“How much are you prepared to give?” - behind the scenes at the Ulster Academy

Ulster Rugby has announced the intake of 6 new players into the Abbey Insurance Academy, taking the total number up to 19.

The club recently invited media for a behind the scenes glimpse of the level of detail that goes into preparing these young players for a life either in or out of professional rugby.

Last year alone, Academy players contributed 46 caps to the senior panel at Kingspan Stadium.

Four players have also stepped up and been awarded senior contracts after impressing at both PRO14 and Champions Cup level: Greg Jones, Adam McBurney, Jonny Stewart, and Nick Timoney.

At the helm of the Academy organisation is former Ulster scrum-half Kieran Campbell, who works with provincial and international icon Willie Anderson.

"We have an intrinsic value on this which you get from playing for the province. Whether you're born and raised in the province, like Willie, or my family being from Donegal, you have a natural attachment to Ulster. That emotional attachment is particularly important when you're working with young people,” says Campbell.

Kieran says the overall aim is to provide the senior squad with as many as 6 players every year, even though the province lacks the pulling power of a province like Leinster.

“It's not a perfect science because the senior team might only need four. The better the program gets, the younger the profile of the team, and then less are going to get in. But we're not a Leinster, we don't have that cushion at the moment, so we have to develop that,” says Campbell.

While Ulster might not have the same size of talent pool from which to draw their players, there are visible and obvious signs of improvement for Campbell. For the first time, there are simply too many players.

"We have guys that I think are credible for Academy places, but we don't have a place for them, and they'll sit in our sub academy for a year. That's the process, and sometimes it lays the foundation for a guy to meet the requisite level," says Campbell.

Based at Newforge, the Academy players begin their day with weightlifting sessions. Several personal trainers are on the scene, with each individual player provided with a bespoke program to cater for their specific needs.

Players also undergo video review sessions in which they collectively analyse their own training sessions. Any on-pitch movement involving a ball takes place under the watchful eyes of a crew of videographers.

Having spent a day seeing how things work at this level, it’s the level of professionalism that is most striking. Campbell and Anderson are clearly laying the foundations for a long-term change in the Academy.

"In professional sport, no one is indispensable. We're trying to develop something that leaves a legacy, that gives Ulster a system and a platform to work from. The reality of this world and the way it moves is that myself and Willie might not be there. But if we keep having the success we have we hope we'll be there for a time to sustain this process,” says Campbell.

The harsh reality of the Academy environment is that most of the players won’t make the cut and go on to represent their province as professional athletes.

However, the Academy also guides these young men in terms of their career and education, with the hierarchy keen to promote an ethos of hard work, dedication, and respect.

“We take great pride in how these guys behave. Was it something we've done because of a bespoke situation? No. It's been something that we've drilled in since we came in.

"We've always had the desire that when our boys walk out of here, whether they make it for Ulster or they don't, they'll be good people. If they're good off the pitch, they'll be good on it. But I want them to go out as well as proud, rounded people who have a future."