IT has always been proud of its rugby heritage.

Galashiels Academy can count Scotland’s record cap holder Chris Paterson and current Glasgow Warriors coach Gregor Townsend, another former Scotland captain, among its past pupils.

And now it has secured funding from the SRU to become an official SRU School of Rugby it aims to identify and develop more stars of the future.

The initiative will see the complete restructure of youth rugby in Galashiels, from the Minis all the way through to the Wanderers, with all rugby from S1 to Under 15 now run through the school.

It means that pupils can choose rugby as a curriculum choice from S1 to S6.

Fraser Forrest, Principal Teacher of Health & Wellbeing at Galashiels Academy, told the Border Telegraph: “Change within the town has needed to happen for some time so that we can offer a better rugby experience for every child that wishes to play the game so this is huge.

“It’s not hard to get pupils in Galashiels, or indeed throughout the Borders interested in rugby. People here are passionate about the sport.

“But now we have a fantastic opportunity to build on what we are already doing. So boys and girls across all age groups will receive more quality training sessions.

“To have everyone pulling in the same direction for what is best for each child is essential and with the set up we have planned, we are confident this will be the case.” The project will further strengthen ties between the community and Gala Rugby Club.

Ian Millar, Youth Development Officer for Gala, said: “Going down this route is going to help the guys who really want to concentrate on rugby, to get that extra time during the school day.

“One of the things we’ve found over the years is that with having club rugby and school rugby, a lot of the boys were having to choose. It’s important that we take that pressure away from them.

“There has always been a strong link within the local community for rugby, but this is just a very exciting time, probably one of the biggest things that’s happened in Galashiels for a long, long time.” Funding for the project - part of a larger initiative by the SRU to develop the game at grassroots level - comes as part of the £20 million sponsorship deal the SRU negotiated with BT back in May 2014.

Lewis Bertram, who is Head of Rugby at Galashiels Academy and plays for Gala RFC, said: “Previously, apart from a block at the start of the year, most of the additional training was classed as extracurricular, and confined to after school and lunch times.

“Now, pupils will have more dedicated sessions during term time to focus on their skills, nutrition, conditioning and analysis. It is a big step for us.” Pupils are already looking forward to the additional time they will be able to devote to the game. Tyler Carlton-Smith, a 13-year-old S2 pupil, said: “I love the sport, it’s so much fun. Now I will have time to develop different skills, and I think I have a good chance to improve as a player.” And Aidan Turner, a 17-year-old S6 pupil, added: “It frees up time and should ease some of the workload. I already train with Gala Wanderers twice a week in the evening. But more rugby during term time can only be a benefit to my game.” As well as providing the next generation of talent, it is hoped that the shake-up will boost performance in Scottish School Cup games. For Youth Development Officer Ian Millar, this is another tick in the plus section. “Galashiels Academy have a proud history in the competition, and have won it previously during Gregor Townsend’s time at the school,”  he explained. “But in recent years, they have lost ground to some of the private schools. This gives them a chance to be more competitive in that competition. It raises the bar.” Mr Forrest added: From U15s they are going to progress on to the Gala Red Triangle for under 16s games. From there, they move on to the Wanderers, and then - hopefully - onto Gala RFC. That’s the whole progression, the pathway.

“Those ties are already in place, and now pupils will get extra quality coaching at a key stage of their development to give them every chance to succeed.”