In support of New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL), Country Rugby League (CRL) and the Greater Northern NSW, North Coast NSW and South West QLD Regions, the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs have hit the road to deliver several holiday clinics and coach education sessions.
The Bulldogs formed a historic partnership with CRL and the NSWRL in 2019 in order to help support players, coaches and trainers throughout Groups 4, 19, and 21 in the Greater Northern Region, and Groups 2 and 3 in the North Coast area.
The Club then teamed up with the Western Clydesdales in 2022 to extend that support across the South-West QLD region of Toowoomba.
As part of the affiliations, the Bulldogs have established satellite programs to work with players, coaches and clubs directly - both on and off the field - with frequent visits to the regions.
The Club's latest planned visits are already underway, with more to take place in the coming days as Bulldogs' Pathways and Recruitment Staff hit the road to deliver the following:
- Tuesday 11 April, 2023: Rugby League Holiday Clinic in Taree (AM) and Port Macquarie (PM)
- Wednesday 12 April, 2023: Rugby League Holiday Clinic in Coffs Harbour
- Sunday 16 April, 2023: Rugby League Academy Session in Toowoomba
- Monday 17 April, 2023: Coach Education Session in Inverell
- Tuesday 18 April, 2023: Rugby League Holiday Clinic in Gurya (AM), and Coach Education Session in Tamworth (PM)
- Wednesday 19 April, 2023: Rugby League Holiday Clinic in Gunnedah (AM), Coach Education Session in Aberdeen (PM)
- Thursday 20 April, 2023: Rugby League Holiday Clinic in Muswellbrook
The Sessions follow recent activity in New Zealand, where an extension of the Club's Satellite and Academy Programs has also been established. The Clinics and Coach Education Sessions were delivered during the Club's trip over for the Round 4 match-up against the New Zealand Warriors.
The Sessions received really positive feedback from participants across the Tasman and Bulldogs General Manager of Pathways, Adam Hartigan said the Club was greatly looking forward to providing even more tools, resources and support to members of the Bulldogs Pathways regions.
"These Sessions have been ongoing in these regions since 2020. The Coach Education Sessions have been successfully delivered across a number of towns since 2020, while the Bulldogs Holiday Skills Clinics continue on from those run last year.
"We received a lot of positive feedback from the Clinics in 2022 and members of the Club's Pathways & Recruitment team will be on-hand again this year to deliver and present a number of skills and drills for participants and coaches, geared towards player development."
Being a development Club, Junior Rugby League and Junior Representative League are important pillars to the Bulldogs.
"It's Clinics like these where we hope to inspire the next generation and get to see some future Bulldogs developing," said Hartigan.
All registered Junior League players within each Group (Group 2, 3, 4, 19 and 21) will be eligible to participate in the Holiday Clinics, while Coach Education Sessions are open to any interested or registered Coaches.
The Clinics and Education Sessions are a joint promotion with NSWRL, and registrations occur directly through the local Clubs in these regions.
The Bulldogs have also taken the school holidays into consideration, with registered rugby league players eligible to attend a clinic in another region by simply providing their player ID number. The goal is to enable even more young footballers with the opportunity to attend, even if they are travelling during the holidays.
