The Girls' Pathway is governed by the Women's Professional Advisory Group and involves the RFU and Constituent Bodies, known as CBs or Counties, working closely together.
The first age band for girls only rugby is U12’s, after this Girls’ play in two-year age bands U14 (year 8/9), U16 (year 10/11) and U18 (year 12/13). The Age Grade Pathway encompasses the U16 and U18 age bands and comprises of two distinct phases: Foundation and Development.
Following engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, a national curriculum has been put in place to support a player’s journey, desired outcomes for each phase and session focus.
The Girls' PDG foundation phase is for players in the Under 16 age group and is an RFU programme delivered in partnership with the 28 Constituent Bodies, otherwise known as Counties. The programme will follow the national curriculum and is delivered by local coaches normally from the clubs, schools and colleges in each area. It will also provide playing opportunities that support the areas focused on in the curriculum.
For the foundation phase a higher emphasis is placed on developing the athletic skills that support a player to perform and the core rugby skills needed to play. Less emphasis is placed on positional specific skills, such as scrums, as these are deemed less important as players need to fully mature and develop their athletic and physical capability first.
The playing opportunities provided may not be 15-a-side, and players will be asked to play in different positions; this is normal. Players require a broad range of skills and attributes as they move forward in the pathway. Supporting evidence indicates a high number of players move position, forwards to backs and vice versa, post 18, as such this is an essential ingredient for player progression.
To access the programme players are usually nominated through their club or school to the CB lead. Requests to the clubs are usually sent in May of the girls' last year in the Under 14 age group. Each CB will organise a series of events that allow the player to showcase their skills following which players will be informed if they are invited into the programme. Remember, development is non-linear, and players thrive at different points. As such, programmes will accept previous, and new nominations at various times during the season.
The Girls PDG Development phase is for players in the Under 18 age group and is a centrally delivered RFU programme, made up of 9 centres across the country. It aims to provide a development experience that supports high-potential players transition onto their adult rugby journey. Each of the 9 centres follows a national curriculum, designed to build upon the skills players will have gained at the Foundation Phase and best prepare them for their transition into adult rugby, both on and off the pitch.
The PDG development phase has a focus on providing targeted skill work that encourages a player to explore their technical boundaries, and enabling players to grow their athletic movement foundation to support their unique skills. Alongside these main focuses, players will also be supported to explore their game understanding and decision-making, different playing positions that suit their skillset, and the off-field skills that will support them to thrive in the adult rugby game.
There are a number of playing opportunities as part of the programme, that are designed to support players put into practice some of the new skills they have learnt. This is not a competitive league and we encourage all players to also be competing for a local community club, as well as their school or college where appropriate.
To access the programme, players are nominated through their CB. Nominated players are then invited to an assessment period over the school summer holidays, which allow players to show their current skills and explore what their future potential may be. For those players selected, training sessions then begin in October. For those not selected, it is important to remember that this doesn’t mean they will never be on the pathway, but rather we believe a different environment may better suit them currently. We encourage all players to stay involved in rugby through their local community club and CB U18 programme, and the door will always be open for re-assessment should they develop well elsewhere.
