A new study, recently conducted by Prem Rugby has found that Saracens have put their faith in homegrown talent more than any other club in the 10-year period analysed by the study.
Player Development Project
Twelve percent of the 3,127 academy players (366) assessed as part of the Player Development Project, through centrally held registrations between 2012-2022, achieved their dream of playing in English club rugby’s top division, and the vast majority were English qualified (94%).
England Academy Player Conversion
The England Academy Player (EAP) conversion Rate varied quite significantly from club to club. Top of the table were Saracens, whose conversion rate was 45.2%. One such player is Ben Earl, who has played for England 51 times and is now a mainstay for the England team.
Sale Sharks were a close second, with around 42% and surprisingly London Irish, who went out of business at the end of the 2022/23 season and whose players are scattered all over the PREM, came in third. Saracens’ academy is also the most ethnically diverse, with 29.5% of their academy population in 2025 made up of non-white players.
Gloucester Top in Class
The study also showed that Gloucester are topped the Net Contribution to PREM Rugby (effectiveness), when it comes to producing academy players who’ve gone on to play PREM Rugby, either at Kingsholm or further afield, with just under 14%. Saracens fared well in this table as well, coming second with around 10% and Leicester Tigers in third.
The report also covers the success of the academy system in terms of developing talent for the England senior men’s national team. Of the 90 players capped between 2016 and 2024, 87% (78 players) came through a PREM academy. Eight came from other countries and three came from Sevens or Rugby League.
Other findings in the study show that the percentage of state school academy players is trending upwards. This has been helped by the nationwide success of schools like Northampton School for Boys and Beechen Cliff in Bath. This has also been helped by a total of £95.2m invested by the RFU and PREM Rugby into the academy system between 2016 and 2024.
