England Hockey is excited to be inviting Open Nominations for England Age Group assessment days, open to club, school and county players who have not been involved in Talent Academy activity during the 2025-26 season.
The process for nominating players to Open Assessments will be as follows:-
· England Hockey invites nominations from Club, School and County coaches
· England Hockey will review the nominations, ensuring players meet the criteria and nominations have been made by coaches connected to the environment from which players are being nominated.
· After review England Hockey will invite selected players to attend 2 x assessment days
The Talent System’s ambition is to put the player at the heart of everything England Hockey does and understands that there is no one size fits all approach. The Talent System needs to embrace many routes and opportunities for players to shine, and to be robustly observed and assessed by multiple eyes on multiple occasions.
The Talent Academy programme and Cup has and will provide a comprehensive opportunity for Talent Academy players to be observed over multiple days by multiple eyes.
Players who have not been members of a Talent Academy in 2025-26 may therefore be put forward for an evidence-based Open Nomination by a coach from an England Hockey affiliated club, school or county coach. However, we do encourage coaches to consider whether a player who has been observed at a Talent Academy open assessment during this cycle and has not progressed, is appropriate to nominate.
The nomination process is to be completed by the coaches who work in or are contracted to coach in the environment from which the player is being nominated. A link to the online form can be seen in the Nominations Guidance Document for Coaches. Coaches should carefully read the Nominations Guidance Document for Coaches before nominating a player to ensure that only players who meet the criteria are nominated.
After review, players taken forward from Open Nominations will be invited to attend Open Assessment Days on 29 May at Lilleshall National Sports Centre and 23 July at Nottingham Hockey Centre. Players will be expected to be available for both training days. Players will receive direct communication via the Player & Parent email addresses provided by the nominating coach once the nomination window has closed.
Please ensure a nomination is only made and contact details provided where consent has been provided by the parent / guardian for England Hockey to pursue the nomination and to make contact where appropriate.
Age of Birth Gender Date Time Location
2012, 2011,
2010, 2009 Boys & Girls 29 May 10:00-17:00 Lilleshall National Sports Centre
2012, 2011,
2010, 2009 Boys & Girls 23 July 10:00-17:00 Nottingham Hockey Centre
The nomination form will open from 13 April 2026.
The nomination window will close at 22:00hrs on Monday 4 May 2026. A panel will consider nominations before communicating to invited players no later than Thursday 7 May 2026. In the case of an appeal, please refer to the England Age Group Selection Policy document which can be found .
Through the training sessions on the open assessment dates, coaches will have the opportunity to observe players and understand their individual profile further, in line with the technical, tactical, mental, team ship and physical qualities.
The invitation letter being sent will provide further information on what players can expect to undertake on the assessment dates.
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Invited players who progress will be taken forward for further observations and assessment alongside players selected from Talent Academies, DiSE programme and selected players from previous England Age Group programmes.
Please be aware that players may not be taken forward for all assessment dates; decisions will be at the discretion of the programme Head Coach and the England Hockey Junior Talent Development Manager. Full information will be shared through a call up letter sent out to those players who successfully progress from the initial assessment dates.
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Onward Selection
The Talent Academy Cup will be the primary route for players involved in Talent Academy activity to be considered for England Age Group further observation and assessment.
Coupled with their future potential, TA players should be aware the insight provided by their TA coaches to England Age Group selectors will take into account a player’s
performance, character and application across the full TA cycle. England Age Group selectors have also been actively attending Talent Academies and engaging in discussions with coaches around players.
This information will be used in conjunction with performances at the Talent Academy Cup to determine which players will be nominated for further observation for England Age Group activity.
Goal Keepers will undertake a GK specific sessions within the TA Cup
Unavailability and Injury
Any player who is unable to attend the Talent Academy Cup due to injury or illness may be nominated for further observation and assessment by their Talent Academy coach. Players not selected for the Talent Academy Cup might also, in a few cases, be put forward for a nomination; this might be due to the age profile of squads in one or two locations. It will be at the discretion of the academy coaching team (final decision resting with the Talent Academy Head Coach) to determine if a player should be considered for such an opportunity based on their experiences of said player(s) during the full cycle. It will be up to the Talent Academy Head Coaches to advise of nomination cases when squads are submitted.
Players should note, there is no guarantee of being nominated by their coach unless they consistently demonstrate the required level of performance and future potential throughout the Talent Academy cycle.
Any Talent Academy player who is unable to attend the Talent Academy Cup due to injury or illness will have their case reviewed on an individual basis, led by the England Hockey Junior Talent Development Manager, supported by Talent Academy Head Coaches. It will be up to the Talent Academy Head Coaches to advise of injury cases when squads are submitted.
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Q: How will I know if I have been nominated and can attend the open assessment dates?
A: Only players taken forward for open assessment days will receive a call up letter from England Hockey. This will not be broadcast through any formal announcements.
Q: Can a player be nominated multiple times by different people?
A: Yes, a player may be nominated by their club and school. We wouldn’t expect multiple nominations from the same environment e.g. two separate nominations from coaches at the same school or two coaches from the same club.
Q: What format will the assessment days take?
A: Hockey is a fast past and dynamic invasion game. Over the two training days players can expect to undertake a variety of sessions, providing coaches with insight into a player’s technical, tactical, mental and teamship and physical qualities. Further information can be accessed via the Talent System Framework
Q: Who can nominate players for the England Age Group open assessment days?
A: Any coach who feels they are working with a high potential player or players in their England Hockey affiliated club, school or county environment, who meet the age criteria, may consider nominating players through the nomination channels. The nominating coaches must be working or be contracted in the environment from which the player is being nominated.
Q: Can a parent, guardian or relation nominate a player?
A: No, we are seeking nominations from coaches only; please refer to the nomination process for further information. In the case whereby as a relative, you are also the primary hockey coach of the player, we ask you to contact the England Hockey Junior Talent Development Manager before making a nomination.
Q: What if I (coach) miss the deadline for nominations?
A: We will not accept nominations after the deadline.
Q: Is there a cost to send my child to the assessment days?
A: Yes, the cost for each player to attend is £80.00 covering the two open assessment training days. There is no pro-rata payment option and payment must be paid in full, in advance of the trials. Details will be shared in the invitation letter to be sent out. Cost should not be a barrier to attending the dates. Information will include channels of communication to follow should this cost prove to be a barrier to a player being able to attend the training days.
Q: What if I am invited to the assessment training days but can’t attend due to other commitments?
A: If you receive an invitation, the information provided will clearly state channels of communication for you to follow. All individual circumstances will be managed on a case-by-case basis.
Q: Will players who attend the training days be provided with feedback?
A: Players will receive feedback through the coaching on the day. This may be group-based information and sometimes an individual intervention. Players shouldn’t expect to receive formal written feedback after the two training days. Players should
adopt reflective practice, and time will be provided during the training days to allow for this.
Q: Are parents able to watch the training days?
A: Parents will be able to observe the training days as far as facilities allow. We ask anyone watching to respect the protocols of the facilities being used e.g. dogs are unlikely to be allowed at the venues.
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Should you have any queries relating to the information in this document, an email can be sent to Helen Hornsby: helen.hornsby@englandhockey.co.uk
