Wigan Warriors Scholarship is happy to announce its scholarship and academy squads for the 2023 season.
35 scholarship athletes have registered for the 2023 season, representing 15 community clubs and 28 high schools. Twenty of the 35 players are under 16, and 15 are under 15.
Twelve players have signed academy contracts and moved on from scholarships. Wigan’s new Academy players received contracts and were introduced by Liam Farrell at the Fan Village before the first team’s match against the Catalan Dragons last month.
Charlie Yeomans, Dylan Kelly-Duffy, George O’Loughlin, Jack Farrimond, Josh Cartwright, Kalum Rathbone, Kian McDermott, Lukas Mason, Nathan Lowe, Noah Hodkinson, Taylor Kerr, and Trent Kelly-Duffy will represent Wigan’s Under-17 age group in 2023 Academy.
Billy Myers, Harry Smithers, Joe Baldwin, Maddox Jeffrey, Ryan Brown, Tom Ratchford, and Troy Richmond are all under 18.
Wigan Warriors Scholarship: Wigan’s new Academy players
The Warriors’ most recent 35 scholarship recruits joined the club after a rigorous recruitment process in which Wigan’s dedicated scouting team spent time in the community watching players for local clubs and schools.
Shane Eccles, Junior Player Development Manager, said, “The schoolteachers and community coaches do an excellent job of providing regular playing opportunities for these players, allowing us to identify potential talent to join our pathway.”
School teachers and community coaches invest a large amount of time in these young players, working with them regularly to help them develop their talents, which leads to youngsters being invited to join the club. We appreciate everyone’s contributions to the community and schools.
Also Read Rhodes Scholarship 2024| University of Oxford (Fully Funded)
“We also run ETP sessions throughout the year, which provides an opportunity to work with the young players and help them develop their skills while getting to see their characteristics and if they show the attributes of a Wigan player.”
The Under-16s Scholarship Program kicked off with a launch evening on Wednesday, September 7th, where the players and their families were officially welcomed into the club.
Members of the scholarship coaching staff discussed the club’s history and what it means to be a member of the Wigan Warriors.
Warriors head coach Matt Peet made a surprise appearance, speaking with all of the players and awarding them with scholarship contracts.
The scholarship players’ 2023 season will start with their first session on Wednesday, September 14th.
“We are delighted to welcome these players to the club and look forward to them beginning training,” Eccles was quoted as adding.
“Each youngster was chosen because they demonstrated characteristics of Wigan players, and this is a credit to their parents, coaches, and teachers for guiding them to this point.
This is an excellent opportunity for these young players to join the organization and begin their journey to performance.
The most recent Academy signings have spent the last two years in the scholarship program, establishing their ability to progress to the next level of Academy rugby.
The players have also shown Wigan-like characteristics and will now join the academy squad. These players will now plan their training around their college classes to make the Reserves squad and, eventually, the first team roster.
“It is amazing to be able to advance these students from our scholarship program to the academy squad, and we are excited to see how this group develops in the academy next season.
After a fantastic year at Scholarship, it’s interesting to see how they manage Academy Rugby. The players will now have a brief transition period during which they will begin to raise the level of training they are undertaking, preparing them for a full pre-season in preparation for a successful 2024.
The lists for each age group in the scholarship teams and the new academy players are shown below, along with the amateur clubs they played for and the high schools they attended/went to.
There are also images of each scholarship athlete, as well as new Academy players who have signed contracts.