THE new Gwent Dragons rugby academy at Nash College will be the first to benefit from the £3m lottery boost for Welsh rugby's national and regional academies.

The money will go to the Welsh Rugby Union from the Sports Council for Wales over the next three years.

The National academy in Bridgend will get £1.5m, both the Gwent and the Swansea/Neath Academy at Llandarcy Park £500,000 each and the academies of the Cardiff Blues and Llanelli Scarlets £500,000 between them.

Announcing the deal, WRU chief executive David Moffett said: "This is another fantastic day for Welsh rugby.

"Only last week we announced that our national academy at Island Farm, Bridgend, had been given the go-ahead for work to start.

"The money now being offered by the Sports Council for Wales from National Lottery Funds will help us set up full blown academy structures for our regional sides in their own areas.

"This is the most radical shake-up of coaching, training, development and facilities Welsh rugby has experienced in over 30 years and heralds a new partnership between the WRU and the Sports Council for Wales.

"It is a genuine partnership and the investment they are prepared to make in the development of Welsh rugby cannot be underestimated.

"We are entering into an incredibly exciting period in Welsh rugby. It's about the future of young players from the age of 12 upwards.

"It is a clear indication of the partnership we are not only looking for with the Sports Council but in the next two months with the WDA, Welsh Tourist Board, the Assembly, Cardiff City Council and the like."

Sports Council for Wales chief executive Huw Jones said: "Lottery funding has transformed the sporting landscape in Wales. We have injected more than £100m into sports projects throughout the country since 1995.

"The WRU and ourselves have always had a vision there should be a national training centre for rugby.

It has been a long time coming, but now a gap in terms of the council assisting Welsh rugby has been filled."

WRU director of rugby Terry Cobner commented: "We now have a transparent Welsh rugby structure which everybody can understand and follow.

"We have our regional teams, semi-professional teams below this and regional academies to devlop the elite young player.

"The academy programme is ready to be rolled out in September in all regions with or without the facilities.

"Within these centres all the elite young players from 12 to the academy starting age of 16 will be developed. "There will be two coaches for each age group team.

The criteria that will be put on entry into the regional academies will be that the coaches believe the players have the ability to play for the regional team within two to three years.

"All we need now is to work like hell to make it all work."

The funding earmarked for the WRU by the Sports Council for Wales still has to be formally applied for by the Union.

Outline plans have received approval, however, and official submissions for Nash is expected to be considered in September.