Two Brooksby Melton College sport students, George Martin and Leo Gilliland, will begin an exciting new chapter this summer at Welford Road.

The students, who recently completed their Level 3 Sport qualifications at Brooksby, have both signed professional contracts with Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, where they’ll be part of the club’s development squad.

George and Leo, who both have international under 18 caps under their belt, studied their Level 3 Extended Diplomas in Sport with us, where they lived on-site at the 850-acre Brooksby Campus. This set-up gives students a unique opportunity to learn how to juggle elite rugby, education and living independently; the benefits of which are demonstrated by these two students, who are now beginning exciting careers with Leicester Tigers.

James Thorne, Head of Faculty, said ‘This is a unique programme for young striving rugby players to gain top class coaching and play the highest standard of college rugby, whilst experiencing an environment with high expectations in education, rugby and life that, if utilised, will produce many more successes like George and Leo’.

Scott Clarke, Head of Community and Global Partnerships at Leicester Tigers, describes the exciting partnership between the club and Brooksby: ‘Over the last 3 years, the Rugby programme at Brooksby has gone from strength to strength, with the College FE Sport offer being complemented by Tigers rugby focus. This partnership has created success for all involved, both on and off the pitch, and it’s great to see the students’ efforts being recognised and rewarded on an international stage and within the professional game.’

‘Starting in September 2019 we hope to have nearly 90 16-18 year old students studying a variety of meaningful qualifications focused on delivering excellence in the classroom and on the rugby pitch. As part of this, we’re delighted to be relaunching our ‘open-to-all’ development programme that will work alongside the BMC AASE and Tigers Academy, giving more students the chance to maximize their potential in an amazing environment.’

Applications are now open for September 2020/21 for all Leicester Tigers Brooksby courses, including the elite AASE Programme (selection), the Development Programme (open to all abilities) and degree programmes in Sport Science (open to all abilities). Find out more about Sport programmes at Brooksby here.

Interested in our Sport Science degree course? Find out how to apply for September 2019 through Clearing!