Following on from a very successful 2015, in which more than 50 coaches engaged with the Embed the Pathway coach CPD, Thunder will be a running a monthly development programme for coaches to further enhance the great work which is being done at all 11 of the regions community clubs.

The CDP will focus on all aspects of coaching and will be led by a number of very experienced coaches including Newcastle Thunder Head Coach Mick Mantelli.

As well as the Coach Development Programme being launched, there is also an improved Coach Performance Pathway which is aiming to provide more opportunities for coaches to develop. The Coach Performance Pathway will provide a clear progression for coaches from coaching in community clubs, through to age group development programmes towards the Academy and First Team coaching set ups.

Michael Heap, North East Regional Development coach and Assistant First Team Coach, is optimistic about the future of coaching in the North East. “2015 was a fantastic year for rugby league in the North East on many different fronts and one of the key successes was the amount of coach development which took place.

We have almost 50 accredited England RL Player Development Coaches through the Embed the Pathway programme and the enthusiasm from the community club coaches to attend events, share practice and continue their development is something that we are very proud of.

A lot of work is being done on a developing young rugby league players and we believe that it is essential to provide the same opportunities to the coaches – there are some really great coaches in the region at the moment.

It is also an opportunity for us to give something back to these volunteers who give up countless hours and are the real driving force behind the growth of the game in the North East.”

The CDP timetable is as follows (all workshops will run 18:30-20:30 and will be held at Gateshead Academy for Sport):

Monday 22nd February 2016
Monday 14th March 2016
Monday 11th April 2016
Monday 9th May 2016
Monday 13th June 2016
Monday 11th July 2016

Coaches are required to register for the CDP by emailing Michael.Heap@newcastle-thunder.co.uk. Further details of the content of the workshops and the delivering coaches will be available shortly.