Embed the Pathway
‘Embed the Pathway’ is a coaching programme supported by Gillette that aims to increase the number of quality 12- to 14-year-old Rugby League players through the education and training of specialist children's coaches. It is the belief of the RFL Performance Department and Gillette that every young player from 12 years old is on the England Talent Pathway. This “scheme of work” is a programme of Coach Education, Inclusive Player Profiling and 24 sessions that can be used and adapted to meet the needs of young players at any stage.
Gillette's commitment to invest in Rugby League coaches is part of The Great Start Programme, which aims to celebrate and encourage the coaches who will inspire the next generation of England stars.
The partnership has a long-term vision as the RFL and Gillette understands without the tireless efforts of coaches and educators, the next generation would not be inspired to pursue careers in sport and new talent would remain undiscovered.
Gillette brand manager, Jared Regan, commented: "We've been partners of the RFL since 2003 and have been involved significantly in the growth of their grassroots programmes across the country as well with the elite level of the game. Aside from supporting the England international side, we understand the importance of funding and promoting the RFL's grassroots programmes. This is something we are extremely passionate about; the future of the sport is reliant on the provision of top class community coaching and facilities and we are proud of the work that is been done since 2003 to support this."
What is it?
‘Embed the Pathway’ is a curriculum of rugby league sessions, broken into three blocks incorporating 4 key work areas. It supports differentiation by enabling all players to work on aspects earlier in the program to work on 4 key elements of development, reach their potential and grow a greater pool of potential England players.
It is a starting point, which answers the question; to make my players better what should I be doing?
This will lead to:
- Improved quality of the player
- Leave the player in their own environment longer – increased inclusivity
- More players getting more opportunities to demonstrate their potential
- Regular focused, player profiling.
In order to design this age specific curriculum many leading coaches and youth specialists were consulted. This is also under-pinned by cutting edge research as what attributes need to be developed by young players as they move along the talent pathway.
The program has four key areas;
- Coachability – how do player behaviours and attitudes contribute to development.
- Mental Attributes – introducing sports psychology to the young player.
- Game - Technical aspects specific to Rugby League
- Movement – the ability of the young player to perform key movements with control and accuracy, vital for their physical literacy.
The aim is for the Embed the Pathway Program to be seen as the “national curriculum” for 12-14 rugby league players, making it the perfect tool for coaches in this age group and secondary school teachers, introducing and developing players, often new to the game.
The movement section is also a perfect tool for PE teachers to assess the physical literacy of learners and links to a multi-sport environment.
The program is supported by Continued Professional Development for Coaches and teachers involved.
The Performance Department is keen to support those interested in delivering the program from any aspect of the game, from clubs and schools to league and camps. There is an accreditation program supporting it, which allows Professional Clubs to become England RL Player Development Partners, and Clubs and schools to be accredited too. Coaches completing the training are awarded England RL Player Development Coach status.
You can also follow the program online and share your questions. On twitter search @EmbedThePathway or visit our website
The coaches already engaged in Embed the Pathway had this to say;
“This should be compulsory for all coaches!”
“This enables us to question the players and let them think for themselves”
“Better educates players and parents of the importance of basic skills and mental attitude”,
“Educates coaches at my club”
“Taking away a tool kit to use is superb”
“Helps us create a positive coaching environment.”
100% of Coaches who attended the Embed the Pathway Training Day rated it as Good or excellent!
Frequently Asked Questions;
Why are we doing this with all players, when not all will play for England?
The reality is that there is no exact method of knowing who will play for England, so many factors affect it. The aim of this program is to improve the quality of all young players by guiding coaches and teachers as to what is best to be delivering to young players. In doing so the best are better prepared for England and the rest are better prepared for their club and school teams.
There are no set plays? Why not?
The research into the pathway is based upon the core skills of the game. These aspects are team specific developments and are not part of the Embed the Pathway content.
I’m new to the game, is this beyond me?
Certainly not. Support networks are in place to support coaches who deliver Embed the Pathway. These are events you can attend, things you can download, videos to watch and social networking to support you delivering the program.
I’ve always taught players the same way, why change now?
As coaches we clearly love our sport and the best coaches take a lifelong learning approach to their coaching. We can always improve, always do better and always help our players more. By embedding the core basics of the player pathway in our players, they become better players and in turn we are better coaches. And of course we are all then contributing to the success of the England national side.
I like to do things that are not on here?
This isn’t rigid and the program allows for flexibility. Good coaches make reasoned adaptations to what they do if it is in the interests of their players. Judgement is important. However it’s also important to remember this content was researched by experts in the field and is the core content of what 12-14 year old players need.
Why don’t representative teams just do this?
Representative teams are made from players who are selected. We are aiming to improve the standards of all players, not just those who go through a selection process – which can and often does, miss players who are late developers or progress in alternative ways. This is an inclusive, not exclusive program.
What use is this to schools? We don’t teach 24 lessons of RL per year.
Embed the Pathway is in three blocks of 8 sessions. Block 1 is perfect for Key Stage 3 lessons. If progress is made then the three blocks provide excellent content for a 3 year Key Stage of Rugby League. Additionally, the movement section is a superb method for baselining and assessing Physical Literacy amongst learners.
For more details contact;
Tony Fretwell – RFL National Player Development Manager on
Or
Anthony Atherton – RFL Talent Pathway Officer on