Partnership Confirmed With Bishops Diocesan College

Ealing Trailfinders and Bishops Diocesan College, Cape Town, are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership between the club and the school.

Bishops is a school steeped in rugby history with numerous internationals over the years, including four players in the South Africa U20’s programme for the upcoming Summer Series in Italy.

The partnership will provide cultural exchanges for students in England and South Africa to have the opportunity to play in another country, experience a different environment and continue their rugby development. It will also provide cross-over of coaching and exchanging of ideas for staff to visit different learning environments. Ealing currently have a number of players in the academy set-up who have adapted well since arriving from South Africa and this will further expand the programme. The opportunity for players to continue their education while being a professional athlete is hugely important to their development. With eight players in the academy currently training with the first-team squad this shows the clubs commitment to developing talent through the Brunel University pathway.

Simon Sinclair, Chief Operating Officer of Ealing Trailfinders Academy and Women’s Programme, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the club to link with a school that are at the forefront of rugby in South Africa. Not only do they play a great brand of rugby, they are fully focused on developing the individual and providing an excellent training and education programme. I’ve always had a great connection with the school but having spent time with Wes Chetty (Head of Rugby) and the coaching staff, it was extremely exciting to hear how open they are to sharing ideas and working together to improve and develop both environments. We don’t want to be restricted by location or country in our bid to find and develop the best talent.”

Angus Firth, Teacher in Charge of Rugby at Bishops, added: “Expanding our rugby boys’ opportunities in and after school is integral to our programme. We are very excited to partner with Ealing Trailfinders who are at the forefront of innovative rugby training and coaching. We look forward to collaborating and sharing ideas and resources with the club. The added opportunity for our boys and coaches to visit on exchange and vice versa will be massively beneficial to our rugby plan. The added incentive for our rugby players would be a possible future at Ealing Trailfinders, while furthering their education at Brunel University.”