Navan RFC recipients of the Future Stars awards (L to R); Katie Kearney, Alex Connor, Alex Carter, Aidan Rennie, Ciaran Scott, Emma Brogan, Isabella Grogan, Tara Quinn.

Eight young Navan players on 2024 Future Stars teams

Large number of players selected a sign of the good work going on at Balreask Old in terms of developing the skills of youngsters

Criag Williamson

Published: Wed 24 Apr 2024, 9:24 AM

Last updated: Fri 26 Apr 2024, 9:20 AM

Navan Rugby Football Club is delighted to have had eight of their youths players selected onto the Leinster Rugby/DkIT Future Stars teams for 2024.

It is fantastic to see these youths players making such a significant impact and earning recognition at the regional level.

The selection of eight players onto the Leinster Rugby/DkIT Future Stars teams for 2024 is a testament to the club's dedication to developing young talent and fostering a culture of excellence in rugby

For the boys' team, Cíaran Scott, Alex Carter, and Aidan Rennie have shown exceptional skill and promise, demonstrating their potential to shine on the rugby field.

On the girls' team, Katie Kearney, Tara Quinn, Alex Connor, Isabella Gogan, and Emma Brogan have all earned their places through hard work, talent, and dedication to the sport.

The Future Stars initiative, a collaboration between DkIT and Leinster Rugby, underscores the importance of nurturing emerging talent and providing opportunities for young players to showcase their abilities.

By recognizing the efforts of local schools and clubs in the North-East region of Leinster, this initiative highlights the rich rugby culture in the area, facilitating identifying emerging talent at u-19 level and the potential for future success.

All candidates for both girls and boys teams were selected by Leinster Rugby by a way of blitz/game(s) leading to two panels of 45 players for each team to be nominated (three in each position). The two panels of players would then compete by way of online voting, allowing the public to vote for their Future Stars Teams.

After the votes have been counted, 50% of votes contribute to the overall score and a judging committee makes up the other 50% which leads to the overall selected squads of 15 Boys & 15 Girls selected as their respective teams.

As the selected players prepare to receive their customised "Future Stars" jerseys at the presentation ceremony on Wednesday 24th April, it marks a momentous occasion in their rugby journey and serves as a testament to their dedication, skill, and potential for future success on the rugby field.

Congratulations to all the players, their families, and Navan Rugby Football Club on this remarkable achievement!

* Leinster and Ireland internationals Ronan Kelleher, Jimmy O’Brien and Aimee Clarke were in attendance to celebrate the eighth Dundalk Institute of Technology Sports & Societies Future Stars Awards on Wednesday evening.

The event, founded by Ray McCabe, the Leinster Community Rugby Officer and Dundalk IT Rugby Development Officer, is carried on in partnership with Leinster Rugby. The event marks the tremendous work being done at the schools and clubs levels in the North East region, former winners including Montpellier centre Karl Martin and current Leinster Academy back Aitzol King.

The motivation behind the awards ceremony is threefold. First, it is to reward the fantastic season all nominated players have had in the region. Second, it is to inform all players of the offerings Dundalk IT has for local players, by means of Sports Scholarships and by bridging the gap from youth rugby to senior rugby.

Third, it is to encourage local players to keep playing with their local clubs, of which many started as minis’ players, and, in time, to make the North-East area as strong as possible. “We want to reward the standout players, in their positions, for the past twelve months,” says Ray.

“There is the bonus element of introducing the young men and women to the Dundalk Institute of Technology’s campus which is 54% cheaper to attend than many of the third-level education institutions in Dublin.

“There are a number of scholarships available to those impressive enough to earn them as part of the drive to keep these players local rather than lose them to the big Dublin clubs”. Leinster Sub-Academy second row Mahon Ronan, Ireland Under-19 training member Evan Shelley and Ireland Under-18 Clubs loose forward Luke Fagan were among the male winners. In the Women’s category, scrum-half Alex Connor and back-three operator Emma Brogan were both honoured with Ireland caps at the Under-18 Six Nations at Easter. The selfless graft on the ground of clubs allied to the assistance of Leinster Rugby in the North-East has seen this programme grow massively. In recent years the number of players contacted has increased significantly with the introduction of the online voting system which is supported by the Argus and The Independent newspapers. This allows 45 girls and 45 boys to be nominated (three in each position). The 90 players then compete by way of online voting, allowing the public to have a say. After the votes have been counted, they contribute 50% to the overall score and a judgment committee makes up the other 50% which leads to the overall selected squads.