WORCESTER Warriors are on a mission to forge links with more than 1,300 state schools across the region in the hope of inspiring youngsters to become the next Ted Hill.

Central to Warriors’ new owners’ drive is vastly-experienced PE teacher Bee Bannister who has been tasked to help achieve their goal.

Bannister, 56, has taught at Nunnery Wood High School for more than 25 years and been a selector, coach and team manager at county, divisional and national levels in both under 16 and under 18 age groups.

Having had plenty of experience of dealing with Warriors in the past Bannister said he was determined to address the club’s “poor” relationships with non-fee paying schools.

And with Jed McCrory leading a consortium to take over the running of the club in October Bannister said now was the perfect time to start building partnerships.

“In the first meeting I had with Jed there was an elephant in the room which was the poor community relationships that Worcester Warriors have had with certain types of schools,” Bannister said.

“Obviously they have got good links with RGS (Royal Grammar School Worcester), King’s (School Worcester), Malvern College and Bromsgrove School.

“But there have never been really strong, established links with schools that don’t play a lot of rugby. That accounts for probably 90 per cent of the children that go to school in Worcestershire.

“Having new owners is a time to draw a line under what has gone before and say this is a new approach, let’s wipe the slate clean and admit that we need to do things better.

“Jed and his syndicate have really grasped this big time.”

Teachers and rugby coaches from 50 schools were invited to Warriors’ last home game against Harlequins and Worcester’s owners have now distributed free tickets to 1,600 schoolchildren for tomorrow’s European Challenge Cup clash with Pau at Sixways (3pm).

“We have started to make some real engagement with the non-fee paying schools in the area and people have bought into it,” Bannister continued. “Worcester Warriors cover a very large area so right up to the Shropshire-Cheshire border and down to the Herefordshire-Wales border.

“The plan is to engage with all the schools in that area and that’s over 1,300 schools.

“It’s a long process but it is a process that I consider myself extremely honoured to be involved in. This should have probably happened 20 years ago when rugby first became professional and Warriors became arguably the biggest sporting product in the area.”

Bannister reckoned that Warriors’ efforts to get into more schools would lead to an increase in people going to the Premiership outfit’s games.

“This initiative is not wishing to decry the relationship that the club has with the likes of RGS, Bromsgrove, King’s and Malvern College,” Bannister said.

“All of whom pay a lot of money to use the ground but that’s a very small percentage of schoolchildren in the area.

“Children who generally go to those types of schools end up going to university and don’t come back to the area.

“Whereas the children in a lot of the local high schools they are going to be living in the Worcester area for life.

“They are the people who are going to have another generation bringing through to support not just Worcester rugby club but all sports in Worcester.”

Bannister said McCrory was keen for Warriors’ players to deliver classes to children on nutrition and life as an elite sportsmen.

“I know the RFU are really keen to try to keep children engaged and the best way to do that is to have local role models like Ted Hill,” Bannister said.

“Ted went to Northwick Manor Primary School and The River School which is a non-rugby playing school.

“Through support and work like that there could be a few more Ted Hills out there.

“They just need the opportunity and by seeing these role models for real they might think ‘I can do that one day’.

“Even if they can’t at least they are engaged in a sport and with Worcester Warriors going out to schools it will directly help clubs like Pershore, Upton and Malvern to keep their numbers up because children will be involved.

“If Warriors are going out to schools like Hanley Castle and getting children engaged in rugby then Upton Rugby Club will benefit. That’s the same with Malvern Rugby Club and The Chase and Dyson Perrins and the same with Bromsgrove Rugby Club and South and North Bromsgrove high schools.

“It’s all about offering children the opportunity to be able to have a lifestyle that involves playing rugby at whatever level.”