Several years ago, KKP researched, planned and negotiated £8million Lottery support for Rugby's innovative, visionary £20million World Class Plan which mapped the current configuration of elite rugby. A key recommendation was the creation of RFU England academies. These are structured to produce players to feed into and form future England senior squads and win the Rugby World Cup.

RFU England academies were designed to maximise the development of players with the requisite technical, tactical, physical and mental attributes to play for England at senior level. Current England players that have come through the Academy system include Danny Cipriani, James Haskell and Matthew Tait

They are part of a wider process of identifying young players and enable talented players to focus on training to improve personal performance (within professional club environments) whilst at the same time maintaining other academic studies or vocational training. The ultimate goal is, of course, to prepare them to compete for places in England teams.

Following its involvement in planning and securing resources, KKP was retained to turn the vision into reality. Academies were established in partnership with Premiership Rugby clubs. Each was designed to offer a complete range of coaching, technical facilities and equipment, sports science, sports medicine and lifestyle management as well as relevant opportunities to compete - at the right level to suit each player's personal rugby development.

KKP developed the job evaluation and person specifications and managed the international recruitment process for RFU England academy management staff. This incorporated national and international advertising, executive search and the conduct of informal and formal interviews with candidates from all over the World, as well as KKP's own extensive UK networks. We managed candidate evaluation, short-listing, interview panel formation at each club, in situ formal interviews and the initial stages of negotiation in relation to the terms and conditions for each appointment.

KKP was subsequently appointed to evaluate the rollout and implementation of the process - over for the first three years of Academy operation.

Following this, we were commissioned to manage the advertising, executive search and formal recruitment process for the post of Head of Development; the manager of the community game.