The Boys & Girls Talent Academy (‘TA’) squads for 2023/24 have been training every week at Coombe Dingle following their selection in the Autumn; this will continue until the end of the Summer Term. The selected players will also attend a series of training camps and matches against other TAs before a smaller squad of 18 is selected for the end of cycle TA Festival Competition in Nottingham, held over 3 days at the end of July.

WUE HC Representatives:

• Girls: Nina Blackburn & Jocelyn Reynard

• Boys: Fergal Brewer, Charlie Emms, Gavin Patterson, Matt Pullin & Ted Wallace

Those players already part of National Squads will join up with TA training as directed by their National Programmes: Scott Patterson (Scotland u18) & Isaac Edwards (England u16)

Charlie & Scott also had the honour of being named/elected co-captains of the Boys squad by their peers and coaches, while Jos was named co-captain of the girls team - great news for our clubmates!

In addition, Charlie is Bristol’s TA rep on the England Hockey ‘Player Voice’ panel and has already taken part in online meetings with EH Leadership & fellow TA attendees from around the country to provide player feedback on the revised structure.

Congrats to all these players for their achievement and for representing the club so well in the wider hockey environment!

What is a Talent Academy? (from England Hockey)

“Talent Academies are intended for the highest potential 15 – 18-year-old players outside of NAGS (National Age Group Squads)

There are multiple opportunities most weeks for high-quality coaching and training through a combination of dedicated sessions and integration with other activities delivered by the host.
Every Talent Academy has a squad of players selected through a robust process based on the England Hockey Player Profile.

It is an environment that provides high-quality coaching across 40-44 weeks of the year with individual player support through player profiling, individual development plans & regular coach feedback whilst bringing together athletes from different clubs, school and junior county hockey to develop personal and athletic relationships fostering a healthy squad culture.”

You can find more about England Hockey’s Revised Talent System (replacing the old Player Pathway) by clicking here: https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/play/talent-system#:~:text=The%20Talent%20System%20offers%20a,journey%20of%20a%20young%20person.

And more on University of Bristol’s TA offering here: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/sport/performance/talent-academy/