The CRFC Academy is an important part of our player pathway at the club and looks to provide our U16-U18 players with the best possible experience and support in their final few years of junior rugby.

As with all age groups at the club, we are absolutely non-selective and welcome players of any experience: Our current players range from Premiership academy players to those just beginning their rugby journey and starting the game.

The academy is led by Ben Pollard, with support from a wide range of experienced club coaches as well as several of our 1st XV senior players.

What will our players get from the academy?
• Provides players with access to a wider range of experienced coaches, creating a more personalised programme of development.
• Through coaching and mentoring from our senior players we aim to make the transition in to senior rugby as smooth as possible.
• Individual and small-group positional training on request
• Further support for our most aspirational or current representative players through our Crows Player Development Programme (PDP) with our RDO, Ben Pollard.

How does the academy work?
Whilst the academy is made up of players from U16, 17 and 18 age groups, we very much train as one squad. The increased playing numbers allow for flexibility and variety in terms of training sessions and while training is very much planned, led and overseen by our 1st XV and head of the academy Dan Moore, the players’ age group coaches who have built relationships and had such a large part to part to play in their development over the years, will also be very much involved.

Much of training will also be led by a committed group of our senior players, who were themselves only part of our colts playing group a few years ago.

U17/18 players will play matches as part of the Sussex Colts league and U17s league. The U16s will continue to play competitive league and friendly matches as part of their own age group, with some potentially being offered the chance to step up an age group when they feel ready, later in the season.

We fully appreciate the difference in age groups and physical development of players between U16 and U18 so training will be carefully planned and managed to ensure that players are comfortable and safe in the environment while also being pushed and challenged in order to improve.

As with all rugby at Crowborough, our main aim is to ensure that our players and their families enjoy their rugby and being part of our club.