28 September 2011
City rugby partnership to be formalised
Photo opportunity: 1pm on Friday, 30th September at Institute of Sport and Exercise, University of Dundee. Representatives of the University of Dundee and Dundee High School FP RFC will be signing the partnership agreement.
The University of Dundee’s men’s rugby club and Dundee High School FP are set to formalise a partnership which has helped both sides achieve success on the field.
An agreement on player and training exchanges will officially be signed this Friday. This will cement an existing partnership between the University side and the city’s premier rugby club which has seen the best student rugby talent benefit from being able to play at the top club level in Scotland, whilst ensuring a rich stream of young players for DHSFP.
University players supplement their own club training with attendance at DHSFP club’s sessions. They benefit from a higher training and competition intensity, and turn out for DHSFP’s various teams on Saturdays in addition to their midweek student rugby commitments.
One of the players to have benefited from the scheme is Alasdair Dickinson, who is currently in New Zealand with the Scottish World Cup squad. Alasdair was a sports scholarship student at the University and a pivotal member of DHSFP RFC before turning professional to play at the top level of the sport in the UK.
The signing of the agreement comes at a time when both clubs are enjoying a period of success in their respective leagues. With the university club unbeaten in league and cup competition last year, they return to the top tier of student rugby in Scotland for the 2011/12 season. DHSFP RFC are currently sitting in third place in Scottish Rugby’s Premier A Division.
Paul McPate, Assistant Director of the University’s Institute of Sport and Exercise (ISE), said both clubs benefit from the association.
'It’s fantastic to see how these players develop from their involvement with Dundee High FP’s, and we are delighted to form partnerships such as this with local sports clubs which both parties benefit from.
'We are able to provide some very talented young rugby players for DHSFP, while they are able to make them better players by providing the opportunity to play at a higher level. The success of this arrangement is borne out in the results both clubs are achieving.'
Dundee University Sport, the partnership between ISE and Dundee University Sports Union, supports the partnership through the provision of sports scholarship places for talented young rugby players.
With both clubs benefitting from the others’ resources, hopes are high that the coming season will be yet another successful one for Dundee University RFC and Dundee High School FP RFC.
Gerry Tosh, DHSFP President, said, 'It’s great for both organisations that we are continuing and formalising the longstanding arrangement between Dundee High Rugby and the University of Dundee. We have seen many great players develop and I know we will continue to see this happen in coming seasons.'
Ian Rankin, Dundee High Rugby coach, said, "I am delighted that we have formalised this partnership which can only be a win-win for both the University and ourselves. It will offer players at all levels and ambitions both excellent facilities and a wide range of specialist coaching which I am sure will have a knock-on effect on the numbers playing rugby in both clubs."
For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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