RUGBY league in York has received a massive boost with the launch of a £100,000 development scheme.

York City Knights are heading up the community-based initiative, which will make top-class coaching available to all primary school children in and around the city.

Funding for the scheme comes from Sportsmatch, the Government-backed grass roots sports sponsorship body, which has awarded £50,000 to the programme, to match the amount put in by sponsors Guildford Construction, the York building firm which also sponsors the Knights.

It will mean that more than 1,000 pupils aged eight or nine will be exposed to rugby league on a regular basis and this will be a major boost to the Knights' community-driven marketing in York.

Knights commercial director Stephen Green said the Knights were embarking on an intensive community coaching programme, which "demonstrated the club's determination to develop the sport at junior level".

"This will be one of the key ingredients in growing the club and strengthening our ties with the local community," he added.

Australian player Trevor Krause - the Knights' leading try-scorer so far this year - will head up the coaching in a full-time role.

The 30-year-old former policeman is likely to be joined on coaching days by fellow Knights stars, former Great Britain international Lee Jackson among them.

Krause said: "If you've got a good junior level, there's a natural progression that means you get more quality players coming through the city and that can only be good for the club in the long-term.

"A lot of it will be tag rugby for boys and girls at this age level so everyone can enjoy it and the plan is to get that set up and then move on to older kids in high schools for full-contact rugby."

The new scheme will expand on the work already done in schools by junior coaches Tony Gargan and Mike Kilmartin, and, with City of York Council also now employing a rugby league and athletics development officer in Neil Gulliver, it will take development of rugby league in York to a new level.

The three-year programme was launched at Tang Hall Primary School yesterday, with York MP Hugh Bayley in attendance. He said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the pupils who will get top-class rugby coaching.

"Sport is one of the safest and healthiest things young people can do and it needs support like this."

Guildford Construction's managing director, John Guildford, said: "This presents a great opportunity for us to help sport and physical activity at grass roots level and we are sure the coaching programme provided by the Knights will bring considerable enjoyment and benefit to many pupils."

Updated: 11:35 Tuesday, April 29, 2003