The RISE programme returns for its second year to provide professional coaching for girls aged 14-16 in rugby league and new for 2023 U19s!
Over 80 girls attended Sunday's re-launch of York RLFC's RISE programme.
The programme began last March and has since doubled its numbers in attendance, meaning more local girls are taking to the sport.
In the sessions, young players develop technical markers, such as core skills and tackle technique, as well as embedding the culture and standards associated with the York RLFC philosophy.
The players will continue to train and play as normal with their community club or schools, but will experience elite level coaching, basic strength and conditioning.
Head Coach on the programme, Danny Holmes, said:
"We're making sure that the 14-16s have the building blocks to take-up to the 19s and then hopefully progress to that Women's Super League level.
"The programme began last March and we had around 30 girls from 14-16 years old.
"This year we've doubled that. We're looking at 80+ girls on the programme which is phenomenal."
The Head Coach continued to speak on his ambitions for the initiative:
"The real big push is to get the talent out of York and then if we can pick people up outside of York that is fantastic.
"The ambition for this year is if I can get at least two or three players from the under 19s to step-up to the women's first team that's be absolutely incredible.
"From the 14-16s point of view it'd be making sure that they have smiles on faces in training and that they're taking everything that they can away from that training session to their community clubs."
Valkyrie full-back and England Rugby League World Cup Star Tara Jane Stanley also commented:
"When we were 13/14 there wasn't this pathway for us so to see this now in the women's game is massive."
"When you look at the board and see what journey all the girls are going to take it's really exciting and if were 13/14 I would only want to grasp something like this for the full opportunity.
"I hope all the girls buy into it, I'm sure they will because they did last year."
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