ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to introduce the content of the youth rugby book. This is achieved by summarising the codes of rugby (union and league), introducing the concept of youth athletic development and its importance for all youths. The chapter then overviews the structure of youth sport and how both participation and talent identification and development pathways are important considerations for rugby organisations and national governing bodies. This includes the challenges the youth rugby player poses, including understanding human development (e.g., growth and maturation) and organisation structures. The content of the book is then introduced with a short and concise summary of each chapter.
