We caught up with James Porter, Bay of Plenty Steamers Assistant Coach and Player Development Manager to understand the Athlete Development Programme and the role it plays in the Union.

What is the Athlete Development Programme, and who is eligible?
The ADP (Athlete Development Programme) is a re-branded version of what was our rugby academy. ADP is a collective of identified male and female athletes who the Union want to invest in streaming-lining their development and growth into rugby pathways. Initially, our rugby academy programme focused primarily on school leavers. The updated version of the ADP looks at a much broader collective of talented players starting from around the age of 16. We look to bring them in and develop their potential through our pathways programs. 

The programme also provides holistic services to support athletes in other pillars of their life. We ensure that we support the athletes' entire well-being during their progression through the programme. 

The talent identification process begins when school rugby fixtures start. Our talent identification criteria are simple - does the player have the characteristics and potential to become a semi-professional player, a Steamer or Volcanix, and represent our region? If we believe you fit that mould and environment, you are eligible for the ADP. 

What was the main rationale behind expanding the ADP resource to younger athletes in particular?
Incentivising young player retention is a part of it. We want to invest in players early to incentivise a return on investment later on when they choose to stay in our beautiful region and play for the province they call home. The best way we can do that educate players through our ADP and community based programs. At the end of the day, we want the Bay of Plenty system to be the go-to rugby pathway for our young rugby players out of high school.

Another reason we've done this is because of a term we refer to as 'screaming talent.' We use this to refer to players who, at 17/18 years old, we already know are only 12 months away from being involved in some form of professional rugby. On the flip side, most players typically take longer to build up to the professional standard, we refer to this talent as our slow burners. Bringing in talent earlier allows us to retain "screaming talent" before other provinces pinch them and we can also start the development process early for the slow burners who need a little more time.

What does a weekly routine look like for the ADP athlete?
ADP athletes follow a routine that takes a lot of commitment. We run 5.30am gym sessions three times a week and micro skill sessions every Wednesday night. We also run mental skills, nutrition, and personal development sessions for our athletes. This is on top of their already 2x per week club or school trainings and Saturday games. 

It's a massive commitment, and we admire the young men and women who put their hands up and commit 100%. It's what it takes to be a professional rugby player.

Who are some notable young names that have come through the ADP?
Some names that immediately come to mind are Kaleb Trask, Emoni Narawa, and Leroy Carter. Kaleb is now playing Super Rugby and has represented the NZ Maori, while Emoni also plays Super Rugby. Leroy Carter is currently with the All Black 7's setup. 

More recently, we've had the likes of Lalamilo Lalamilo, Josh Bartlett, who debuted for the Chiefs this year, Lucas Cashmore, Vevini Lasaqa and more. So far, 18 young men contracted to the Steamers have been involved in the ADP, so we are very proud of the programme’s success in our region to date.

What trends do you see among young players who come into the ADP for the first time?
We are very fortunate that rugby in New Zealand exposes young people to a very high level of play from around the age of early high school onwards. Consequently, young players who come into the ADP are already exposed to high-level rugby through their high school 1st XV programmes or age representative teams. 

With that being said, we commonly see a trend of talented players who possess all the on-field attributes but have not yet developed the other important aspect of being a professional rugby player - what you do off the field. 

Nutrition, strength and conditioning, recovery, and mental skills are off-field pieces of the game that we aim to bring up to speed with players’ capable on-field play. Strike that balance, and you have yourself a legitimate professional rugby prospect in the making. We also put a massive emphasis on mental health and well-being which is an area of our game we want to continue to develop.

This year there are a record number of young women participating in the ADP. With participation numbers continually growing across the board in the women's game, why do you think this is the case?
Opportunity. The more opportunity presented to aspiring female rugby players, the more eager they will be to pursue and achieve their ambitions. The female game is heading toward professionalism, which is a massive step in creating legitimate pathways for female players. We now have fully contracted Black Ferns and Black Ferns 7's players. We have also seen the creation of Super Rugby Aupiki to support female athletes making that next jump in their careers. 

We have to keep up with the pace and demand. Providing the ADP resource in equal capacity to our aspiring female athletes opens the gate to a potential professional rugby pathway. 

It's undeniable that the ADP has had a tremendous positive impact on high-performance rugby in the Bay since its inception. Where to from here?
The dream for ADP is that the 14 provinces in New Zealand pick it up. We think that we have created a programme that can be run in any province and would meet the relative needs of athletes, staff and the Unions that implement it. We believe the results of the ADP in the Bay speak for themselves, and the integration of a system like this into New Zealand rugby would help our national sport immensely. 

Article added: Monday 20 June 2022