Tigers tie up gives kids route through

Paul Rees finds out more about Nottingham’s new partnership with Leicester Tigers

- Paul Rees

Nottingham were among the leading clubs in England 30 years ago with players such as Brian Moore and Rob Andrew on their books, but professionalism meant that rather than thrive it became a battle to survive. They are now established in the Championship and last week secured a partnership with Leicester as part of an ambitious plan in the long-term.

The financial gap between the Premiership and the Championship has never been wider. Never mind the current suspension of relegation from the top flight, Nottingham cannot dream of joining the elite any time soon with their Lady Bay ground’s capacity 3,500, but a lesson from failures of others in the past is that dreams turn into nightmares unless a club builds from the bottom up.

Which is what the partnership with the Tigers is intended to do. The two clubs lie 30 miles apart and there have been links in the past: Dan Cole, Tom Youngs and Calum Green all had spells with Nottingham when they were starting out, but under the agreement the club’s head coach, Craig Hammond, will spend a couple of days with Leicester working with their senior academy players.

“Some of them will come to us, whether for a month or a year or more, and it will give them the chance to play at a competitive level and be part of a squad,” said Steve Smith, below, Nottingham’s chief operating officer. “Every young player needs to learn at their pace and level: sometimes an 18-year old will struggle in the Championship, never mind the Premiership.