A BOOST to Rugby League training is being offered by the University of Chester, which has a campus in Warrington.
The university has been chosen by the Rugby Football League as the delivery site for the inaugural Level 3 United 
Kingdom Coaching Certificate (UKCC) programme.
It is the first time the qualification is being taught in the UK and it will become a requirement for all coaches working in the professional game.
The course is building on links between Warrington rugby and the university, established by Dr Craig Twist, who is a BASES accredited exercise physiologist.
Dr Twist is working as an advisor to Super League club Warrington Wolves. The university sponsors the club and its Warrington campus is the Wolves’ new training base.
Also Great Britain hooker, Jon Clarke, is studying for a Sport and Exercise Sciences degree on a part-time basis as he prepares for life after his playing career.
Among the first students on the course is former Great Britain international and England captain, Steve Molloy.
Dr Twist, senior lecturer in Sport and Exercise Physiology, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for the university. The Level 3 UKCC is currently the highest-level formal qualification available to a Rugby League coach in Great Britain, and the RFL felt that our facilities were ideal for its delivery.”
The Level 3 programme is delivered at weekends over an 18-month period. As well as providing teaching staff, members from the Sports and Exercise Sciences department have written the physiology and fitness sections of the set textbook.
The course comprises a mix of coaching, video performance analysis, fitness testing, observed laboratory-based testing, and presentation work. As well as staff from the university, external lecturers and RFL staff are delivering specialist aspects of the course.
Picture shows the university’s Dave Sykes (left) and Dr Craig Twist, who are involved in the delivery of the programme.
