Under 19s squad announced as next step for Elite Academy application

As we work towards an Elite Academy application for 2027, the Widnes Vikings Under 19s squad has been revealed for 2026.

Head Coach Steve Tyrer and Future Vikings lead Danny Durbin welcomed the squad to the club last week and they enjoyed their first training session alongside the first team on Tuesday night.

The side will train regularly alongside the first team in 2026, providing a pathway for the young players to impress Allan Coleman and work their way up to the professional game.

Tyrer, who made 78 appearances for the Vikings in three separate spells before retiring as a player in 2022, was previously part of Coleman’s backroom staff before switching his attention to the club’s youth development programme.

He said: “It’s been a long time coming. We’ve been wanting to tap in to the talent in the town for a long 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 in to 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 majority of the squad still qualify as Under 18s players, so provides a solid base for two seasons at this level as the club seeks to re-establish its Elite Academy via the RFL’s application process.

As well as training alongside the first team on the pitch at the DCBL Stadium, the Under 19s will have access to the gym and players’ room at the Vikings.

Durbin 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.

“Our goal is to get as many of these guys playing for the first team as we can. We’re here to give them opportunities and to make sure they get the chance to fulfil their potential. Training sometimes with the first team and sometimes on the same pitch, is a unique opportunity in rugby league.

“The plan is to have 10-12 games this year against teams of a similar stature to us, Championship grade teams and a few university games as well. Our vision is to progress these boys and this team to a bit more in the future, and that’s down to everyone at the club as well.”