Player Pathway
The England Hockey Player Pathway provides an environment that helps all junior players realise their potential, whether that means they are the best club player that they can be, seek a lifelong commitment to the game through coaching, or volunteering, or perhaps go on to represent England or Great Britain at junior or senior level.
The Player Pathway is made up of the following tiers:
Development Centres – provide a local entry point to the player pathway for U13s - U17s
Academy Centres – delivered in 49 counties, provide a high quality talent programme for identified players in U13 – U17 age groups
Performance Centres – are based across the country providing frequent, high quality training with the best coaches for U15 and U17 players
Futures Cup – supports player development within a high-intensity and pressurised best v best tournament environment
Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) - programme provides additional training and sport-related education for U17 players selected from Performance Centres
National Age Group Squads (NAGS) – are selected at U16 and U18 age groups for girls and boys. NAGS provides the first taste of international competition for our young players
U21/Development Programme – is an elite training environment for players who aim to transition into the senior programme and become world-leading players
The entry point for junior players into the Player Pathway is a Junior Development Centre (JDC) and most of Leek's junior players attend the North Staffordshire JDC which currently runs from the astro pitches at Leek High School and Newcastle-under-Lyme School. Further details are available at: http://www.northstaffordshirejdc.co.uk/
From JDC, Leek have had players progress through the Player Pathway to represent Staffordshire and Midlands and into England age-group squads