Tigers stepping up our Youth Ranks

Castleford Tigers are delighted to confirm sixteen of our Scholarship players will progress and continue their development in the Tigers Academy! Three more players have joined the Fords’ Under 18s setup from other clubs, and a further three players have signed Reserves contracts and will train within our First Team environment. 

This fantastic news comes on the back of the club’s newest intake of Under 16 talents for the Scholarship, which saw nineteen aspiring rugby league players join our ranks. 

The Tigers can also proudly announce that all our Academy players are in some form of full-time education that is also linked with the club, either through the Tigers College, our partnership with University Centre Leeds or through apprenticeship programmes.

Rob Nickolay shared his joy as sixteen Tigers Scholars make the move up into our Academy programme: “It’s fantastic for us, we have really invested heavily within this group, and we can see this as the start for us of rebuilding the Academy to where we want it to be,” Nickolay said to castlefordtigers.com.

"They have been a great age group to work with this year, they have bought into the standards that we set, and have taken the decision to invest heavily in this group. They are very talented, for us, it is the start of something special.”

A big part of the #NewCasEra has seen Head of Youth Development Rob Nickolay and First Team Head Coach Lee Radford put increased emphasis on developing players here at Castleford Tigers to progress through the club’s pathways. The bigger, longer-term goal is to have both the best and local talent going on to become Super League players for Castleford Tigers.

“For us, this year has been about setting some firm foundations and a transition to build where we want to get to. We want players to choose Cas because it will be seen as the Academy that brings players through and services our First Team.”

David Benson, Leo Skerrett-Evans and Isaac Hirsch are the newest faces to our Academy having joined the Fords from Leeds Rhinos & Warrington Wolves’ academies respectively. Nickolay believes it demonstrates Castleford’s youth programme is on the right track.

“They have chosen us which is fantastic and a testament to the programme we are offering, they are buying into what they can see and what the future holds at Castleford Tigers and the Academy as a whole.”

George Hill, Hugo Nikhata, and Aaron Willis have agreed to terms with the Tigers to be a part of our First Team training environment, where they will be able to continue to develop within the Reserves team too. Nikhata will still be eligible for selection for the Academy side next season though too being just 17 years old. It is more great news for Willis who at the club’s End of Season Awards evening was presented with the Academy Player of the Year trophy for his remarkable efforts this past season.

Speaking about Hill, Nikhata, and Willis being a part of the First Team environment for the pre-season, Nickolay added: “Obviously these are three players we have got big hopes for, they have been consistent in what they have done so far, and we’re looking for them to really push on and be relatively challenged. It is great to show to there are opportunities to progress here at Cas.”

Academy – Under 18s

• David Benson - Hunslet Club Parkside 
• Oliver Boocock - Thornhill Trojans
• Sam Darley - Lock Lane
• Harry Egley - Lock Lane
• Jacob Hall - West Hull ARLFC
• Alfie Hawkhead - Oulton Raiders
• Isaac Hirsch - Hunslet Parkside
• Alfie Horwell - Kippax Welfare
• Mitch Lawson – Lock Lane 
• Jensen Leake - Normanton Knights
• Harry Maule - Doncaster Toll Bar
• Jack Moxon - East Leeds
• Liam Precious - Oulton Raiders 
• Fletcher Rooney - Lock Lane
• Harley Sayles - Lock Lane
• Woody Walker - Siddal
• Alfie Wall - Hull Wyke
• Jenson Windley - West Hull ARLFC
• Leo Skerrett-Evans - Birkenshaw Blue Dogs 

Reserves

• George Hill - Doncaster Toll Bar 
• Hugo Nikhata - Doncaster Toll Bar
• Aaron Willis - Langworthy Reds