Player Development Group Foundation Phase guidance
What is the England Rugby Player Development Group Foundation Phase?
This briefing is intended to give you and your young person an understanding of the commitment and expectations required to be a Berkshire PDGFP squad member, if they choose to progress to, and are successful in the Player Assessment.
The purpose of the England Rugby funded PDGFP is to support the broad base of players within each county, which focuses on skill development and acquisition, game understanding and the physical components that help a player unlock their potential.
The programme is intended to complement and enhance a players current rugby provision, be that through club or school, and give access to high quality core skill development run by PDGFP coaches.
Players are expected to commit to training and playing throughout the season. Lack of attendance will result in your place on the squad being at risk and being offered to another player.
Player Assessment
There are two Player Assessment sessions in August. Players will be expected to attend one of the Assessment sessions.
● Friday 8th August 2025 (7pm to 8.30pm) Book Here (
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSct-MkloF4EuF_sqeQ1hwNLV2n9oX98aHOvCsYKFYHM5t2QYA/viewform) or,
● Sunday 17th August 2025 (2pm to 3.30pm) Book Here (
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSct-MkloF4EuF_sqeQ1hwNLV2n9oX98aHOvCsYKFYHM5t2QYA/viewform)
We try to balance the attendance at both Player Assessment sessions, so if you are able to attend both please do tick them both on the form to assist with our planning. You will then be allocated to a Player Assessment session.
Notification of assessment outcomes will be emailed to parents after both trials have been completed. We understand that young people are keen to know the outcome of trials but we need to ensure that due diligence is given to this process. Please do not request any update in the interim as it will not be provided under any circumstances.
For those who may be disappointed not to be selected, please understand that this will not be the end of the young person's opportunity to develop and potentially represent Berkshire in the future.
Upon being invited to join the PDGFP squad, parents this year will also be asked to complete the 2025-2026 Headcase eLearning concussion awareness and send their certificates (or a screen-shot) to
YmVya3NwZGdmcDE2ZyB8IGdtYWlsICEgY29t. Book your RFU Headcase eLearning Here (
https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/Account/Login?qs=gthTcP1Z%2fPulqucguv8NvmH4ZVJq3Rc5Lrw4NF7aL9fPPAIEu5oSKGdVxtmiYDk5vln9rammLR7Bs7KY2OwoHy4rsNM5MRxLeuNp0RGE%2fCmhn6kRv9K5RMMlEqgmF0c%2f8hBqYJ1qqFwb1AnjuaoJfh%2fSBNRbH7LkUQjj9NVPlrL4YGhhO91sQIovm5j0DzSxC6rggjus89URd%2fgXTuZMVQ%3d%3d)
We would also highly recommend that the girls do the following eLearning to develop their knowledge and understanding:
Headcase Book Here (
https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/Account/Login?qs=gthTcP1Z%2fPulqucguv8NvmH4ZVJq3Rc5Lrw4NF7aL9fPPAIEu5oSKGdVxtmiYDk5vln9rammLR7Bs7KY2OwoHy4rsNM5MRxLeuNp0RGE%2fCmhn6kRv9K5RMMlEqgmF0c%2f8hBqYJ1qqFwb1AnjuaoJfh%2fSBNRbH7LkUQjj9NVPlrL4YGhhO91sQIovm5j0DzSxC6rggjus89URd%2fgXTuZMVQ%3d%3d)
TackleSafe Book Here (
https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/Account/Login?qs=gthTcP1Z%2fPulqucguv8NvmH4ZVJq3Rc5Lrw4NF7aL9fPPAIEu5oSKGdVxtmiYDk5vln9rammLR7Bs7KY2OwoHy4rsNM5MRxLeuNp0RGE%2fCnyYmmyzHUd%2bN%2f2OttSx96Hh8PpR6IH3U78C7FhUTxv5kKbtnWpKas0I74rbAkcp9f29TydnMiKhS1ntg5E70BW5tR5CgJHF3Rk6TD4gWP50g%3d%3d)
Squad
This year we will be running two teams for the competition-supported elements of the program. Players will be differentiated into either a main squad or a development squad. All players will train on the same nights and at the same location. The main squad will participate in matches against other counties. There is potential for players to move between each squad during the season depending on a number of factors, including attendance, ability and effort.
All players will be registered on the England Rugby Game Management System (GMS) as Berkshire RFU PDGFP Under 16s Girls players.
The 2025-2026 Season
The season consists of 17 training sessions, four fixtures preparation sessions and approximately four fixtures. Please note that this can change depending on the impact of weather, availability of facilities and opposition.
Training
● Player availability for each training session is communicated by you via the Spond App; please state on Spond any reason for declining any session missed
● Please note that timings, and location, can be subject to change and any changes will be communicated via Spond as soon as possible
● Attendance is recorded for every training session and match
● Training is normally held at Maidenhead RFC on a Friday evening
● Player registration is 6:45 to 7:00pm
● Training finishes at about 8:45pm
● We endeavor to schedule training and matches for the whole season but please understand that weather / facility availability can be affected and changes may be needed, sometimes at short notice
● Your young person is still a minor. Please ensure a responsible adult is present, on site / close by at training
● Understanding that your young person is trying to be independent at this age, and we support car sharing, you can assign responsibility to another parent / adult
● Injured players should not attend any PDGFP training sessions. Injured players should be referred to their Club Physio for treatment and / or rehabilitation
● If a player has a SUSPECTED concussion during training or a match then the club and the school will be notified to ensure that Grassroot Return to Activity and Sport is followed. The concussion link from the Proactive Application will be sent to appropriate person in club and school
You may also like the following events from Rugby Development Berkshire:
Also check out other
Sports events in Maidenhead,
Workshops in Maidenhead,
Contests in Maidenhead.
