The programme is governed by the Elite Department of the RFU and Premiership Rugby sits alongside the representative playing pathway in England. It is athlete-centred, development driven and competition supported. 

Each academy is accredited with an academy license with the RFU and Premiership Rugby. External audits by these two parent organisations, together with internal governance ensures that academies are performing for both club and country.

Post COVID-19 Pandemic

“The future of the academy is secure and there is an ambition to further increase the number of homegrown players in the senior squad. The academy possesses impressive systems and processes and demonstrates a profound concern for the welfare of its players. Staff are thorough and hard working in their review of current practice to continually improve efficiency and effectiveness. Despite having the least resourced operation the academy managed to deliver more activity for their players than any other club through the COVID-19 pandemic. There are now some big rocks to crack in re-activating the pathway across the region and ensuring that the coaching model is fully aligned but with limited scope to expand the programme, now is an opportunity to recalibrate with the primary goal of being as good as it can with what it has got.”

(Neil Tunnicliffe, independent auditor, 2021)