Junior Gold Program 2012
Rugby’s Pathway to Gold Program
The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) ‘Pathway to Gold’ program is a national youth talent development program from grass roots through to high performance rugby recognising the importance of all participation and high performance programs.
Rugby’s Pathway to Gold program endeavours to develop our future Wallabies and Olympians from throughout Australia with an accessible, highly effective and attractive pathway of high performance player development and competition programs delivered and supported by experienced and proven full time high performance coaches and staff. A network of over 42 National Talent Scouts supports the program by viewing and selecting talented players to enter the pathway. The program also aims to support key stakeholders including coaches and program coordinators at junior club, school, regional and provincial level. The program provides key milestone performance measurement opportunities in the form of national and/or international competition at U15, U16, and U18 year age groups for males and females including 7s Rugby. Rugby’s Pathway to Gold program will ensure Australia remains a world rugby power on an ongoing basis at all levels of the game and will provide an enjoyable and rewarding rugby experience for all selected players and coaches.
The ARU Pathway to Gold Talent Development programs include:
The National Gold Squad – a nationally coordinated high performance talent development program for approximately 90 talented players U15-18 years conducted out of five training centres – one in each of the SuperRugby centres. Players attend 3-4 sessions per week through November to March and a maintenance program to fit in with club, school and representative commitments from April to September. Regional players can be selected and are serviced remotely and via training camps. Fulltime ARU High Performance and State Union coaching staff deliver the program.
The Junior Gold Program – a nationally coordinated high performance off season talent development program for U15-17 year players conducted out of twenty-five (25) centres across Australia. The program underpins the National Gold Squad program using the same models of development in skill and athletic performance and introduces players to the Pathway to Gold talent development program. The program recognises the state and institute programs conducted in centres such as Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Canberra and Melbourne whilst operating across regional NSW and Queensland and recently including players from Tasmania. The Junior Gold programs across Australia ensure over 600 players are exposed to this national talent development program each year.
Junior Gold U15 High Performance Camp – a national high performance camp for 90 U15 year players held in October each year. The camp provides an introduction for U15 year players to the Junior Gold program focussing on game understanding, athletic performance testing and off field education.
Queensland Junior Rugby Union State Championships
The Queensland Junior State Championships provide an important performance benchmarking opportunity for players and program selectors whilst also providing an outstanding educational experience for all participants. At these championships players have the opportunity to play and challenge themselves against the best junior club talent in Queensland. The championships also provide the Queensland Reds and Australian Rugby Union High Performance coaching staff with the opportunity to view talent and select for various talent development programs and representative teams available to all players at the championships which include the QJRU U15, U16 and U17 teams, Junior Gold U15 High Performance Camp and the Junior Gold Program (formerly the Junior Reds Squad).
In 2010, 35 U15 year players from QLD were selected to attend the Junior Gold U15 High Performance Camp held at the Australian Institute of Sport. The group selected included regional players from the Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Darling Downs, Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast regions as well as representation from all three Brisbane areas. We wish all players the very best for the Championships and hope you enjoy the fantastic experience!
For more information on the Pathway to Gold program please contact Ben Whitaker – National Talent Development Coordinator
ben.whitaker@rugby.com.au or 02 8005 5629
