Hampshire PP announces exciting new programme

Why is the HPC needed?

With the disbanding of EH run Performance Centres and the roll out of the new Talent Academy format, the lack of opportunities for further development for players beyond AC (County hockey) did not sit well with the members of the Hampshire Player Pathway committee. So, over the last few months we have been brainstorming to see what we can do to fill this gap in the current player development model.

(HPC 13-15) Our primary concern is that talented athletes aged 13-15 currently have no further development opportunities beyond AC. This means that arguably one of the most important age brackets in an athlete’s development is being overlooked.

It is essential that this is addressed and as a county we feel it is our responsibility to make sure we offer an environment that helps to fill this gap between AC and TA, not just to offer further opportunity for development but also to help ease the transition between AC and a TA when the athletes finally reach an age when they are eligible for TA nomination. 

(HPC 15-18) This is the TA age bracket and with only 25 places per gender available at each TA, many players will potentially miss out on further development beyond AC. The older HPC bracket will not only offer an opportunity for further development for the athletes, but can also be used to further aid in talent identification for potential TA transition for future cycles.

The HPC will also offer an opportunity for the standout players from each AC squad to come together in an environment where the coaches can offer the stretch that they need to continue with their hockey development, stretch they may not find by returning to DC once the AC cycle finishes in May. It also frees up space in the current DC centres for new athletes that may have missed out in the past due to limited spaces.

How will the HPC run?

As a programme, the HPC will look to fulfil the tier of development beyond AC currently missing, offering high quality training and match play across the summer months between the end of the AC cycle and the August summer holidays. Players eligible for the program will be selected by coaches of current AC squads and fill the below brackets.

• ACU13 & ACU14 = HPC U15 Squad
• ACU15, ACU16 & ACU17 = HPC U18 Squad 

Each squad will consist of 16-20 players including 2-4 goalkeepers.

Players nominated by their AC coaches will then be eligible to take part in the Hampshire PC that will run alongside DC, meaning the players nominated will not need to attend the DC cycle and will automatically be granted an AC assessment invitation for the following cycle at the end of the HPC program. Please note that this is not an automatic place in the AC squad - they will need to be assessed along with the other players nominated from the DC cycle.

There will be no assessments for the HPC. In effect, the entire AC cycle serves as an assessment process to gain an opportunity to join the programme, as current AC cycle lead coaches will nominate players from their squads to participate in the program once the AC comes to an end in May. 

The HDC will run weekly for 6 weeks consisting of training sessions followed by a match day. Sessions will be led by lead AC coaches within the HHPP set up. 

We are the first county in England to pilot a program like this, putting us at the forefront of player development in the country. What we are hoping is that we lead by example and other counties adopt similar programmes to enable us to create a tier of development and competition between the current AC program and TA.