WIDNES VIKINGS have revealed their intention to apply for an Elite Academy for the 2027 season.
The Vikings terminated their previous Academy set-up, which brought through numerous players to feature for Widnes and other Super League clubs, in December 2020 as a result of the turbulent two years following relegation and a period in administration.
But they are now on the journey back to re-establishing a pathway and have launched an Under 19 team for 2026, coached by former St Helens centre Steve Tyrer.
He had three separate spells with his hometown club Widnes during his playing career, also representing Halifax and Salford.
He said: “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been wanting to tap into the talent in the town for a long time and it’s finally coming together.
“We’ve already got two lads training with the first team on a trial basis, and it shows there’s a genuine pathway for them.
“This club has been built on really good local talent and we’re hoping to dig into that.
“Every lad in the first team now has come through a system, and Widnes don’t have one now, so we have to put one back in to this town.
“If this is the start, hopefully in a few years there’ll be lads who’ve come through playing every week for the first team and that’s what we want.”
The Under 19 side will play up to twelve fixtures against Championship stature and university teams, sharing the facilities at the DCBL Stadium with the Widnes first team.
A 25-man squad was announced and met and trained for the first time last week. It includes seven players from local community club Halton Farnworth Hornets and four from West Bank Bears.
Danny Durbin, Future Vikings lead at the club, added: “Widnes is a place that’s full of talent in general, and I think some of the boys are already catching the eye of the first team coaches and that’s the goal really.
“We have done a lot of work behind the scenes putting an Elite Academy application together, that’s all submitted and it’s all very good and very positive, so we’ll see where we go from here. This is our next step along that path.”
Meanwhile the Vikings will take on local rivals Warrington in a pre-season match at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday, January 9 (7.30pm).