The Kent U16 Girls PDG (Foundation Phase) is the first stage of the England Rugby Player Pathway, for girls in the U16 age group (in school years 10 and 11) who either live in Kent, attend a school in Kent and/or play rugby at a club in Kent. The programme is delivered in partnership with Kent County RFU following a national framework. The primary focus during this phase is to build fundamental skills, foster enjoyment and lay the groundwork for future development.
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 represent Kent in playing opportunities against other counties.
Following on from the Kent U16 Girls PDG (Foundation Phase), there is an opportunity for players to be nominated for assessment to enter either the Southeast Regional U18 Girls PDG (Development Phase), which is run by England Rugby, or the Kent U18 Girls County Programme.
Insight Days
New for the 2026/27 season! We will be running an insight day for all girls who are currently in school year 9 and for those in year 10 that have not attended an assessment this season. This will give them a good idea of what the programme entails and allows time for interested girls to have a discussion with their club coaches about their suitability for nomination, and to prepare themselves for the assessment days. Further details on the day and how to apply to attend can be found on the separate Kent Website announcement on the news page.
Assessment Days
We will be running TWO assessment days for the 2026/27 season. These are likely to be held during a weekend in July 2026, prior to the start of the school summer holidays, one on Friday evening and one on Sunday. Dates and location will be confirmed nearer the time. All updates will be shared via club coaches and this website.
To qualify for the 2026/27 programme players must be currently in school years 9 or 10 (so in school years 10 and 11 from September 2026) and eligible to play for Kent, meaning they either live in Kent, attend a school in Kent and/or play rugby at a club in Kent.
To access the programme, players must be nominated by their club or school rugby coach. We encourage interested players to discuss their suitability with their coaches.
Post-Assessment Process
After each assessment the Kent coaches will meet, collate the scores and discuss individual player performance. When both assessments have been completed, the Lead Coach and Team Manager will meet to discuss who will be invited to join the PDG Foundation Programme for the 2026/27 season. This is capped at 60 players. All players will receive an email from the Team Manager which either:
Any players who are unable to attend either of the assessment days due to prior commitments or injury, will either be invited to an assessment session at the start of the 2026/27 season or the Lead Coach will watch them play in a club game to make an assessment. There MAY be opportunities throughout the season for players to join if deemed suitable.
If you have any questions, please email Tony Wood (Lead Coach) kent-u16girls-coach@kent-rugby.org or Anna Burns (Team Manager) kentu16teammanager@gmail.com
