After winning the title by beating Bath last June, Saints have struggled in the league this season and are eighth in the table, winning five of their 11 games so far.
They were knocked out of the Premiership Rugby Cup by Championship side Ealing at the quarter-final stage, but are still involved in the European Champions Cup with a home last-16 tie against French side Clermont coming up next month.
But the success of their academy has seen several players named in Steve Borthwick’s England squad for the Six Nations, the most recent addition being flanker Henry Pollock who in 2022 became the club’s youngest try scorer in the professional era, aged just 17.
“The academy model is hugely important to us and we’ve got a really strong track record of bringing players through that go on to achieve great success, said Chapman, one of two female chief executives in the Premiership, along with Andrea Pinchen of Leicester Tigers.
“There’s huge value in that for the club because we’re in a position to be able to spot the talented players that are coming up, perhaps when they are still at quite an early stage in their career, and you’ve seen this season people being given opportunities they wouldn’t have had if they’d been in the open market trying to go elsewhere.”
Northampton return to action on 21 March with a home East Midlands derby against Leicester.
