Twenty young rugby stars are embarking on the Essex Eels "Eel-ite" training scheme.
The programme develops the kids' sporting skills but also includes lifestyle and education guidance in conjunction with the rugby club, sports colleges and professional sports outfits including Essex County Cricket Club.
Eels administrator Garry Grant helped set up the scheme and reckons it is a straightforward idea to get the best out of youngsters on and off the field.
"It is a pretty simple concept that we are dealing with here," he said. "The Government has realised that elite athletes, just the same as any other gifted students need help to plan ahead to ensure that sport, schoolwork and their social lives remain in balance.
"By adopting a co-ordinated support framework in conjunction with clubs such as ourselves, 'EEL-ITE' players will be able to manage the demands upon them in order to maximise achievement."
Hopefully this will produce a steady stream of young players feeding into the Pro-Plumb sponsored Eels.
That in turn fits the club's ambition of building a rugby league community based around their first-team home at Basildon Rugby Club and their training schemes in schools throughout the county.
Published Monday January 12, 2004
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