The 1st Team Management at Westcombe Park are striving to have more home grown talent playing in the 1st team on a weekly basis. With that in mind the EPDG has been set up to bridge the gap between the Academy and the 1st team squad. Every junior player when they join the U17s will automatically become part of the Academy along with the U18s and U19s. Those three age groups will train together every Wednesday night and play fixtures on Sundays including the U17 and U18 Kent Leagues as well as the U17 and U19 National Cups. There will obviously be a wide range of abilities within the academy setup but the club is keen to be all inclusive and allow all players to participate.

Because of the all inclusive policy an elite group has been setup to cater for those academy players who show exceptional talent and potential to become future Westcombe Park 1st team players. Those players will receive an individual invite from the 1st team management asking them to join the elite group. Once the player has joined the group the 1st team management will then take control with regards to when and how often the player trains and plays.

By joining the elite group a player will still be able to and encouraged to play for their own age group side and that of the academy with the following pre conditions:

·Should a member of the EPDG be selected for the 1st XV that will take precedence over any other fixture and would prevent the player playing on a Sunday in what ever competition

·If the player is selected to play for the 2nd XV and it clashes with an academy fixture then the academy fixture will take priority.

The amount these players are training needs to be managed carefully and they will only ever train a maximum of two rugby sessions a week. With 1st team training taking place twice a week and Academy training taking place on a Wednesday night the most appropriate sessions will be attended by the players to be determined by the 1st team management. When asked to train with the Academy, players will be expected to attend and train with the appropriate level of intensity and ability. Failure to do this may result in removal from the group.

The aim of the EPDG is to expose the talented youngsters we have at the club to the best coaching the club has to offer and gives them the opportunity to learn and develop off the very best players. As part of the EPDG the players will also receive the same strength and conditioning, nutrition and profiling advice as that of the 1st team squad. Players who don’t develop at the required speed may be asked to leave the group and rejoin the academy on a full time basis.

There are 2 entry periods to join the EPDG, one at the start of July prior to the commencement of preseason and one in January after the Christmas break. This will allow players who turn 17 during the season the opportunity to join the group half way through the season. Only in exceptional circumstances can players join at other times of the year. Selection into the group will be based on the Academy coaches recommendations as well as observations of age group matches by the 1st team management.

Congratulations to the following players who have been selected to join the EPDG for the start of the 10-11 season. Please note the preseason training sessions you are expected to attend.

EPDG Members 2010 – 2011

Luke Maybank (Preseason training – Mon + Wed 1st Team)

Harry Buttery (Preseason training – Mon + Wed 1st Team)

Gavin Taylor (Preseason training – Mon + Wed 1st Team)

Billy Liggins (Preseason training – Mon 1st Team + Wed Academy)

Phil Bunn (Preseason training – Mon 1st Team + Wed Academy )

Dale Bellinger (Preseason training – Mon 1st Team + Wed Academy )

Reece Conlon (Preseason training – Mon 1st Team + Wed Academy )

Ryan Hackett(Preseason training – Mon 1st Team + Wed Academy )

James Hampton (Preseason training – Mon 1st Team + Wed Academy )

Regards

1st Team Management