PROMISING rugby stars are being offered elite training from a former England and Premiership scrum half who is launching a new coaching business in the North East.
Former Northampton Saints and England scrum half Lee Dickson has established a coaching initiative – MD9 – to hone and develop the skills of the next generation of No9s.
Lee, who has been Master in Charge of Rugby at Barnard Castle School since 2019, has just joined the coaching team at Newcastle Red Bulls, while continuing to develop the students’ rugby programme.
An Old Barnardian himself, his new venture is the latest strand of plans to help the region develop the very best players at school, club and international levels.
MD9 will see 14 to 18-year-olds coached by Lee on a one to one basis, or in small groups, using the state-of-the-art facilities at Barnard Castle School during the holidays.
He said: “Scrum half is one of those specialists positions linking the forwards and the backs where players can sometimes struggle to find their way.
“So I’ll be drawing on my experience and knowledge developed over many years in the professional game to guide them using elite training and video analysis.
“Looking at the opportunities around here for No9s they are limited so being able to tap into my knowledge should help young players develop their skills.”
The training will help players develop their fitness levels, including strength and conditioning, improve passing, tackling and rucking techniques, and help them advance their vision for game management.
Eventually Lee hopes to develop the business using top coaches in other sports to help players wanting to sharpen their skills in hockey, netball and cricket.
“The training will be intense and give the students an insight into what it is like to train in the professional game, including advice on nutrition,” said Lee.
“I am really passionate about sport in the North East and want the region to develop the next generation of top players, so the coaching will be challenging.”
Lee has coached many notable players in his time at Barnard Castle School including current Newcastle Red Bulls, scrum half Joe Davis and forwards Freddie Lockwood and Oscar Usher, as well as England and Bath flanker Guy Pepper and his brother Max who plays No9 for Bristol Bears.
Anyone interested in joining Lee’s coaching programme can contact him at md9elitecoaching@gmail.com.
