The Kent U18 Girls squad provides the opportunity to play representative rugby against other counties, as well as providing additional training on top of Club or School training. The Kent U18 Girls county programme is run separately to the Player Development Group (PDG) programme led by the RFU.
Interested players are invited to attend one of two assessment dates, set out below. These two initial assessment sessions will allow us to pick a wider squad of around 50 players, who will then be assessed over three “Getting To Know You” training sessions, from which we will select a playing squad of around 35 players.
Players selected for the Kent U18 Girls playing squad will get the opportunity to play in at least one of the three inter-county playing opportunities, as well as the “Maids of Kent Game” for Tracy Pettingale Cup.
All players who make the through the initial phase of assessments will be offered the opportunity to play in the “Maids of Kent Game” later in the season and may be held on stand-by for injury cover for the playing squad.
All players who wish to be considered for the Kent Youth Girls U18’s programme must attend an assessment day. There will be two assessment days and players need to attend only one date. Both will take place at Aylesford Bulls RFC:
Players must be currently in school year 11 or 12 (so in school years 12 and 13 from September 2024) and eligible to play for Kent, meaning they meet at least one of the following criteria: live in Kent, play rugby at a club in Kent, and/or attend school in Kent.
All players must attend an assessment, including those who participated in last season’s Kent U16 Girls ERDPP, Kent U18 Girls program or the Centre of Excellence.
If you have been invited to be assessed for the PDG, and would like to be considered for the Kent programme if you are unsuccessful, then you should also register for a Kent assessment and notify us should you be selected for the PDG. You will not automatically be put forward for the Kent programme.
This is a self-nomination process – nomination from a club or school coach is not required.
We encourage players (or their parents) to discuss with their coaches if they are unsure whether they would be suitable for the programme. We are looking for players with both the potential and the ambition to progress further with their rugby.
Players must register in advance to attend an assessment. The cut-off date for registration is Sunday 18th August. Please complete the online form to register.
Players will be allocated to one of the assessment dates and will have the ability to express a preference. If you wish to be considered for the U18’s programme but are unable to attend either assessment date, please complete the registration form and note this in the appropriate section.
If you have any questions, please email:
