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In this Rugby Coach Weekly episode, Dan sits down with Emily Pratt, Strength and Conditioning Coach for the England Women’s U20s, to unpack the brand new U16 Foundational Athletic Development and U18 Athletic Development programmes reshaping the female pathway.

Emily explains how England Rugby is shifting the landscape for young female athletes. She and Dan explore:

• How potential is identified beyond “ready-made” athletes
• Why movement competency, aerobic fitness and training age matter more than lifting heavy
• The balance between school sport, club rugby, other commitments and recovery
• How to help girls build confidence around body image and training
• Why injury rehab should be seen as an opportunity rather than a setback
• How coaches can approach conversations around the menstrual cycle
• Why the entire development programme has been made freely available to all players, not just those in the pathway

Emily also emphasises that strength training is never about changing how girls look, but about helping them become fitter, faster, more resilient rugby players.

If you coach girls rugby — at club, school, college or county — this episode is packed with practical guidance, player-centred insights and a clear breakdown of what “good” athletic development looks like.

You can find the full programme, including videos and week-by-week sessions, on the England Rugby website:

This link is to the U16 Foundational athletic development section of the website

https://www.englandrugby.com/play/parents-guardians/player-pathway/foundation-phase-girls-pathway#foundational-athletic-development-

The next link is specific to the U18 Athletic Development at PDG.

https://www.englandrugby.com/play/parents-guardians/player-pathway/development-phase-girls-pathway#foundational-athletic-development-

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In this episode, Dan sits down with India Perris-Redding, one of the driving forces behind women and girls’ rugby in the North of England. Over nearly seven years with Sale Sharks Foundation, India has shaped a transformational pathway for girls’ rugby, from primary school beginners to academy-level athletes.

India shares the story behind Girls Tackle Rugby, the groundbreaking programme she built from scratch to bridge the gap between grassroots participation and the elite pathway. She talks candidly about overcoming school barriers, inspiring confidence in young players, designing game-based sessions that work, and the powerful role of female role models in helping girls see what’s possible.

We explore the challenges of introducing contact safely, the surprising findings from 18 months of research with Manchester Metropolitan University, and how simple, authentic human connection can unlock a girl’s belief that she can do this.

To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach Weekly

To find out more about our Partner Club offer

CLICK HERE

Also, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!

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In this Rugby Coach Weekly episode, Dan Cottrell sits down with Benny Williams, one of the leading voices shaping the girls’ and women’s game in England. As the Girls’ PDG Coach Lead for England Rugby, Benny oversees the national U18s curriculum, supports coach development, and helps identify the next generation of Red Roses.

Benny takes us inside the newly designed U16 and U18 curriculums, explaining how the RFU built a consistent, adaptable, and player-centred framework across the nine development centres. She unpacks key principles like playing to best space, ball and body always moving, and back in the game, and shares how coaches can help players develop adaptable, high-skill profiles that prepare them for future environments, from PWR to BUCS and beyond.

We explore:
• Why the RFU restructured the pathway and built a fresh curriculum
• What “highly skilled and adaptable” really means in practice
• How to use walking-through, scenario design, and manipulation to teach game understanding
• The role of IDPs and the GROW model in creating truly personalised development
• How clubs can use this framework to help more girls stay in the game and thrive

Find out more about the programmes here:

Foundational Athletic Development

Rugby Skills Development

To find out more about this podcast and many others, go to Rugby Coach Weekly

To find out more about our Partner Club offer

CLICK HERE

Also, tap into the library of 4,000 pages of activities, advice, tactics and tips to help you become the best rugby coach you can be!