St Helens Academy Australia Tour 2026

St.Helens R.F.C.’s Under 18s Academy will depart for Australia in the winter of 2026 for a three-week development tour, our Club’s first since 2019 – and they need your support!

The 2026 Academy Saints will become the ninth group of our young players to tour Australia since our initial trip to the southern hemisphere back in 2004, with the same purpose now as it was twenty years ago: to develop more young players to become stars of the future of St.Helens.

Over the years these tours have helped the Club bring on the likes of; Jonny Lomax, Tommy Makinson, Mark Percival, Morgan Knowles, Matty Lees, Jack Welsby, and Lewis Dodd to name just a few of the current senior Saints players who have been proud Saints Academy Tourists.

Many of our tourists have gone on to be part of successful, silverware-winning teams here at St.Helens, and represent their country too with international honours.

Why is the 2026 Australia Saints Academy Tour so important?

Our Under 18s will get the chance to train and live like full-time professional athletes while on tour, working in top-class facilities with our staff; who will get far more time to work with them, educate and develop them not just as players but as young men off the field too.

The tour will see our Saints Academy take on three competitive fixtures against NRL clubs, culminating with a big clash against Penrith Panthers in the final game, as has become a tradition on our tours.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these youngsters to enjoy the country of Australia and all its culture, and our Saints will get to build bonds as teammates that they will hold on to and look back on fondly, forever.

Why should you donate?

To travel across to the other side of the world a party of over 30 people with accompanying staff requires significant investment and fundraising to make it happen.

However, if you look through the success stories of the Saints Academy Tourists, and the careers that those men who have gone on to become First Team players, all of them believe that the Saints Academy Australia Tour played a huge role in their development.

The tours of the past have been successful thanks to the phenomenal support from our community. Your support for this upcoming tour will help our Club create the future stars of St.Helens R.F.C., and any generosity big or small to the campaign is greatly appreciated.

Throughout the fundraising campaign there will be opportunities for supporters to win prizes, these will be drawn at announced periods of time from the online donations received. Prizes will include the likes of: attending an exclusive behind the scenes First Team captain’s run session, a signed shirt or a signed ball from the First Team, an exclusive tour on a matchday, plus more to be announced as the campaign rolls on.