The Youth Academy
The youth team was originally set up in 1998, with the late Sue Moloney taking on the role of Team Secretary, and other senior members playing key roles in the setting up and training the squad. With the support of local schools, the team attracted over 30 players aged 11–17 and soon proved itself a force to be reckoned with in the junior game, winning the inaugural Saracens Junior Girls Rugby Festival and the annual Camberley 10s tournament.
As well as proving themselves invaluable members of the senior squad, many youth team ‘graduates’ have gone on to achieve major success at County, Regional and International level.
After a 3-year hiatus, the youth side was re-launched in September 2006 as the Harlequin Ladies Youth Academy. In its first year, the U14 squad finished 2nd in the Thames Valley league, with many members also gaining county and regional representative honours. In the 2007/08 season the RFUW restructured the age bands in the youth game. The youth academy therefore ran both U15 and U18 squads.
In 2008 season the Youth Academy, after a lot of hard work and great commitment from the squad, clustered with Northolt RFC and Saracens RFC climbed to second place in the League to enable a great start to the 08/09 season.
In the 2011/12 season, the Harlequin Ladies Youth Academy took time out, as players took exams and moved on to college and university. With rugby 7s being included in the 2016 Summer Olympics, it is hoped that the Youth Academy can be relaunched and will flourish in years to come.
Read more about this topic: Harlequin Ladies Football Club
Famous quotes containing the words youth and/or academy:
“Well, youth is the period of assumed personalities and disguises. It is the time of the sincerely insincere.”
—V.S. (Victor Sawdon)
“The academy is not paradise. But learning is a place where paradise can be created.”
—bell hooks (b. c. 1955)