Hampshire Development Centre

The DC is not for beginners, it is an opportunity for talented and enthusiastic players to further develop their skills. The training environment will be fast-paced and rigorous and is likely to discourage a player who is not already at a certain standard and ability. We have asked clubs and schools to only nominate players who they feel are ready.

For the same reasons, players can only participate in their respective age groups and we do not accept players who are a year too young for the U13 age group, unless their nomination is accompanied by a letter from their club's coach (min. L2) supporting the application. 

For the 2025 DC, the age groups are as follows:

U13 - born on or between 01 Sep 2012 - 31 August 2013

U14 - born on or between 01 Sep 2011 - 31 August 2012

U15 - born on or between 01 Sep 2010 - 31 August 2011

U16 - born on or between 01 Sep 2009 - 31 August 2010

U17 - born on or between 01 Sep 2008 - 31 August 2009

We do not, as a rule, accept year young (U12) players in the U13 DC, unless the club coach (min L2) identifies a player as exceptional. 

We are acutely aware that, however good a young player is, they can come up against some very grown U14s and that can be unsettling.

If a club does nominate an U12 player, that player will not be offered a place in their chosen centre until around 2 weeks before the start of the DC, and then only if spaces are available in that centre. 

Clubs are asked to make parents aware of this when they make their nominations.

We are not fans of clubs and schools nominating players that are a year too young for the DC but on occasion it can happen that a player is particularly advanced for their age, and if a (min L2) club coach decides the player is ready, we will accept the nomination.

However, we will not allocate a space to an underage player straightaway. We will only do this from about 2 weeks before the sessions start and then only if spaces are available. We will be in touch to let you know the outcome.

For a full, illustrated guide on the registration process for both new and returning players, please visit our DC Registration How-to page

TBC

After the DC, the coaches will nominate players for the Academy Centre (AC or County) assessments. 

This doesn't mean the player has been selected for the AC, but that he/she has been invited to the AC assessments. The best players from all the DC centres will come together and the AC coaches will select a squad of 22-24 field players and 2-3 GKs for each AC age group.

To be nominated for the AC assessments a player MUST attend the DC first. 

Once arranged, the AC dates can be found on our AC Pages.

All players, except those nominated for the Hampshire PC will need to return to the DC if they want to be considered for the next AC cycle. There are exceptions for U17 players. See here for more detail

No exception can be made for current AC players who can't do the following year's DC as a result of other commitments. 

Players will be given a unique numbered playing shirt at the start of the first session and that will need to be worn at every session. Other than that, just plain hockey gear that is comfortable and allows you to perform at your best. 

Please avoid branded kit, specially Hampshire AC kit.

No, although each session will cover certain specific things which will be missed in the event of non-attendance.

Mostly the question we are asked is: "If any sessions are missed, will that affect our chance for being selected for the AC?"

The answer to that is 'maybe'. The coaches do not penalise players who have to miss a session due to other sporting activity or family commitments. However, they can only make a determination about a player based on what they can see at the sessions. 

If in doubt, a player will generally be invited to the AC assessments to make sure we do not accidently miss out on a talented player.

For more information , please read our Player Attendance Policy.

All emails are sent using our bespoke Online Player Registration system. A copy of every email is saved on your personal profile. 

For a guide on how to make sure emails are not routed to your spam or junk folder, and how to access the emails stored on your profile, visit our Emails to Parents page.

The process is as follows:

• You apply
• We assign a centre and send an invitation
• You accept the invitation
• You make a bank transfer
• The treasurer checks the bank and updates the payment status.

As soon as you accept the invitation, the system flags your son or daughter as 'NOT PAID'. This will disappear once the treasurer updates the payments. This can take anything from a few days to fe of weeks so please don't worry about it. 

The administrator will always ask the treasurer to update the system before reminders are sent. If you get a reminder and believe a mistake has been made, just reply to the email with details of the payment so that we can check what went wrong.

The Consent Form, also sometimes referred to as the Registration Form, can be downloaded from the player panel once you're logged into your profile on the Hampshire pathway Management System. 

More details.

Players who, by date of birth, qualify for the U17 DC, and who have done DC in the past, are not obliged to do the DC if they want to be invited to the AC assessments.

To make us aware, your parent/guardian will need to fill in this form on our website.