Boys & Girls Talent Academy (‘TA’) squads for 2024/25 have begun training every week after their recent selection following assessments in September; this will continue until the end of the Summer Term 2025. The selected players will also attend a series of training camps and matches against other TAs throughout the season before a smaller squad of 18-20 is selected for the end of cycle TA Festival Competition in Nottingham, usually held over 3 days in late July.

Girls:
• Nina Blackburn & Jocelyn Reynard (University of Bristol TA)

Boys:
• Alex Bienemann, Fergal Brewer, Jack Bryson, Charlie Emms (capt), Gavin Patterson, Matt Pullin, Josh Tse & Ted Wallace (University of Bristol TA)
• Charlie Day (Bath Buccaneers TA)
• Freddie Hill (Stourport TA)
• James Shaw (University of Exeter TA)

Congratulations to all these players for their achievement and for representing the club so well in the wider hockey environment. Might be some interesting local derbies ahead for the boys!!!

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.