Dorking RFC

Building better athletes, together

At our club, we’re about more than matchday results. We’re here to develop young people through rugby—helping them grow in confidence, character, and capability in an environment that’s supportive, challenging, and fun.

Over the years we’ve worked hard to build a coaching pathway that gives players the best possible experience at every age group. That means quality coaching on the pitch, safe and progressive physical preparation off it, and a club culture where every young athlete feels they belong.

Introducing our Summer HP Programme

This summer we launched a 12-week Youth Summer High Performance (HP) Programme, open to all club members regardless of ability. Whether a player is new to structured training or already pushing for higher honours, the aim is the same: give every athlete the tools to improve.

The programme supports youth players from Under 14s through to Colts, combining structured gym education with rugby-specific field development.

What the programme includes

• 12-week programme running across the summer
• One gym block per week (supervised, coached, and progressive)
• One field session per week focused on movement, skills, and game understanding
• A summer gym programme players can follow to build consistency and confidence
• A strong emphasis on fundamental movement quality, safe technique, and long-term athletic development

Why we’re doing it

The goal of the HP Programme is to build strong foundations:

• Teach athletes how to train safely and effectively
• Improve movement mechanics and athleticism
• Develop rugby-relevant skills under increasing levels of pressure
• Create habits that support performance, resilience, and confidence

Most importantly, we want young players to enjoy the process and feel proud of their progress—whatever their starting point.

The people behind the programme

This programme is powered by the time, energy, and expertise of our coaches and senior players, and by the facilities and support network we’re lucky to have as a club.

Armand Roux, Director of Rugby

"I’m proud as a club that we can leverage the experience we have in coaches, the facilities at our disposal and a supporting club to help us facilitate such a programme.

Dan Mackenzie, Jonny Aiken, Caleb Fallon and Ollie Shepherd have been phenomenal in supporting over 100 youth athletes weekly with their development both in the gym and on the pitch."

Early progress and momentum

The first block has already shown what’s possible when young athletes commit to consistent work. We’ve seen players across all age groups improve their movement quality, learn new skills quickly, and bring a great attitude to every session.

Caleb Falloon, First Team Player & Coach

"The HP programme has got off to a great start, both in the gym and out on the paddock. Over the first four weeks, the focus has been on building strong fundamentals and core skills before progressing into more live game situations.

It’s been unreal to see the development across all age groups, with players picking up new skills and techniques quickly. The effort, attitude and improvement shown by everyone involved has made the programme a real success so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing that progress continue over the coming weeks."

Daniel Mackenzie, Head of S&C

"We have now completed the first block of the Youth High Performance Programme, and I am delighted to share that Phase 1 has been a real success. The focus of this opening block was simple but vital: technique first.

Phase 1 highlights included compound movements, plyometric and athletic development, as well as educating players on the 'why' behind the training.

I want to recognize the outstanding work completed by all of the kids in the programme. Their attitude, effort, and willingness to learn over this period have been superb, and the improvement in movement quality across the whole group has been clear to see. They should be very proud of themselves, and you should be too.

Looking forward to Phase 2."