Ealing Trailfinders Elite Pathway Off To A Flyer

After beginning the Ealing Trailfinders Elite Pathway (ETEP) on the 18th of December, the programme has gone from strength to strength and has given many players from Ealing Trailfinders amateurs the opportunity to develop their skills.
ETEP is Ealing Trailfinders’ initial pathway programme. It seeks to expose boys from the local area to professional coaching and bring them into the Trailfinders Academy.
Training at Trailfinders sports club every second Monday, six boys from Ealing u16s have been involved in the programme that has started as a trial with this age group.
The sessions test the players’ knowledge of the game to further their understanding and basic skills. The hope is that the best players will work their way up the Trailfinders Rugby Academy into the first team.
Alongside the training sessions, Ealing Trailfinders staff give players in-depth video performance analyses to develop their r

ugby knowledge.
The six members of the Ealing age groups involved in the ETEP are Ollie Isherwood, Rio Waddington, Freddie Ruzicka, William Squire, Josh Nnatu and Isaac Slade.
When asked how the pathway helped improve his game, Isherwood said: “I think having the professional coaches with us is very valuable, and it gives us an insight into professional rugby that we wouldn’t get otherwise. Also the video analysis after each session is really helpful and something which I have never had before, and it has already helped improve my understanding of the game.”
Ruzicka said, “I enjoy the sessions and the variety of game situations. The individual feedback from the coaches is really helpful.”
Squire said: “ETEP has helped me build confidence in my rugby, playing with a group of highly skilled players.”
Ealing Trailfinders Defence Coach and ETEP Coach Kieran Campbell said: “ETEP is an exciting new development at Ealing Trailfinders. It provides players within our youth section and from surrounding schools and clubs with the opportunity to progress into our Academy an

d aspire to reach the professional 1st XV squad.
“Players are selected to ETEP through a formal identification process implemented by our excellent recruitment staff team. They attend matches to watch selected players, identify potential talent to join ETEP, and study players using footage kindly shared by coaches and rugby masters.
“The selected players are then given the opportunity to train and develop in our ETEP programme lead by Matt Ingram our Pathway Coordinator, and supported by Director of Rugby Ben Ward, and senior coaches David Johnston and I. This provides players with the unique opportunity to work with our senior coaching team who are fully committed to ensuring each player has an experie

nce which improves them as a player and enables them to realise their potential.”
Waddington said: “ETEP is really well organised, and the coaches give one-on-one advice, which helps improve specific skills.”
Ealing Trailfinders Director of Player Personnel Alex Shaw said: “We’ve enjoyed having the lads from Ealing Trailfinders Youth in since the inception of ETEP midway through the season. They’ve shown excellent core skills and responded well to the coaches and the messages we have been trying to convey. Even in such a short time, we’ve seen real growth in all the lads.
“We followed their progress recently at the Rosslyn Park 7s, and they all gave a good account of themselves, representing the likes of Merchant Taylor’s, Hampton and St Benedict’s.
“With a number of sessions left between now and the end of the season, we are hopeful we can continue to accelerate their development heading into the offseason, before welcoming them back for the first full calendar ETEP season later this year.”