Beginning his rugby career as a six-year-old at Northampton Old Scouts, Ollie Sleightholme signed on with the Senior Academy at Northampton Saints ahead of the 2018/19 season after being a part of the set-up at Saints from the age of 13.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Saints legend Jon, the fast-footed winger had impressed for Saints' Under-18s, Premiership Rugby 7s side and in the 2018 Mobbs Memorial Match before earning a full-time contract.
The winger made his first-team debut against Bristol Bears in the Premiership Rugby Cup before taking just 15 seconds to score his first Northampton try on his Gallagher Premiership debut against Wasps, as he finished his breakthrough season with seven tries in his many appearances.
Sleightholme made ten appearances for Saints the following term, adding another three tries to his tally along the way, before playing his most rugby in a season to date during 2020/21 – crossing the whitewash an impressive nine times in 12 games, including a sensation quad of tries against Worcester Warriors.
He made a further 15 appearances in the 2021/22 season as Saints qualified for the Premiership semi-finals, while he was also joined in the Club’s senior ranks by his younger brother Frankie, another who was quick to make an impact in the try-scoring stakes.
Sleightholme earned a silver medal with England Sevens during the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas and represented his country at Under-18 and Under-20 level – playing in the 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship – with only an injury stopping the winger from earning a first senior cap following a call-up to a summer training camp in 2021.
