Eagles launch unique partnership with Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Eagles have launched a new sporting and educational partnership with soccer club Sheffield Wednesday. This is a unique partnership, with no other professional rugby league club linking in such a way with a professional football outfit.
The programme will allow aspiring rugby league players, as well as rugby union players, to join the Sheffield Wednesday Performance Centre Programme.
The students can then study for a BTEC, alongside training in a professional sporting environment, coached by Eagles staff.
The aim is to develop the youngsters as people primarily, but it also allows them to put themselves in the shop window when it comes to playing professional rugby, either with the Eagles or elsewhere.
Supported by charitable trust the Include Foundation, the move marks a conscious attempt by the Eagles to deepen rugby league’s sporting footprint in the Steel City. Sheffield Hallam University, already a partner of both Wednesday and the Eagles, will also be providing support.
“I think it’s going to be a great partnership,” Ricky Hunt, curriculum manager from the Sheffield Wednesday community programme told reporters.
“Our expertise is in education. We have delivered numerous programmes to BTEC Level 3, and this partnership with Sheffield Eagles.
“Us delivering the education and them the fantastic coaching. It expands the brand that we have already.
“That [multi sport approach] is something we’re try to expand to generic sport. That’s why we’ve got this partnership with the Eagles, hopefully we’ll get more fans watching Wednesday, and more watching the Eagles as well, so it works both ways.”
The partnership was forged partly as a result of the Eagles moving into the Hillsborough area of the city. Students will spend two days a week involved in formal education at Wednesday.
The rest of their time will be spent with Eagles community development officer Andrew Henderson, training, or working in the community programmes the club offers. The programme looks to develop community coaches as well as better rugby league players.
“The whole programme at the moment is going to be open to people with a vested interest in rugby, whether league or union,” explained Henderson.
“It is a community programme. We as a club believe that community and performance should work hand in hand.
“There is a realistic pathway that players who come into this environment potentially could come into the Sheffield Eagles pathway, if they show enough potential.
“Ultimately, it’s about giving students the opportunity to be the best that they can be.
“Players will go back to their community clubs as better players, having learned more about the game during their time here. Or they can potentially come into the professional pathway.”
The Eagles have also made it clear that their ultimate aim is to build on these foundations, and establish a rugby academy in Sheffield, catering for both codes of the sport.
What seems clear is that the Eagles, in a city where soccer is king, are working hard to establish rugby league as part of community life in the Steel City.
