Scottish Rugby announce regional coaching conferences

Scottish Rugby will host four regional coaching conferences this year following a record attendance at the 2017 National Coaching Conference.

The conferences, which take the place of the National Conference, will run between April and June for Edinburgh, Caledonia, Borders & East Lothian and Glasgow & The West.

Guest speakers Brian Ashton MBE and Richard Shuttleworth, who have both worked at the highest levels of elite sport, have been confirmed as keynote speakers at the conferences.

Ashton, who coached England to the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final and was instrumental in establishing England’s Junior and Senior National Academies, will speak at the Borders and Glasgow conferences.

Shuttleworth has been involved in elite coaching for more than two decades with organisations including the RFU and Super Rugby and will deliver sessions at the Edinburgh and Caledonia conferences.

Neil Graham, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Training & Education, said: “We’re delighted to build on the success of last season’s National Coaching Conference by announcing these four regional conferences.

The events are open to coaches of all age groups, and we’re looking forward to welcoming club members from around the country.”

Last year’s National Coaching Conference saw over 160 coaches from across Scotland attend BT Murrayfield to hear from the country’s top coaches and learn about the latest developments.

These events will be delivered in partnership with the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy regions and will involve both practical and indoor sessions.

More speakers are to be confirmed for each conference but this year will continue the focus on Scottish Rugby’s Technical Blueprint, ‘The Scottish Way’, which aims to develop a quality game through a core set of principles based around rugby speed.

Tickets are £10 and those attending the Edinburgh conference will have the option to include a ticket for the capital’s professional team’s match versus Scarlets for only an additional £5.