Former rugby league player Robin Hainsworth is the man now tasked with the job of expanding and organising the rugby union game at the recently opened multi-million pound Lowestoft Sixth Form College in Rotterdam Road.

The Colleges new Head of Rugby has moved to the area from his native Yorkshire where he ran the highly successful New College Pontefract rugby league set-up, for 16 to 18 year-olds, that produced so many excellent players and who went on to star in the 13 a-side code.

The Lowestoft Sixth Form College is the newest in the country and opened its doors for the first time in September this year with an initial intake of 420 students that will rise to 1,200 over the next couple of years.

And that should certainly provide a sound platform from which Hainsworth, a Royal Navy Volunteer Lieutenant, can establish a full-blown Rugby Academy within the College.

He confirms: “We’re starting off with touch rugby this season and then, hopefully, field a full-strength side next year and from there develop an Academy.

“But we’re not going to run before we can walk. We want to grow the interest, start small and once we get a core of half decent players we’ll expand from there.

“The College Principal is keen to develop both rugby and football and the aim is that we start fielding a College team at least by the end of next year.’

Talks have already taken place between himself, the England RFU’s Rugby Development Officer Lee Adamson and the Lowestoft & Yarmouth RFC Junior Rugby Chairman and Community Development Officer Jerry Stone who have established a three-way partnership that will benefit all parties and, particularly, strengthen the rugby union game around the area.

The enthusiastic Stone says: “Lowestoft & Yarmouth junior rugby football club are very excited to be working with the new Sixth Form College and Robin Hainsworth and, in conjunction with Suffolk Sport and the Sport England Sportivate program, to promote rugby in this crucial age group when they move from junior to adult rugby and where retention in the sport is a key area.

“The program is initially touch rugby so that we can promote male and female participation.

“As part of the program we will be supporting sports students to gain coaching qualifications and encouraging them to consider volunteering at the rugby club. They can gain recognition for this via the national vinspired program which the club is a provider for.

“This program is part of the community program run by the club working with schools and colleges in the locality to increase participation in the sport. The club is seeing huge benefits from this program with increased membership.’

The RFU’s Lee Adamson added:- “It’s great to be in at the start of a new project and the new College will support the growth of rugby in the area and strengthen the clubs around it.

“Hopefully this new team will be the start of a strong rugby presence in the College.’ 

The Lowestoft Sixth Form College slogan is `Bigger, Bolder, Brighter,’ and that certainly applies to Hainsworth and his colleagues who will be working hard to ensure rugby union flourishes at the College and elsewhere around the Suffolk town.