Knights All Schools Knockout Developing Local Talent From The Grass Roots Up!

Knights All Schools Knockout developing local talent from the grass roots up!

Tomorrow, Tuesday 17th May, will herald the first round of this year's Knights All Schools Knockout, a school based competition which sees 147 primary school teams and 125 high school teams go head to head. The ultimate end goal is to reach the grand finals which will be played at Ausgrid Stadium in July with the winner to represent the Coal & Allied Newcastle Knights at the State knockout in August.
The competition is run by the Newcastle Knights Junior Development Department at various ovals around the Hunter.
The under 12's primary school teams will spend tomorrow battling it out on the field from 9am til 3pm, with the under 10's teams scheduled to take to the field next Tuesday 24th May.
The High School Divisions; under 13's to under 16's, will be played on Wednesday May 18th and Wednesday June 8th. These games will be played across seven different zones with students travelling from all over the Hunter to compete, as well as the Upper Hunter and the North Coast.
"The competition is one of the largest across all of the sporting codes throughout our region, it offers children of all ages the opportunity to experience the game in a fun and friendly environment," said Newcastle Knights Community Manager Matt Lantry.
"The competition is based on the "safe play code", which makes Rugby League one of the safest sports played at a junior level, something that may surprise a few parents who foresee clashes like those on Friday Night Football," Lantry stated.
Over the course of the competition the school based teams will also get a chance to meet some of their home town heros with Kurt Gidley, Adam MacDougall, Joel Edwards and other Newcastle Knights team mates visiting the various sporting grounds to provide some personal tips on how the kids can improve their game.
"Developing and nurturing the talent of our juniors is one of the tasks that we take pride in," said Kurt Gidley, Newcastle Knights Captain.
"We all know what it is to have dreams of playing in the NRL and if spending time with our juniors can inspire them to reach such levels, well that is what it is all about," Gidley stated.



What: Knights All Schools Knockout
When: Tomorrow, Tuesday 17th May - 11.30am til 1.30pm
Who: Kurt Gidley, Josh Ailaomai and Adam MacDougall at Waratah & Lambton Ovals
Dan Tolar, Matt Hilder, Joel Edwards and Chris Houston at Valentine & Windale Ovals