We Visit Centurion Rugby Academy And Is Pleasantly Surprised

Photo Credit: Speedshots.co.za

The concept of the Centurion Academy Rugby Academy may not be that of a "normal" rugby academy. However, the cooperation between the rugby academy and Centurion Rugby Club is allowing the academy to compete with and even better the offerings of traditional rugby academies. The rugby academy's only non-negotiable is that the player/students must enrol for a full-time programme at Centurion Academy Although there is no restriction as to what programme to study, it is important to note that all activities of CARA take place outside normal academic hours.

63.8% is seen by us as a great score if taking into account criteria

Costs Rugby Academy: R 33 000.00
Costs: Accommodation: R 65 000.00

Maybe A Long Discussion But Definitely Worth It.

Rugby Academies IN SA. Proposed Criteria for the Review & Accreditation Process 
Review on Academies: Three Main questions to answer:
1.    Does this Academy adhere to the minimum requirements? (Compulsory Criteria)
2.    Does the Academy strive to adhere to recommended requirements that are not compulsory?
3.    Does this Academy provide the required professional player pathway? (Category 1)
4.    Does this Academy provide the  provincial, regional and club representation pathway (Category 2)
5.    Does the Academy or institution only provide in High Performance and/or skills education and training? (Cat 3)
CATEGORY 1: Provincial Professional player academy
CATEGORY 2: Regional and club player academy
CATEGORY 3: High Performance, Skills Education and Training Programmes
Categories to be audited for Academy accreditation in this document: Category 2 Centurion Academy Rugby Academy. CARA
1.       Facilities and Staff (Provide names of coaching and management staff in additional info)
COMPULSORY CRITERIA:
1 Full time Academy Manager 1
2 Qualified Head Coach 1
3 Qualified Strength and Conditioning  (State Qualification) 1
4 Coaches and trainers to be aligned with the Provincial teams in that Union (Written agreement with Union)
5 Coaches to have at least World Rugby Level 2 Accreditation 1
6 Minimum of one coach for every 15 players at each rugby session (State no of players at Academy & no of coaches) 1
7 Minimum of one Trainer/Intern  for every 10 players at each S&C Session 1
8 Training facilities should be of good quality and as per SARU Standard (State if Academy has own facilities on site) 1
9 Training facilities/home club should be within 10km/15 minutes driving range from main Academy activities 1
10 Daily access to a Gym which should be equipped as per SARU Standard 1
11 Offices for staff 1
12 Team Room/Lecture room/Technical room
10
RECOMMENDED:
1 Administrator 1
2 Technical Analyst 1
3 Academy facilities should be in a maximum radius of 15 minutes by car for day athletes. 1
4 If the Academy provides accommodation, then these facilities should meet SARU Standard 1
4
2.       Academy Programme Offering
COMPULSORY:
1 The content of the Rugby Programme should be aligned with SARU Skills Programs and accessible to coaches 1
2 Annual Periodization Plan in place for Rugby and Physical Conditioning (Provide plan) 1
3 Seasonal-, weekly-, and daily planning schedules to be recorded (Provide example of schedules) 1
4 The S & C programme should adhere to the SARU Guidelines 1
5 Each player to be provided with opportunities to play minimum of 12 matches in season
6 S & C Training schedules (monthly, weekly and daily) should be available 1
7 Studies must be timetabled and assistance provided to players in drawing up rosters 1
8 Players to follow BokSmart Courses 1
7
RECOMMENDED:
1 Players to follow World Rugby Coaches courses 1
2 Players to follow World Rugby Referee Courses 1
3 Players to follow Technical Analysis courses
2
3.       Player logistics
COMPULSORY:
1 Preference to high quality Provincial, School First Team or Club  player (Max age: 23) 1
2 Between 34 and 45  players max in broad Academy Squad
3 Academy offers realistic pathway to the provincial teams of the Union or alternative higher structures
4 Must be a visible and documented player pathway spanning at least 3 years for each player on file
5 Must be an active & documented communication pathway with clubs, provincial unions & placement agencies
6 Players to participate in club rugby fixtures 1
7 Players should play between 12 to 26 matches per season 1
3
RECOMMENDED:
1 At least 2 players per position in the Squad
2 All Academy Players to be 23 or younger 1
3 There should be an official and documented relationship with local schools
1
4.       Transformation
COMPULSORY:
1 Adhere to Transformation Charter for SA Sport
2 Adhere to the SARU Transformation Development Plan of 2019. New Academy to show transformation plan.
3 At least one person on management should be generic black (manager, head coach, trainer) 1
1
RECOMMENDED: Cat 2   (Compulsory Cat 1)
1 At least 50 % of players should be generic black
2 At least 50% of staff should be generic black with strategy to increase to 60% by 2021
0
5.       Education & Player Welfare
COMPULSORY:
1 At least 80% of the players should conduct formal accredited education courses or learnerships 1
2 Life Skills modules must be offered as per SARU Guidelines
3 Mentorship Programme as per SARU guidelines and standard format
4 Medical Services aligned with SARU Medical Protocol
5 Daily treatment available from Physiotherapist 1
6 Tutors provided for players within the weekly timetable 1
7 Nutrition Program and Planning
8 Basic nutritional information based on gender, age group and skill level 1
9 Basic Mental Skills Program accessible to all players
10 Biokineticist available daily to rehabilitation and injured players 1
5
RECOMMENDED:
1 Players to conduct career assessment tests prior to entering Academy recorded and on file 1
2  Tutors provided for players within the weekly timetable for special needs and further assistance 1
3  Nutrition Program and Planning recorded and available on file
4 Psychologist to be available for consultation
2
6.       Operations
COMPULSORY:
1 Internet facilities available at campus and at residence 1
2 Rugby equipment to meet SARU minimum criteria (Provide summary of equipment) 1
3 Strength and Conditioning equipment to meet SARU minimum criteria 1
4 Weekly timetable and programme provided to players and staff 1
5 Regular (quarterly) reporting on programme and on player progress available to unions and SARU 1
6 Administration of the programme must be up to required SARU standard and verified (Provide overview)
7 The Fees per player should be market related and in line with “SARU Fees Formula” (60/30/10)
8 Annual Budget, quarterly YTD Financials as well as the Annual Financial Statements must be available 1
9 Full player analysis must be done, recorded and documented in video profiling for CV purposes 1
10 Marketing brochures, advertizing and websites should reflect full service offering and school/club/union links 1
8
RECOMMENDED
1 Use Analysis programme approved by SARU Stratus or similar
2 The Academy should be run cost effective and should not make a loss 1
3 Questionaires, parent, player and independent feedback must be facilitated for the public
1
Marks for Compulsory criteria: 50 34
Marks for Recommended Criteria: 19 10
Full Marks: 69 44