Sharks TV recently caught up with Noel Speed and Darren Lamon to discuss their work with the Sale Sharks North West DPP. The programme is a joint initiative between Sale Sharks, the RFU and the CBs and is the first opportunity to identify players with the most potential to enter the pathway towards professional rugby.
Noel Speed DDP/SDG coach explained how the academy have established the DDP programme and how he see’s the programme developing in the future:
“The volume of it is quite a big operation, we have seven different centres that we work out of. In terms of where we want to go, we’re trying to give lads more support, coaches more CPD, so Darren runs sessions with first team coaches to filter that message down. Every year it’s about trying to tag on more and more things, that our 1100 players and 75 coaches feel like Sharks are supporting them to be the best version of themselves in whatever level of the game in the North-West”
He continued:
“For some of the 14/15-year-old lads it’s the initial stage where hopefully they can one day progress to the first team at Sale Sharks, and play at the AJ Bell. Lots of lads are involved, we have about 1100 lads involved, and the aim is to keep them in the sport and develop North West Rugby as strong as we can”
The partnership aims to support players progress in the community game in Cheshire and Lancashire and to represent clubs in the North West. Academy coach development officer, Darren Lamon, highlighted the importance of how the DPP helps those involved outside of rugby as well:
“The support and development of life skills and mixing with people from other schools in the North West, that’s definitely part of their progress as human beings and as young rugby players”
Noel reiterated the point that even though it is brilliant to ultimately nurture players to first team rugby through the system, seeing the wide-reaching benefits of the programme that stretch even further than those who have attended the sessions, is just as rewarding:
“If we have some lads that come to our sessions and learn some skills and game sense/athleticism stuff, then they can go and influence other lads who are at their schools or their clubs. We can promote Sharks in the community I suppose, in the things that we’re trying to develop as a community through the pathway”
Another of the ways in which the lads involved can learn outside of the coaching available is by having access to see the first team in action, week in, week out:
“All the lads that are part of the programme get season tickets to come and watch the Sharks first team at the AJ Bell, because we want them to watch some of the best players in the world that we’ve got at the club. There’s no better way of learning than watching the likes of Faf de Klerk and Tom Curry on the pitch”
To find out more about the benefits of the DPP watch the video below:
