and other Leeds Beckett events go to http://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/events/  and to join in the conversation use the hashtag #CarnegieEvents.

The full list of talks in the series is:

‘What is a teacher in the 21^st century and what does a 21^st Century teacher need to know?’ – Professor Ian Menter. 6pm Wednesday 9 March 2016.  James Graham Building, Headingley Campus.

‘A collaborative approach to developing Yorkshire’s talent’ – Andy Rock, Dr Ben Jones and Dr Kevin Till. 6pm Thursday 10 March 2016.  Lewis Jones Suite, Headingley Carnegie Stadium.

‘Has football really moved on from racism?’ – Emy Onuora. 6pm Thursday 17 March 2016. Lewis Jones Suite, Headingley Carnegie Stadium.

‘The lives and careers of women as sports coaches: The voices of the coaches’ – Dr Leanne Norman.  6pm Thursday 28 April 2016. Lewis Jones Suite, Headingley Carnegie Stadium.