Five RISE Academy Gala Days were held around the state last month to wrap up another bumper season for the Rugby League program designed to help better prepare young players and their coaches for successful careers in the sport.
The RISE Academy operates in more than 20 locations across NSW for boys 13-15 years and girls 13-16 years. The program consists of five sessions to equip participants with playing skills, training tips, a strength and conditioning component, nutrition and wellbeing advice.
The program is overseen by former Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs premiership-winning forward Adam Perry. He helped organise the RISE Gala Days last month in Wagga Wagga, Cessnock, Armidale, Coffs Harbour, and Riverwood in Sydney.
A RISE team also played in Wollongong against development teams from Group 7, Illawarra district and Cronulla.
The gala days gave a virtual exclamation mark to end the season.
“It’s a great way to finish off the program by giving the kids an opportunity to come together and play some footy without having to decide a champion of the day,” Perry told nswrl.com.au
“It brings everyone together to play football, have some fun, we mix the teams up and even tweak the rules where necessary to make sure the games are more even.
“It’s a way to encourage the kids to get out there, play some footy and practise the things they learnt throughout the program.”
About the RISE program | Video
This is the third year of RISE and participation numbers continue to increase with 1,700 registered across the state this year, up from 1,200 in 2023, and 520 in 2022.
“Prior to COVID (2020-21) we did a couple of pilot programs out of Coffs Harbour and Newcastle but everything was disrupted during the pandemic,” Perry said.
RISE primarily started as a regionally-based program but this year extended into metropolitan areas following the success of a combined Penrith-Parramatta Under 13s boys program in 2023.
“This year RISE has expanded to 13s boys in Penrith, 13s boys in Parramatta, a combined 14s boys and a combined 14s girls. The Bulldogs also ran a RISE program out at Revesby.
“It’s starting to come into the metro areas more now. The value of the program seems to be selling itself. It’s really beneficial for not just the kids involved but the coaches as well.
“Our coaches use the most recent and up-to-date coaching methods for these age groups so coach participants get a lot of good information out of our sessions as well as the players.
“We also touch on areas away from just playing footy. Participants are just as likely to become a referee, football staffer, or get an intro into coaching.
“We try to create better footy players, give them some tools, but also give them a connection back to their clubs. We encourage them to be around the game in whatever role they want.”
