Saracens Group and the Mill Hill School Foundation announce Official Partnership

Saracens Group is delighted to announce a new partnership with The Mill Hill School Foundation as an “Official School Pathway Partner of Saracens”.

This fantastic partnership will start by establishing an official pathway with the Saracens Men’s Academy at Mill Hill School; providing a clear pathway to develop talented young rugby players within the school, with aspirations to play for the Saracens Men’s team.

It will then progress to maximising opportunities for pathways for female athletes who can progress into the Saracens Women’s rugby setup and Saracens Mavericks netball squads.

Saracens has a strong ‘build from within’ mentality and the partnership will allow us to invest even more time in young people who have huge potential and drive. Equally important are the shared values of Saracens and Mill Hill School; an aspiration to build caring, determined, hardworking, passionate, and well-rounded individuals. This partnership offers an opportunity for academy players to play together throughout school years to build the foundation for future professional rugby and netball careers. At Saracens, it is as important to us to develop our players off the pitch, as well as on it, and education forms an important part of this. The world-class education provided by Mill Hill School will give our academy players a great opportunity to learn and develop.

Means tested bursaries and scholarships will be made available to families to ensure this opportunity is open to the most talented applicants.

The Official School Pathway partnership will also see both Saracens and Mill Hill Schools commit to the sharing and utilisation of each other’s training facilities. With the Saracens world-class 5G pitch, alongside Mill Hill School’s capacity for boarding and extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities which includes a fully equipped fitness centre, the partnership provides opportunities for school and academy teams across both Men’s & Women’s rugby and Women’s netball, plus community sports camps and residential offerings.

Phil Morrow, Saracens Group General Manager said “We are extremely excited by this new partnership with Mill Hill School. Our pathways have provided a crucial part of the success in previous years, and we are always looking to bring through the next group of Saracens players. At the club we believe in developing not just great rugby players but also great people, which is hugely important, so I have no doubt that this partnership will allow us to do exactly that.”

The pathway programme will be headed up by Chris Bajak, a dual-appointed Head of Performance Rugby for both Mill Hill School and Saracens, focused on building the Mill Hill rugby team, providing continuity in coaching philosophy, and ultimately signposting key players for the Saracens Academy programme. Chris will be supported by Aaron Liffchak, a former Saracens player, and the Director of Sport & Director of Rugby at Mill Hill School.

“I am very excited to work for two forward thinking and ambitious organisations. Saracens Academy has been developing some of the best rugby talent in the country for many years, and Mill Hill School has traditionally nurtured the brightest minds in the classroom and on the sports field.” Chris Bajak, Head of Performance Rugby, Saracens Group and The Mill Hill School Foundation.

“Working alongside Saracens, one of Europe’s most successful rugby clubs, will inspire and excite the communities across all our Schools. Saracens have a proven track record of developing players from grassroots to an elite level from the UK and across the world, and I am delighted that we have partnered with such a renowned club. This exclusive partnership ensures our pupils will receive the highest level of support whilst bolstering the already highly skilled Sports Department.  We are incredibly proud of the portfolio of links and partnerships we have developed with professional clubs across many of our core sports, including Middlesex Cricket, Southgate Hockey Club, London Irish Rugby Club, and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. We continue to drive innovation and collaboration in all that we do, and the partnership with Saracens makes certain this remains central to our practice” Aaron Liffchak, Director of Sport & Rugby, Mill Hill School. 

The ultimate aim of the partnership is to encourage sharing of philosophies, coaching expertise and community outreach to develop North London sporting talent and ensure all emerging athletes are well supported, encouraged and nurtured.

Saracens Group and The Mill Hill School Foundation are both key stakeholders in the Borough of Barnet and the partnership will also allow us to share best practice on key issues such as sustainability and how we can both maximise our positive social impact on the wider Barnet community.