Leeds Beckett hosts national Player and Coach Education days with Rugby Football League

On 26 and 27 May 2025, all 12 under-16 scholarship teams from the Rugby Football League’s (RFL) Super League academies attended the two-day event, designed to support the development of players and coaches on the elite pathway.

Across the two days, 350 players and 75 coaching staff were hosted at Leeds Beckett’s Carnegie School of Sport, taking part in a packed programme focused on physical profiling, health education and coaching development. 

Players from the Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors, Hull FC and more completed RFL and Leeds Beckett physical profiling activities supported by academic staff, PhD researchers and students. They also attended workshops introducing England’s ‘How We Eat’ philosophy, delivered by Dr Sarah Chantler, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Nutrition. There were also sessions on anti-doping, brain health and the pathway to refereeing led by elite officials Chris Kendal and Tara Jones. 

For club staff, the day began with a continuing professional development (CPD) session delivered by Paul Anderson, Head of England’s Male Pathways for the RFL, on the ‘How We Coach’ philosophy – RFL’s framework for developing coaching practice. In the afternoon small-sided games brought the learning to life with six teams playing side-by-side across university pitches. 

The event was made possible through strong collaboration between the RFL and Leeds Beckett staff, with support from four academic leads, a PhD researcher and a group of master’s and undergraduate students – offering valuable, hands-on experience for those pursuing careers in sport science and coaching. 

Peter Mackreth, Dean of School at Carnegie School of Sport, said: “Following the success of a similar event hosted in November 2024, the May PaCE days reinforce Leeds Beckett’s continued role as a trusted partner in high-performance sport and talent development. It was great to see the next generation of rugby league players and coaches coming through and committing to improvement – the sport has a really bright future.”

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