Premiership Rugby have confirmed the fixture schedule for the 2024/25 U18 Academy League, with Northampton Saints kicking their campaign off at Sale Sharks in January.
Head coach Charlie Reed led Northampton to the Final of the age-group competition last term, the third consecutive Final Saints have featured in – having lost out to Bristol Bears in 2022 and London Irish in 2023.
The Black, Green and Gold young guns were narrowly beaten to the trophy again in 2023/24, going down 34-33 to Bath Rugby at Kingsholm Stadium in a prequel to the Gallagher Premiership Final later in the season.
This season Saints start the competition with a series of double headers with Northampton’s Under-17s – with both sides first running out against Sale at Heywood Road on Sunday 5 January, before hosting Yorkshire on Saturday 11 January, and then heading to Newcastle Falcons on Saturday 18 January.
An East Midlands Derby is what awaits Saints in the final regular season clash of 2024/25, as Leicester Tigers head to Northampton on Saturday 1 February – with the teams running out on the main pitch at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens (kick-off: 12pm) before the Under-17s lock horns on Pitch 2 (kick-off: 2pm).
Saints’ youngsters then enjoy a bye week ahead of Finals Day, where all sides feature in a ranked clash against their Southern Conference counterparts to determine the season’s final standings.
And head coach Reed, who enjoyed a promising first season at the helm last term, is excited to get back to Academy League action in 2025.
He said: “Last season was a good settling in period for me, in terms of getting to grips with how an Academy season runs, and getting into the process of what the job looked like. It was also a great opportunity to see that the lads could do.
“It’s testament to the intent of last year’s group and how hard working they were that they reached another Academy League Final, it was great achievement for the squad. While it was disappointing to come up short, that game wasn’t the be all and end all. Personally, I was prouder of the experience the boys got to share on that Finals Day.
“The important thing at this level is that you get lots of players across loads of different schools and junior clubs coming together to play the four or five games across the season to create some great memories, and then we see what results come from that.”
Charlie Reed, Academy Coach
“The Academy League experience is a great opportunity for young players to gain an understanding of what it’s like to play under a bit more pressure. But enjoying the process of going and playing different Academies across the country is a great one – it’s not every day you can go up to Sale, or play Newcastle at Kingston Park.
“The league is a great stepping stone in their careers and it’s important for us as a coaching team to make sure they’re making good memories, developing them to be able to play in these games, and hopefully we then see them kick on in the future as that’s what it’s all about.
“We’re excited to be back running out on the main pitch at cinch Stadium later in the season too. We gave last year’s group that experience against Newcastle, and the boys absolutely loved it, so doing it for an East Midlands Derby this term should be very special!”
NORTHAMPTON SAINTS U18s 2024/25 FIXTURES
- Round 1: Sale Sharks vs Northampton Saints – Sunday 5 January (U18s kick-off: 1pm, U17s kick-off: 3pm) – Heywood Road
- Round 2: Northampton Saints vs Yorkshire – Saturday 11 January (U18s kick-off: 12pm, U17s kick-off: 2pm) – Pitch 2, cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
- Round 3: Newcastle Falcons vs Northampton Saints – Saturday 18 January (U18s kick-off: 1pm, U17s kick-off: 3pm) – Kingston Park
- Round 4: Northampton Saints vs Leicester Tigers – Saturday 1 February (kick-off: 12pm) – main pitch, cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens
- Finals Day: Sunday 16 February
