Bring the Tigers home

University of Leicester and Leicester Tigers partner up to provide a ‘home from home’ for future rugby stars.

At the young age of 16, 11 players in their first year of Leicester Tigers Academy life will be accepting living accommodation and study space in Manor Road, Oadby.

The University of Leicester has allocated a property, now a part of their ‘student village,’ to accommodate the potential stars.

Their rooms have been decorated with pictures of the Academy and youth team grads like World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson and former England captain Paul Dodge.

The ultimate hope however is to inspire, motivate and most importantly, make the players feel at home.

Tigers Academy manager Neil McCarthy said: “This is extremely important because these players are leaving home and making a big decision in joining us at 16 years of age, a decision which is shared with their parents and families.”

The Tigers Academy is the most successful in the country with many players reaching international status. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising when the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Robert Burgess , attended the official opening performed last Friday. Tigers Academy graduates Dan Cole, Tom Croft, Manu Tuilagi and Ben Youngs were also guests of honour.

The Vice-Chacellor commented positively, saying: “The partnership between the University and the Tigers sees two of Leicester’s high-profile and international organisations working together to provide outstanding young rugby players with the supportive environment they need to flourish while away from home.”