Union commercial manager Mike Kerr said the programme had been started so promising schoolboy players around the province could be given a targeted training programme by the union, and hopefully go on to make senior Otago sides.
"If this programme was around when Richie McCaw was coming through then we wouldn't see him today playing for Canterbury," Kerr said.
The new programme had accepted eight players in its initial intake, and would target boys in the 16-18 age group.
They are: Josh Dickson (Mt Aspiring College), Troy Callander (Otago Boys' High School), Brodie Hume (Otago Boys' High School), Kyle Harris (Dunstan High School), Sean Conner (Dunstan High School), Josh Renton (Otago Boys' High School), Tyron Pelasio (Kings High School) and Michael Collins (Otago Boys' High School).
The players would have training camps through the summer, be given a gym programme and individual coaching.
Kerr said the union was not handing out cash to young players, it was investing in the players through coaching and helping out their families.
"We want to get to that stage that when these guys are going to leave school they will not want to go to another province."
He said the union wanted to set up a logical pathway for players from school to junior sides and ultimately the Otago team.
The connection had previously been too loose between union and promising players, and many players had moved to other provinces upon leaving school.
Union player development manager Tim Colling said the union was taking a holistic approach to the players and wanted them to do other things and not concentrate solely on rugby.
With the scheme the union was just catching up with what other provinces were already doing.
Players had to be encouraged into the gym while still at school.
"The reality is if we want to keep up with what other provinces are doing, then this is what we have to do. The ITM Cup is getting younger and younger so these guys have to physically mature at the right age for that," Colling said.
"This is professional sport we are talking about."
Colling said he was realistic that not all the boys accepted into the programme would go on to represent Otago, but it was a good step to help players along in their careers, and be the best they possibly could be.
Some Otago businesses had pledged financial support to the plan. Kerr declined to say how much the programme was costing.
