Hampshire Development Centre

The logo for the hampshire hockey development centre

Hampshire DC (Development Centre)

Welcome to the Hampshire DC (Hampshire Development Centre) pages of the Hampshire Hockey Association. The Hampshire DC is the first step on the Hampshire Player Pathway after club and school hockey.


The DC is for committed and enthusiastic players who want to take their hockey to the next level. It is not for beginners. Players nominated by their club or school to the HDC, should have a better than average grasp of the core skills.

The training consists of 5 sessions (field players) followed by a match day where we'll play some inter-centre championship matches. GKs have 4  specialist GK sessions and then join the field players in their preferred centre for their last training session. At the match days, GKs will rotate between the various goals, supported by the GK coaches.


Following the DC, coaches will select those players who are ready, for the Hampshire AC (Academy Centre - Hampshire County) assessments.


We do not provide written feedback for players after the DC. The reasons for this are explained here. The best feedback is given on the pitch and in the moment, and players are encouraged to attend the DC with the right mindset and motivated to improve and develop. 


Hampshire is proud to have a team of great coaches and we use the DC sessions to further develop existing and new coaching talent. Each DC centre is led by experienced coaches, min. qualified to Level 2, and our coach development programme and activities engaging with the Hampshire clubs, ensure we continue to deliver the best coaching experience for young Hampshire hockey players.   

Quick DC Facts

  • All players* need to do DC to be considered for the AC Assessment. This includes current AC players, unless they are nominated for, and take part in, the Hampshire PC.
    *) An exception can be made for players who are eligible for U17 DC. Please see our     U17 AC Assessment page for more info.
  • The cost of the 2026 DC is £115 - see how to pay here
  • Missing sessions can sometimes not be helped. Players are NEVER penalised for missing sessions but it may affect the coach's assessment if he or she doesn't see enough of the player. More details...
  • If you see the message 'This player has not been nominated by a club or school', please contact your club or school as it could be that the name was spelled differently, or a mistake was made in the DoB.

Age groups for the 2026 Hampshire DC

Age groups for all Hampshire Player Pathway activity is run along academic years, not year of birth as in the recent past. This is in line with school and club hockey, and means that for the 2026-27 county cycle, players qualify as follows:


U13 - born on or between 01 Sep 2013 - 31 August 2014

U14 - born on or between 01 Sep 2012 - 31 August 2013

U15 - born on or between 01 Sep 2011 - 31 August 2012

U16 - born on or between 01 Sep 2010 - 31 August 2011

U17 - born on or between 01 Sep 2009 - 31 August 2010


UNDERAGE PLAYERS

We do not recommend that clubs and schools nominate players who are a year too young, unless their hockey skills are exceptionally well developed.

It’s also important to consider how a year-young player may feel in a higher performance environment alongside older (U13 & U14) players. While some will thrive — particularly those with strong confidence — others can find the step up challenging, and we have seen occasions where confidence is adversely affected rather than supported.


Under our updated process, any year-young player must be seen and assessed by the Hampshire Performance Director at the U11 Game Changers programme before they can be considered for a place in the Development Centre (DC).

Clubs may still nominate these players, and parents should complete the registration as normal. However, applications will not be processed until the player has been assessed through Game Changers.


If, following assessment, the player is deemed ready for the DC environment, a place will be offered subject to availability.

As always, please do not make any payment until a formal invitation has been received by email.


GOALKEEPERS

We have had too many young goalkeepers show up at the sessions that are simply NOT ready for the DC but, unlike field players, there is no Game Changers assessment route for goalkeepers.

Any year-young goalkeeper will instead be assessed by our Goalkeeping Lead Coach prior to the start of the DC programme.


Applications for year-young goalkeepers will be processed in the normal way. However, please do not make any payment until after the assessment session has taken place.

If, following assessment, the goalkeeper is deemed ready for the DC environment, a place will be confirmed.

Format and dates of the 2026 Hampshire DC


There will be 5 training dates and 1 competition date for each age group/gender. The goalkeepers will have the same hours of contact but spread over 4 GK specialist training dates, 1 where they join the field players and 1 competition date.

The dates for the Hampshire DC are shown on the centre pages. Although all facilities have now been booked, registration numbers may have an effect on venues or dates so, as always, there has to be some flexibility.

A blue hand is pointing up with its index finger.

Regions

We will be running DCs in 3 regions this year: North, South West and South East.

  • The North will use pitches at Down Grange (Basingstoke)
  • The South West will be at Trojans HC
  • The South East will be at HMS Temeraire, Portsmouth
  • The Goalkeepers will be at TBC
  • All match dates will be held at Down Grange, Basingstoke (pending pitch confirmation).


Dates, venues and exact timings of sessions are subject to change.


Match Dates

Details will available once we have had all the entries in.


Centres will have 2 or more squads (depending on numbers) but it is not the intention that the No1 squad is stronger than No2 etc. There will be a good mix of players in each squad and, ideally, a field player should only play in 1 squad on any match day.


At the end of the match day, there will be a winning region, a 2nd placed region and a 3rd placed region for each age group/gender.


Cost of the DC

The cost of the DC is £TBC - payment details can be found on our payment page. Please DO NOT make payment until you have received the formal centre invitation.

REGISTRATIONS FOR THE 2026 DC WILL OPEN IN MARCH 2026

REGISTERING FOR THE DC - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

2026 DC Registrations

Registering on the Pathway Management System for new and returning players

All players need to be nominated by their club or school.

The club/school Junior Prime Contact is the person who provides us with the nominations, and they are also able to 'remove' a player's nomination if they feel that player is no longer of the required standard for DC OR if that player has left the club or school. 


The club/school junior prime contact should let you know if they have removed your son/daughter's nomination, unless you have left the club or school and have moved to another. In that case you can safely assume that your nomination has been removed, and that you need to speak to your new club/school JPC about a nomination for the current cycle.


Once you have been made aware that the club/school nominations have been submitted/updated by the club or school, you can register on the Hampshire Pathway Management System or, if you are a returning player, log-in and re-apply for the DC.


The Hampshire Pathway Management System is designed to be the perfect tool to help us manage, track and administer the players in the Hampshire Player Pathway. It is solely focused on the Hampshire DC (Development Centre) and Hampshire AC (Academy Centre) and Hampshire PC (Performance Centre) activities. It does not link with other counties or with England Hockey.

- New player registration & application for DC

To register your child, parents/guardians need to first create a profile in THEIR OWN name,

After that is done, you can add your child/children as players to that profile.

This way there is only 1 parent/guardian log-in, even if you have more than 1 child on the system. Please note: a child on the system can only have 1 parent, but you can add an additional email address in your parent profile to ensure emails are received by both parents for example.


If you are adding a second child (or third etc.), simply log into your profile on the system and click on the green bar titled: "Add Your Child as a Player"


Creating a new player profile while the DC Application window is open, is an automatic application for DC - you do not need to do anything else to apply.

If you hit any problems, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we'll get straight on it!

To find out how the registration process works and what to expect, please see the FAQs at the bottom of the page.


When you are ready to register for the first time (or add a new player to an existing parent profile), follow the link below to visit the Hampshire Pathway Management System

NEW PLAYER - Register on the system.

 - Returning players application for DC

As mentioned above, a nomination needs to exist on the system even for returning players. When you log into the system, at the top of the player's panel just below the green 'Apply for Development Centre' button, you will see a message if no nomination exists.


PLEASE NOTE: If the system has not been able to match your child's name to a nomination because his/her name is not spelled exactly the same, or there is a discrepancy with the DoB, you will also see this message, so please go back to your club or school JPC and compare the details they hold for your child with what is on the system.

A screenshot of a website that says change details general information log out

If you don't see the message as shown above, you are good to go. Please follow the link below to continue...

RETURNING PLAYER - How to apply for a place

Understanding the registration / application process.

For an illustrated guide on how the whole process works and what to look out for, visit "The DC registration process" page

DC FAQs

  • Who can be nominated for the Hampshire DC

    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. 

  • What age group is my son or daughter for the Hampshire DC?

    For the 2026 DC, the age groups are as follows:


    U13 - born on or between 01 Sep 2013 - 31 August 2014

    U14 - born on or between 01 Sep 2012 - 31 August 2013

    U15 - born on or between 01 Sep 2011 - 31 August 2012

    U16 - born on or between 01 Sep 2010 - 31 August 2011

    U17 - born on or between 01 Sep 2009 - 31 August 2010

  • U12 (year young) players

    New for 2026 is  that we no longer accept nominations from clubs or schools for U12 players, unless these players have attended Game Changers and the nomination is supported by the Hamsphire Coaching team.

  • How does the Hampshire DC registration process work?

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

  • When are the Hampshire AC assessments?

    TBC

  • What happens at the end of the Hampshire DC?

    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.

  • Do all players return to the Hampshire DC every year?

    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. 

  • What do players wear to the DC sessions?

    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.

  • My son/daughter can't do all the Hampshire DC dates, does that matter?

    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.

  • I think I may have missed an email.

    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.

  • Have I paid for the Hampshire DC? & Payment status incorrect

    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.

  • Where do I find the registration form/consent form to print for the Hampshire DC?

    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.

  • U17 DC is optional for AC hopefuls

    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.