George coaching with Loughborough ahead of Super Rugby season
The former Coleg Llandrillo student has secured a role as a strength and conditioning coach for the university’s men’s rugby team, having also worked with GB Para Powerlifting
Former Coleg Llandrillo student George Watkins is coaching with Loughborough University’s men’s rugby team as they prepare for the new Super Rugby season.
The 19-year-old has secured a season-long role as a strength and conditioning coach through the university’s coach and volunteer academy.
George is about to start the second year of his Sport Science, Coaching and Physical Education degree at Loughborough, having previously studied Level 3 Sport and Exercise Science at Coleg Llandrillo.
In his first year at uni, George amassed more than 100 hours of experience working with elite sports teams - including as a gym assistant with the GB Para Powerlifting squad.
That helped solidify his ambition to work in strength and conditioning - and he is now helping the men’s rugby team prepare for their upcoming campaign in BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) Super Rugby.
“I’ve just started the strength and conditioning role, and I’m loving it,” said George, from Rhos-on-Sea.
“My role is helping the lads develop and recover so they can perform at their best and have a successful season.
“We’re currently in the pre-season block so it’s quite full-on with long days. Once the season starts I’ll be involved on game days, helping with preparation, in-game and then recovery afterwards.”
During his first year at Loughborough, George volunteered as a performance analyst with the rugby team, and as a gym assistant with GB Para Powerlifting - which he described as “a class experience”.
“It has given me a lot of experience and helped me figure out what I want to do,” he said. “Doing the strength and conditioning coaching has proved to me that I enjoy it and that’s what I want to go into. To get this experience this early on has been brilliant.”
While at Coleg Llandrillo, George was a member of the Rugby Academy, meaning he could combine his studies at the Rhos-on-Sea campus with training and playing for North Wales representative side RGC.
“My time at college was really beneficial,” he said. “I went to college unsure what I really wanted to do, but it opened up avenues for me and set me up for the next steps. All the lecturers were pretty ace, and I enjoyed the course.”
“It was also a good set-up in terms of playing rugby. The pathways are there and you get coached to a really high standard.”
Do you want to work in sport, exercise and fitness? Grŵp Llandrillo Menai offers a range of courses from Level 1 up to Degree level. Learn more here. For more about Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s football and rugby academies, click here.