10. England Hockey - Talent System

The broad purpose of England Hockey's talent system is to produce greater breadth and depth in the talent pool, and this page aims to provide an outline of the new England Hockey Talent Pathway. Also attached is the England Hockey Talent System Framework document. The latter is very long (even longer than this description! This will take less than 10mins to read I promise), so we are not expecting you to read all of the document. However, the best visual England Hockey can give us currently is on page 14 - it clearly shows that the talent system is not linear anymore and the clubs' involvement is seen as an integral part to sustain the enjoyment and development of players so they can enter the talent system at as many points as possible. The document also has some nice talent stories from current GB players which helps understand the various ways they have reached to the elite level (bear in mind that some of these players did not come through the previous system, if at all in one athlete's case).

Out with the old…

The new EH Talent System has opened up the opportunities where talent, at whichever age the young person develops, has access to different training environments that are appropriate for them. As a club we watch our players throughout the season, and season on season we endeavour to help them develop, with the right stretch, and at the right time for them as individuals. With the new Player Development Lead roles we listen to the feedback (formal and informal) that our coaches give to us throughout the season, we observe and lead sessions, then we identify any players who are potentially at a level to consider nominating for the EH Talent System.

The old system’s process used to be…

- school/club would nominate players for county
- county teams would then compete against other counties, and county coaches would nominate to local Performance Centres (Northwood PC)
- from the 16 PCs previously within the country, tournament squads were selected for U15 & U17 Area Futures Cup squads (our East region was known as the Saxon Tigers), where England selectors would watch and select for trial.

This most recent old system was different from my experience 15-20 years ago to reach U16 & U18 England trials. England Hockey continues to try to evolve, and would like to spread its net as wide as it can, recognising and developing as much talent as it can. However the differences between the old system and the new one are that there are a lot more high performance criteria for the Talent Academies (TA) than there were in the previous Performance Centres, and England Hockey is trying to utilise the infrastructures that clubs already have to help supply talent development. This continues to be a work in progress for the TA, England Hockey and clubs, but what we do know is that there is a consistent high performance level expected at TA and a need for physical robustness.

Talent Foundation level includes county, club and school…

Because of this, there is meant to be more transparency for what may be appropriate for each young player. The Talent System is no longer linear as in my bullet points above. County is still part of the picture, and it’s part of the Talent Foundations element of the graph on page 14 of the document attached. Schools and clubs nominate players for County assessment from U12-U15. Then Counties (and Clubs) can nominate players for TA and England Trials. County provides another competitive environment at representative level for U12-U15 players to grow and be exposed to different coaching and players. Nominations for County workshops occur in the Summer term.

There is encouragement for young players to have access to talent development in their clubs no matter whether they attend County or not, this is where the new England Hockey Talent Centre (TC) Accreditation comes in, which requires a club to put a long-term plan in place for the provision for 12-15 year olds and ensure there is a clear pathway for the youth through the club (including transition into adult hockey). An extension of this, is there needs to be a structure is in place to nurture all U18s, so young players can thrive in a club and/or county environment and build sustainable enjoyment in the sport and a place to learn. In their latter teenage years would be the time to consider whether it is the right moment for them to be exposed to the TA performance level.

One of the next steps - Talent Academies…

Those going into Years 10-13 can be nominated for TAs, where all these players train together, treated as a whole squad, not separated by U15 & U17 anymore. With this in mind, when we are making a nomination to TA not only are we considering the consistency of high level performance and potential of a young player for a TA, this is also based on physicality. To put it plainly, a 14 year old would have to be absolutely exceptional for us to consider to nominate to a TA open assessment. It all comes down to right athlete, right time.

Key information is nominations for TA can be made at two points in the year, with deadlines of the 1st May and the 1st November. If a player isn’t nominated at a particular point it definitely doesn’t mean that they will not be considered in the future, just that, based on the knowledge we have, we do not feel now is the right time for them to be nominated. We’ll continue to work with players and coaches to identify talent within the club, and provide the best support we can to enable them to fulfil their potential on and off the pitch.

England trial nominations…

England age groups are also now allowing nominations from clubs/schools, however, if you are already at a TA then you cannot be nominated by club/school. The thought is you will be “picked up” from the TA environment. After a player turns 18, clubs can also nominate players to go to England assessment days, we are aware of this as the club has done this a couple of times in the last two years.

England Hockey’s 5 pillars to Talent Development…

- Recognising talent is about future potential not just current performance
- Right Athlete, Right Environment
- Open, inclusive and ‘keep the net wide’ approach
- Multiple opportunities; multiple eyes; multiple contexts
- Quality and frequency of training and competition

Learnings from this year…Hockey Diet

We need to ensure we are considering the hockey players training/playing “diet”. The new system, once in full flow, puts the athlete at the centre and conversations between player, parent and coach should be ongoing throughout the year within their different environments.
With those players in our club environment this season, the hockey diet has been a new and tricky balance, especially for those preparing for GCSEs and A-levels. This is an area we need to ensure is well-balanced and supportive as our young people are feeling the stresses of life even more, and it is important we are mindful and support them as best we can through coaching on pitch, and check-ins with players to 1) make them feel listened to and valued and 2) flag-up anything going on behind the scenes. Getting information out of teenagers can be tough, but simple questions around how they are feeling can be helpful to build a picture on how they are dealing with the new amount of training they are doing.

Shen and I are more than happy to speak to players and parents about their hockey diet. They of course, love their hockey, but I can give many examples of young players from my time in the regional and national age group programme who were incredibly talented but eventually burnt out and stopped playing the sport all together. Even if they are just playing at club and are at state school, our current club players, if they are 13+ could be playing 6x a week if they were to attend all youth and adult club sessions, and that number doesn’t include state school sports teams, on top of their education, family time and other sports they may play.

The future…

We have been given a mission by club management this year, that all areas of the club are aiming to have a five year plan in place by the end of the summer. This is obviously a plan that is going to be absolutely jam-packed full of opportunity, however a big part of the initial discussions are going to be about where do we sit with the England Talent System right now, and where do we want to be. Now I think I speak for the majority, we want to create a community where all our youth have a love for hockey AND can be as ambitious as they want to be, becoming the best hockey player and person they can be under the Tangerine umbrella. The youth section of the plan will be led by Shen, Julia and myself, but if you do have any contributions you would like to make to an area of the club, even if it’s just advisory then please let us know, or if you know someone who can offer their expertise please do send them our way.

Lucy
Coaching Co-ordinator

More information can also be found on the EH website https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/play/talent-system

SAHC YOUTH Q&A SESSION Sunday 11 TH June 2023
ENGLAND HOCKEY TALENT SYSTEM

Session led by Lucy Briscoe, Shen Dedic and Julia Hutchinson

England Hockey introduced a new talent system in 2022, and this session aimed to answer some of the questions which SAHC parents have about the system and the impact for their youth players. More information about the system can be found at https://www.stalbanshc.co.uk/a/youth-hockey-56905.html?page=9. This is a summary of the questions asked at the session, and the responses provided.
Please note that if you would like to ask questions at any time you are very welcome to get in touch. We will run another Q&A early in the season if it would be helpful, but are very open to people contacting us directly at any point.

How do nominations for County happen?
This occurs via a Club or school, with players attending workshops and open trials. County runs alongside Club, providing the opportunity for players to experience a different coaching voice, have a different peer group. It can be useful for development of hockey skills and hockey ‘IQ’.

Are age groups the same for County as they are at Club?
The simple answer is no, not completely! County and Club do now run on academic calendar years, so players are split at the 1 st September-31 st August years. The youngest age group is named U13, but there are separate U12 sessions within that as far as we are aware. There is then U14, U15, and then U17.
At present we have nominated players for all age groups up to U15 and there are workshops taking place in June and early July for those players who have opted to take up the nomination. U17s follow early in the new season, and we will be nominating players at that point.

Is County hockey worthwhile for older youth players, particularly in comparison to their access to adult Club hockey?
This will depend upon the player, and the benefits County offers still stand at this stage. However, these benefits can also be gained through the training and match experience of adult hockey, particularly when a player is playing in the higher adult teams. The opportunities for coaching and match play within the adult side of the Club can offer an extremely positive alternative if County has not been an option or has not been taken up as an option.

Can you explain a little more about the Talent Academy environment?
in the past, Performance Centres (PCs) were run by EH, set by EH, coached and administered by EH. Now there is a much greater focus on Club involvement, with Clubs who have run Talent Academies taking on the development of these players in this environment. There is variety in terms of coaching, provision, time, approach (online or in person), kit style (much of the kit currently has little EH badging, and can look very similar to that of the Club where the TA is running), and the cost. It can be up to £1500 per player, which is additional to any other Club hockey they play so is a significant cost for a family. There is also a significant amount of hockey provided for the cost in some centres, e.g Cambridge TA training 42 weeks a year, on a Monday night. We’re happy to support players and talk them about managing their hockey diet and the ‘load’ of the training provision they can access.
TAs are open to all players aged 15-18. Unlike the PCs, TAs are one age group entry, meaning that although a 14/15 year old could be put forward, they would then be playing with 17/18 year olds. Our feeling is that a younger player would have to be exceptional to thrive in this environment, and, as a youth management team we want to ensure we consider the right athlete at the right time.
There are also multiple entry points to the new Talent System, aiming to ensure players with potential have more opportunities to develop and be ‘spotted’. It should be noted that although the system has more entry points, once a player has started down a particular route that is the route they are tied to until that cycle of the programme has ended, e.g. if a player has gone to TA assessment, been selected and then joined the TA for a season, there are opportunities to be spotted by National Age Group coaches within the TA. Players cannot then be nominated by any other coach for National Age Group trials during the time (i.e. each year) they are part of a TA, even if a coach feels they have the potential and have just been missed at the time of
assessment at the TA. If a player then leaves the TA setup then nominations can be made in the next cycle/year.
SAHC has players at the TAs at Hampstead & Westminster and Old Loughtonians.

Opportunity and Experience within SAHC
In addition to the EH Talent System, we are looking to extend the talent provision within the Club this coming season. Shen, Julia and Lucy are working on what this will look like but there will be additional coaching and support available through the Club for those older youth players who need further stretch and development within their hockey diet. This is likely to be at an additional cost per player as it will be additional to the standard Club provision.
Julia and Lucy are also working with the Mens and Womens Club Captains and team captains to improve and develop the transition process for youth players moving into adult hockey.
Lucy and Julia have also recently completely an application to EH for SAHC to gain Talent Centre status, which would give recognition of our existing provision, and give us accountability within the Club to maintain and develop our provision and standards. It would also act as a stepping stone in the process if we were to apply to become a Talent Academy in the future. This is under consideration and may well be in the 5 year plan which is currently being worked on. To achieve this we would need to be able to provide sufficient pitch space, so need to consider
the impact of such a decision on other players.

Does SAHC need to become a Talent Academy to ‘survive’ as a Club?
The TA set up is still in very early days and is likely to adapt and change as feedback is taken on board. Although EH were very keen not to produce ‘super clubs’ through the TA structure, almost inevitably Clubs may well strengthen their positions by being a TA. Applying to set up a TA is something we are considering at SAHC but it’s not an easy decision as there are many implications for everyone at our Club. We wouldn’t make money out of running a TA as
they need to self-fund and all the necessary resources come at a cost (there is no money from EH); we would require additional pitch space to accommodate the sessions, with a probable direct impact on our members; and we would need to provide/appoint coaches at the appropriate levels. We have a strong youth section, and want to encourage and develop our players but need to do so in the best way for the whole Club.

Can you explain some of the background to why EH decided to change to the new Talent System?
The main EH aim was to make the system and process more accessible, removing some of the travel and time constraints for players, giving them a more positive experience. As mentioned earlier, there are also multiple entry points to the new Talent System as players can be nominated by any coach who has worked with them (e.g. school, club or county).

Who coaches at which TA?
This information isn’t entirely clear on any TA website, but is something we can ask for as part of our feedback on the system, particularly to those TAs who we send players to.

Is it possible for players to be nominated to other home nation age group trials, i.e. not just England?
Yes, in theory, but it is through contacting the hockey bodies for each nation and response varies. It is a GB Talent Framework, although there are slight differences between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in how they are run. There have also been eligibility changes in recent years. Shen, Lucy and Julia are looking at developing a database of players involved at County, TA, etc, and include details of the level they play/train at, and the possible eligibilities for other nations. SAHC will try to support players in going forward for other home nations
if appropriate.