As the 2025/26 season approaches, Northampton Saints are relaunching the community Coach Development Programme – designed to support and develop aspiring young coaches, with a particular focus on increasing female participation in the game.
The initiative builds on the success of last season’s pilot, which focused exclusively on female coaches. That programme helped ten new coaches gain their England Rugby Coaching Award, while providing regular CPD and mentoring opportunities throughout the year.
Saints will now aim to grow that number significantly in the upcoming season, according to Women and Girls Rugby Development Officer, Tabitha Banks.
She said: “The programme last year was a fantastic introduction for coaches into the game, linking opportunities across our programmes here at Saints as well as in the community for female coaches to build their confidence and experience.”
“We’re excited to expand the programme this year by introducing a second strand,” added Matty Wainwright, Rugby Development Officer. “Alongside our female-only cohort, we’re launching a new 16-23 age group to help young, ambitious coaches begin their coaching journey with support from both our Community and Academy departments.”
In 2025/26, two cohorts will run in parallel: a Female-Only Cohort and a 16-23 Age Cohort.
Each group will follow a structured calendar of events, including CPD sessions and ongoing mentoring from Saints’ community team. The aim is to provide hands-on coaching experience and long-term development support within Saints’ pathway.
Successful candidates will sign-up to a monthly subscription of £10 per month, covering all development dates and recourse across the ten-month programme, with a stash bundle also included.
Applications are open now (please click the relevant links above) and close on Friday 15 August. Successful candidates will be contacted ahead of the new season starting in September.
For more information, please email: [email protected].
