We really appreciate the support from the Taskers Trophy Inter-Club. The funding we receive is hugely important in providing opportunities for young golfers in Leicestershire & Rutland to take part in county golf at an early stage of their development.

We have developed a Pathway Tour for junior golfers of all ages and abilities. It is made up of 6 tournaments held around the county, offering 18 hole, 9 hole, Super Flag 50 and Flag 50 competitions at each event. This gives both handicapped and non-handicapped juniors competitive, county-run golf and helps prepare them for the next stages of their golfing journey. In many cases, the tour has led to the identification of future elite county golfers.

Taskers Trophy Inter-Club funding will support the 2027 Foxes Junior Pathway Tour, a non-profit tour. It will help provide referees, facility costs where applicable, buggy costs, and refreshments for volunteers and officials. The Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union and the Leicestershire & Rutland Ladies County Golf Association cover the balance of the costs.

The funding will also help our junior inter-club league, whose final is held every September. It will allow the final, which involves 4 teams from 4 clubs in the county, to go ahead with two referees, buggy hire, refreshments for volunteers and meals for the juniors on the day.

We expect around 110 girls and boys to benefit, from new players through to county players. Entry to the tour opens in November 2026, the first event is in May 2027 and the final event is in September 2027. The junior league runs from April to August 2027, with its final in mid-September. We will finish the year with a review evening in November 2027 to celebrate each event winner and the Order of Merit winners.

We measure success by the growth in junior participation as members of our clubs, which has risen significantly over the past 3 to 5 years, and by the number of teams in the junior league, which has grown every year since 2022.

Previous Taskers Trophy Inter-Club funding has helped us grow the tour from 4 events in 2020 to 6 events in 2026, plus a special event in October 2026 for golfers who missed out because demand was so high. All spaces for all 6 events in 2026 were taken within 2 hours of going live on launch day.

We are very grateful for the support we receive from the participants, teams and clubs taking part in the Taskers Trophy Inter-Club every year.

More information is on our website: the Junior Tour and the Inter-club League.

Jeremy Osborne - Leicestershire & Rutland Golf Union