The Kent U16 Girls’ squad is formed from girls who are in school years 10 and 11, and to further qualify girls need to either play their rugby in Kent or live in Kent. If invited to join, they become part of the England Rugby Women’s Player Development Group (PDG) Foundation Programme, which is designed to help support their development as players, and is the first step in the England Rugby women’s pathway.
Assessments are held prior to the start of the season, and this process culminates with the selection of a squad of players who will receive training sessions throughout the season. From these sessions, teams are then selected to play for Kent in festivals against other counties.
Registration is now open!
Applications are now open for players interested in joining the Kent U16 Girls Foundation Programme for the 2026-27 season.
To access the programme, players must be nominated by their club or school rugby coach. We encourage any interested players and their parents/carers to discuss the player’s suitability with their coaches.
The Foundation Programme is designed for young players who have a high level of core rugby skills and the potential and ambition to progress further with their rugby. If selected they will attend approximately twelve training sessions over the course of the season, complementing their club training, and will participate in three or four playing opportunities against other counties.
All players who wish to be considered for the Foundation Programme must attend an assessment. There will be two alternative assessment dates – players need only attend one of these. Both will take place at Ashford RFC:
Players must be in school years 10 or 11 from September 2026, 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.
Players must be registered in advance to attend an assessment. The cut-off date for registration is Sunday 28th June 2026. Coaches should register their nominated players for the assessment on the registration form they will be sent.
Players will be allocated to one of the assessment dates and will have the ability to express a preference. If players are unable to attend either assessment date but wish to be considered for the Foundation Programme, please complete the registration form and note this in the appropriate section. There will be at least one additional opportunity to be considered for the programme, likely in September or October.
If you have any questions, please email: kentu16teammanager@gmail.com
