The Bowdon HC Talent Centre
England Hockey (EH) is evolving the way players develop and progress through its Performance Pathway. Bowdon HC is proud to be one of the first England Hockey Talent Centres, and we aim to embed high quality junior development within our Junior Programme.
As a Club Mark accredited Talent Centre in the EH Talent System, Bowdon:
- Is accredited to provide the right training and development environment for all levels of player, including those aspiring to progress through the EH Pathway
- Offers a direct route for player nomination to progress to Talent Academy and/or England National Age Group (U16 or U18 NAGS) trials
- Provides an accessible way for all players to enjoy developing to the best they can be, within the club environment
Player development is at the core of our training ethos. To achieve this, our junior training and player development is being evolved to support a continuum of juniors from those aspiring to play at the highest national level to those learning and enjoying social hockey. This means that within our membership, there is a choice of playing environments for each player, depending on their playing priorities or commitments. Aspirational players do not need to pay to participate in outside-club hockey activity, e.g. County, in order to progress through the England Hockey Talent Pathway.
Hockey Foundations
At the root of player development is the development of strong core hockey skills. Therefore we start our focus on this in early primary age, reinforced with specific Foundations skills training for years 6-8.
Talent Centre Age Group Training
The main Talent Centre focus is for players in years 8-11 (age 12-16). Therefore our U14 and U16 age group training, run by professional coaches with experience of the Talent Pathway, is key for players who are keen to progress and commit to their hockey. These are held fortnightly, with boys then girls training on alternate weeks from 6.30 – 8pm at the home ‘wet’ pitch.
2024/25 dates and details are below. Players who are committed and keen to be part of our U14 or U16 competitive squads or progress through the Talent Pathway should prioritise these over other sessions.
U14 and U16 Squad Training 24-25
Additional Talent Centre Sessions
As part of our Talent Centre, we also run several other activities:
- 1-2-1s
- Small group training
- Holiday sessions
- Spring Talent Development Programme
- Young leader development (coaching and umpiring)
These can be found on the Bowdon Hockey Plus website and subject to discounted cost for members. They are also open to non-members for a fee. If you have any questions please contact Connor Jameson at [email protected]