Dan Cox, Callum Leese, Tom Foster, James Clutterbuck, Harry Young, Sam Kennett and Callum Kerr all successfully completed a number of development sessions last season and additional courses throughout the summer. They were then selected to the attend Academy based at Hartpury College for further assessment and have now reached a level whereby the Academy coaches believe they have the potential to develop further.
Mark Cornwell, Gloucester's former second row and now Academy Manager said: "Working closely with the community team at Gloucester the introduction of this programme has provided the opportunity for young players to receive some high quality coaching. I am extremely pleased that following this process so many local young players have shown excellent potential and we hope by now including them in the Academy that they can further develop.
"Gloucester is a club that is rooted in the community and the strength of the local clubs and we want the most talented of these players to progress into the professional environment Gloucester has to offer. It is a rich pool of talent and we are delighted there are so many good players out there."
More than 300 players began the programme more than 18 months ago, attending development centre's across the county. From this initial intake, a group of 80 players were selected to take part in elite sessions on core skills development, nutrition, speed and agility.
Gary Little, community marketing manager said: "The JTDP was established to provide more opportunities for young people in the county to develop and reach their rugby potential and we are extremely pleased that these seven young players have reached the next stage of their development and hope they move on to achieve greater things.
"We would like to thank Star for backing this scheme and look forward to their on-going commitment."
The Junior Talent Development Programme is the first step of the player development pathway. The next step for these youngsters is to join the Academy based at Hartpury for weekly development sessions whereby they will embark upon specific training and conditioning programmes.
They will participate in practical coaching sessions which will aim to enhance their core rugby skills. They will learn how to develop their speed, strength and power in addition to honing traditional rugby skills of handling, running and defence.
Players selected into the Academy are constantly assessed and reviewed; their selection does not guarantee future success as they can also be released at any time. However, these players have been given the opportunity and it is hoped that they can follow in the footsteps of emerging stars like Charlie Sharples and Dan Norton recently selected for the England U20's squad, Jack Adams and Ryan Lamb, both of whom who have risen through the development structure at Gloucester.
