Elite Athlete Development Program

Those interested and pursuing high-level playing opportunities be it at the varsity, national or professional level, should consider our 16-week Advanced Skills Rugby Academy.

Our Elite Athlete Development Program is specifically designed for players who want to fully commit to their personal training and development in order to perform to the best of their abilities at the highest levels. Our goal is to ensure that players are equipped with the skills and understanding of the game required at the provincial, collegiate/varsity, and national levels.

Former athletes have included:

  • Taylor Black – Exeter Chiefs, 🇨🇦 NSWT 15s, 2017 Junior National Player of the Year
  • Liam Bowman – Toronto Arrows, Montauban (FRA)
  • Andrew Ferguson – Toronto Arrows, 🇨🇦 National Senior Men’s Team 15s
  • Matt Tierney – Castres RC (France), 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
  • Djustice Sears-Duru – LA Giltinis (MLR), 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
  • David Richard – 🇨🇦 NSMT 7s
  • Ethan Hager – Dallas Jackals (MLR), NSMT 7s
  • Jack Shaw – Rugby LA (MLR), NSMT 15s
  • Callum Tam  – Hong Kong Cricket Club, Hong Kong U20s
  • Kainoa Lloyd – Pacific Pride, 🇨🇦NSMT 15s
  • Tyler Rowland –  NSMT 15s
  • Kevin Vertkas – Canada U20, 🇨🇦NSMT🍁7s
  • Josh Engelbrecht – Queens University, Canada U18, 2017 OUA Male Player of the Year
  • Taylour Hurd – Brock University, Canada U20, 2017 OUA Female Player of the Year
  • Training and Facilitation provided by some of the top coaches in Ontario, each of whom bring their own impressive résumé of Elite level coaching
  • Strength training and conditioning needs are tailored to the specific to the nature and needs of rugby and delivered by S&C professionals
  • Weekly Speed, Agility, and Quickness training to facilitate development and understanding of advanced movement skills and principles.
  • Development of tactical experience in game situations through our indoor touch rugby league;
  • Advanced skills training that utilizes the latest technology to provide concise, accurate feedback for each athlete;
  • Functional Motor Screening and consistent monitoring of our athletes progress from a medical and physiological perspective;

Elite Athlete Development Program

The Upright Rugby Academy focuses on developing and refining the core skills necessary for “breaking the gain line” and moving on to the next level. Whether your ambitions are provincial, varsity, national, or simply to be the best player you can be, our sessions will provide you with the resources and know-how to get you there.

Our mission is to provide the BEST off-season training program for boys and girls, aged 14 to 18, that are passionate about rugby and committed to their success. Ultimately, we want to train our athletes in order to best provide an opportunity for them to excel in their sport.

OAKVILLE ACADEMY
GUELPH ACADEMY

Elite Athlete Development Program

– Oakville 2023-24 –

16 Weeks

  • Skills Sessions
    • Tuesdays 4:30-6pm
    • Thursdays 4:30-6pm
    • Pine Glen Soccer Centre
  • Strength and Conditioning Sessions
    • Two weekly workouts
    • S&C is administered by professional and qualified strength coaches
    • Weekly mobility training protocol
  • Indoor Touch Rugby League

Pre-Season Prep Academy

– Oakville 2024 –

8 Weeks (Jan to Mar)

  • Skills’ Sessions
    • Tuesdays 4:30-6pm
    • Thursdays 4:30-6pm
    • Pine Glen Soccer Centre
  • *Included*
    • Two weekly Strength and Conditioning Sessions
    • S&C is administered by professional and qualified strength coaches
    • Weekly mobility training protocol
OAKVILLE ACADEMY
GUELPH ACADEMY

Program Includes:

Technical Development

  • 18 weeks of Advanced Technical Skills Training that utilizes the latest technology to provide concise, accurate feedback for each athlete;
  • Athletes participate in one or two weekly Skills Development sessions with some of the country’s best skill assessment and development coaches.

Tactical Training

  • Athletes participate in on-going tactical training and development through a series of modified, challenging games.
  • They also benefit from participation in the local 12-week touch rugby league offered by Canada Touch Rugby.

Strength Training

  • For the first eight weeks, athletes participate in weekly Speed and Strength training sessions.
  • For the second phase of the program (8 weeks), athletes participate in weekly Speed and Strength training sessions.
  • Training is provided by highly reputable and knowledgeable coaches, each of whom brings their own impressive résumé of high-performance strength training and conditioning.

Athlete and Wellness

  • Functional Motor Screening and monitoring of our athletes progress from a medical and physiological perspective;
  • Weekly Yoga or Pilates classes in order to increase range of motion amongst our athletes, strengthen their core and minimize the risk of injury;
  • Two-Part Nutrition Seminar
  • Sport Psych and Performance Visualization Seminar

Our program maintains consistency with the Long Term Rugby Development (“LTRD”) goals established by Rugby Canada and implemented by  World Rugby.