Hopes academy will boost rugby in the North East

The expansion of a college programme which merges student courses with their rugby training will lead to more representation from the north-east of England in the sport, a successful former graduate says.

Bede Sixth Form College, in Billingham, is opening its free rugby academy to Redcar and Cleveland College students aged 16 to 18 who play at club level or above.

Timetables will be created to split vocational lessons with sports training.

Former academy member Amelia Hyndman, 21, who now plays for Premiership Women's Rugby team Sale Sharks, said the "rewards would come eventually" for players in a region which does not currently have a professional women's team.

The Institute of Sport and Education (ISE) academy started at Bede College in 2019 and has worked with hundreds of students across various sports.

Hyndman studied sports science at college and trained with other ISE rugby academy members in the afternoon.

"It fits around your schedule, so you don't have to plan," she said. "All you have to do is show up.

"Honestly, I did not think I could do literally anything with rugby, I did it as something to keep me fit and healthy.

"Now I get to play against people I used to look up to, which is very, very crazy to me still."

Hyndman trained with the men's team in her first year, until they got enough women signed up to make separate team in her second year.

She said: "It really helped grow my confidence and grow me as a person.

"Everybody around me noticed how much I'd changed."

ISE students at Redcar and Cleveland College will be transported to the college in Billingham one morning a week for academy training, with one afternoon a week allocated for games and fixtures.

Strategic manager of sport and enrichment Ian Hewitt said: "It is a formula that we know works and we are looking forward to replicating at Redcar.

"This is an incredible opportunity for young rugby players leaving school this year who might otherwise feel torn between their education and their sport.

"This means students can choose to work towards a really well-rounded career in the likes of construction or engineering while also developing their sporting performance."

He said it would tap into the sporting talent he knew existed in the region.

Redcar and Cleveland College said further expansion of ISE was planned for the following academic year.

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