Host club application criteria published for new Pathway programmes
As part of the RYA’s continued evolution of the Junior & Youth Racing Pathway, we’re pleased to share further information with clubs around the criteria and application timelines for the Pathway Club and Talent Academy initiatives.
Both of these schemes were developed following an extensive review of the pathway, which identified the need to increase affordability and accessibility of racing, increase engagement of young people in the sport, and improve youth international performances.
The Pathway Club initiative is a new programme to identify, recognise and develop clubs around the UK to provide affordable, excellent sailing and coaching for junior racers, while a new network of Talent Academies will be established regionally to support and develop aspiring Youth sailors who have been identified as evidencing future performance potential.
The two new initiatives will help create quality environments more locally to sailors at different stages of their journeys, reducing the need for them to travel long distances for training and reducing the financial and time cost to sailors and their families.
Read on to find out more about the Pathway Club and Talent Academy programmes and how your club can get involved.
Pathway Clubs
The Pathway Club programme supports the RYA’s ‘Racing for Life’ philosophy, and aims to identify a network of high-quality clubs – or collectives of smaller clubs – across the UK that make racing fun for young sailors, develop great fundamentals, create a lifelong love of the sport and help them feel part of a bigger team.
The programme will support the development of healthy club environments and will enable groups of young sailors to train together more locally and more often, reducing the travel and cost burden.
Pathway Clubs will not only be seen as centres of excellence for developing junior racing, but will also have access to a range of benefits and resources from the RYA (additional to existing RYA club support) to aid sailor development as well as coach and volunteer CPD.
Find out more out the Pathway Club criteria, benefits to clubs and programme rollout
A number of clubs have already expressed interest in the Pathway Club programme following our Pathway Evolution Webinar Series earlier this year, but we welcome additional expressions of interest from clubs keen to find out more.
"We are looking forward to supporting clubs that inspire the next generation of sailors by providing fun, accessible, and high-quality race training," said Hannah Wilcox, RYA Pathway Club Manager.
"Pathway Clubs will not only champion exceptional coaching and junior racing but also benefit from resources like expert mentoring, access to British Youth Sailing coaching resources and a clear development framework to ensure young sailors can thrive on and off the water."
Talent Academies
A network of new Talent Academies is being set up to create high performance environments at a regional level for aspiring youth sailors.
The Academies will take a sailor-centred approach, supporting those identified as having high future potential and providing opportunities that will nurture both their sporting and personal development.
Through placing Talent Academies regionally, the intention is to help bring high quality training environments more locally to sailors, reducing the need for them to travel long distances for training and reducing the financial and time cost to sailors and their families.
The Talent Academies will be focused initially across two specific areas:
- Transition Training - Sailors transitioning from junior to youth classes
- Performance Development Training - Developing sailors established within a youth class
Sailors selected as part of their nearest Talent Academy will be provided with year-round monthly coaching and training designed to nurture and develop key skills, abilities and behaviours to support them maximise their potential.
We are looking to host four Talent Academies across England, which will be strategically placed to gain maximal reach and accessibility for sailors across the country.
Interested clubs can read more about the application criteria and timelines. Clubs that have already expressed an interested in becoming Pathway Clubs will be invited join our webinar at 7pm on Monday 16 December where Huw Griffiths, RYA Talent Academies Manager, will take a deeper dive into the programme for clubs who are also keen to find out more about what’s involved in hosting a Talent Academy.
“The Talent Academies will provide sailors more localised training and development opportunities to nurture and enhance the broader skills and competencies that support long term future progression. It is really important that we are able to make the Academies as accessible as possible to any sailor who has been identified as having high future potential." Huw explained.
"The Academies will be built upon the philosophy of taking a sailor-centred approach. We know that each individual develops and progresses differently, so it is important the delivery of programme is not only adaptable to the individual but provides them with a positive learning experience that enables them to flourish.”
For further background on these new initiatives or changes to the Junior & Youth Racing Pathway visit our Pathway evolution pages, or send questions to pathway@rya.org.uk