The Midlands Students recent win in the Student Regional Championship has turned the spotlight to the young coaching talent in the region as well as the developing player base.

The coaches who led the students to success; Tom Tsang, Jim Carter and Kane Chambers are all under 25 and already have a number of years coaching experience under their belt.

There are also other up and coming coaches in the region who are making their way in the game and gaining valuable experience.

Darren Higgins, the Midlands Talent Coach, said; “It’s great to see young coaches in the region who are passionate about the game and developing players. As the region continues to develop, it is vital that we create a range of coaches capable of supporting the growth”.

As the RFL looks for expressions of interest for clubs outside of the heartlands to join the Co-Operative Championships, local coaches could be given the chance to progress along the coaching pathway locally.

In addition, the recent success of the Regional Player Development Centre in developing players to progress onto Super League clubs’ scholarships is a great environment for coaches to develop in, and offers the perfect opportunity for enthusiastic and ambitious coaches to learn and improve.

Higgins continued; “Coaches like Max Chetwyn, Rich Knight, Sam Taylor, Mark Wilson and Dan Poulton are all in their early twenties and are getting experience of delivering a curriculum and monitoring and evaluating coaching interventions. They are keen to learn and not afraid to be challenged and to challenge others.”

Another encouraging culture that has been noticed in the region is that the coaches are working together to share ideas and help each other develop. Coaches often share ideas and pass on information and hopefully this will continue and be enhanced through the soon to be introduced Coaching Player Action Groups.

Who knows we might see the next Rob Powell come from the Midlands!