Talent System Overview
England Hockey has ambitions to broaden and deepen the talent pool and to do so it is vitally important that we embed a non-linear talent system that creates more opportunities for progression via multiple routes. A fluid system that places the player at the heart is fundamental by recognising that talent develops at different rates and each individual journey is unique. England Hockey are therefore pleased to communicate information regarding the nomination process for players into Talent Academies moving forwards that aligns to this ambition.
Nomination Process
The nomination process is a 3-step automated process that will enable nominated players to access open assessment events within the Talent Academy catchment area that they reside in. This process aligns with the Talent Academy Player Identification & Selection Guidance which you can find within the supporting documents section on this page.
Step 1 – Talent Academy Open Assessment Events
During an annual cycle each Talent Academy will add details of upcoming open assessment events via a separate form which populates a map. This map outlining Talent Academy identification events can be found within the external links section of this page.
Open assessment events are not to clash with centralised calendar dates.
Step 2 – Coach Nomination
As with previous nomination processes, players need to be nominated by a coach / teacher from a school, club and or county hockey environment to attend an open assessment event. Coaches can nominate players by submitting the following form which takes approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
Please click here to open up the coach nomination form. The coach nomination window closes on the 01 May.
Please note Talent Academies are intended for high potential players who will be entering school years 10, 11, 12 and 13 at the start of the following annual cycle. Nominations are submitted with the understanding a player is being put forward, where successful, to join the Talent Academy squad for the following annual cycle. (Only in exceptional circumstances or where space allows will players identified access provision in the current annual cycle).
Following a player being nominated, they will be automatically informed of their nomination and will receive an email inviting them to select an open assessment event. Primarily this will be an event located within the Talent Academy catchment area that their club resides in (if you are unsure of which catchment area you reside in, please refer to the Talent Academy Club Mapping resource within the external links section). If for geographical, logistical or personal circumstances a nominated player would like to attend an open assessment event in a different catchment area the player or parent are encouraged to contact talentacademy@englandhockey.co.uk to discuss.
Once an open assessment event has been selected, this information will be provided to each Talent Academy to confirm which people have signed up to an open assessment event. From here Talent Academies will contact players who shall be attending regarding specific details for each open assessment event.
At each step of the way coaches and players receive confirmation regarding the information they have submitted.
England Hockey recognise selection can be a challenging experience for some young players. Therefore, please see the attached resource by the University of Alberta, Canada, which offers some useful tips to coaches, players and parents to help ease the pain and promote positive athlete development.
Moreover, to find out more about the Talent Academies Player Identification and Selection Guidelines, please visit the supporting document in the information section or alternatively you can contact talentacademy@englandhockey.co.uk
