About Us
A Message from SFRA Director Paul Keeler:
The San Francisco Rugby Academy, founded 2008, is the cornerstone
of our development program.
We provide our young players with an environment in which they can
grow, express themselves both personally and professionally and realize
their dream of playing collegiate and Super League and International
Rugby. At SFRA,
we
value attitude, commitment, integrity, and honesty as highly as we do
rugby ability. We have assembled an experienced team of coaches,
technical experts and supports staff who all specialize in player
development. In the program, particular focus is paid to core skills
and game awareness but also includes physiology, sports psychology,
nutrition and personal development.
The San Francisco Rugby Academy is for players 14-20 who have the
ability and desire to progress to higher levels of rugby. A player
selected for academy entry will be directed into a personal development
program that is geared primarily to ensuring that his capacities and
abilities as a player are maximized. These players will be mentored by
top coaches, and will also be learning from current and former
International rugby players. They also have dedicated
training sessions a week where core skills, game awareness, video
analysis and personal development are highlighted.
The Academy exists on 3 levels; Black, Gold and Elite.
The
Black Group is a Larger group of athletes, aged 14-18.
This group trains together 4-8 times a month and is under and constant
assessment of their suitability for the
other levels of the Academy.
The Gold group (16-19 years) is a smaller collection of players who are
coached and developed by the staff at
our Elite Player Development Center (EPDC at Treasure
Island). . This process is in
place to improve the skills, fitness and game understanding of the
group.
The role of the EPDC is to work closely with coaches and to identify
players who may have the talent to benefit from,
and progress through, the program. It is very important to recognize
that the EPDC provides an entry level into the Elite Academy; it is not
just another squad.
Our elite training group trains 2-3 times per week and is designed for
the players who show ability to play at representative levels for the
RSL, international or professionally.
