(l-r Tevita Vaikona, Richard Beal, Geoff Lound, Chris Murphy, John Beal, Jeanette Dawson)

A groundbreaking partnership between Bishop Burton College and Hull Rugby Union Football Club has been forged to offer players the chance to access a unique scholarship scheme set up to keep sporting talent in the area.

Hull Rugby Union, who have strong ambition, are based at The Hull Sports Centre on Chanterlands Avenue and are coached by former Hull FC and Saracens star Tevita Vaikona.

The club have recently gained promotion into National Division Two (North) after a resounding 40-15 win over Chester in the North/Midlands divisional play-off on the 25th April 2009.

                                                                   Tevita Vaikona in action vs. Westoe

Over recent years the Club has made great strides forward and has been carrying out a tremendous amount of work in the local community through its development programme, which has been recently recognised by the game’s governing body (the RFU) as the best in the country.

Hull RUFC’s development team have worked closely with the College for the last season, coaching the rugby teams and taking advantage of Bishop Burton’s sports facilities.

Director of Sport at the College, Nick Gandy, is delighted that the partnership is now formalised and the scholarships are in place.

“The idea behind the scholarships is that talented players can access first-class coaching and sports development, while taking advantage of the College’s expanding portfolio of Higher Education sports courses, said Nick.

“Applicants must demonstrate outstanding sporting ability and show evidence of achievement or potential at regional or national level, but the overarching aim is to provide athletes with the best possible environment to achieve their academic and sporting goals.”

All applicants accepted on to the scholarship scheme will be expected to play for the College team and also for one of the Club’s teams as part of their overall development.

This is the first time that such scholarships have been made available in the area.

If you would like to find out more about the rugby scholarships on offer at Bishop Burton College please contact Nick Gandy, Director of Sport on 01964 504156 or email: nick.gandy@bishopburton.ac.uk