National Academy breathes fire!
The Welsh National Hockey Academy came to life at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff over the past 2 week ends when a total of 21 talented athletes were brought together for the induction process.
The process included Great Britain field based tests and an introduction to gym work and testing, presentations on how the Academy will work, expectations of the athlete and personal interviews, The athletes, selected by National Squad Head Coaches using the Welsh Hockey's talent identification and player development criteria, were put through their paces by a team from Welsh Hockey and Rhodri Thomas on behalf of the Welsh Institute of Sport.
The athletes, all but two of whom are aged from between 16 and 21, are now part of a development programme designed to support their progression as hockey players. The athletes will attend High Performance Centres for skill development and come together periodically for sports generic work and testing. There will be competition for places and maintaining a spot on the programme will depend on individual progression over the next year.
Strongly supported by the Sports Council for Wales, the Academy represents the final step by the WHU in putting together the player pathway for Hockey as laid out in the Strategic Plan last May. The pathway now links grass roots to GB. Players taking take part in junior programmes at accredited clubs and with schools, counties and regions that link with the pathway can work their way through the Performance Development Centres to Regional Academies and on to the National Academy. Everyone involved in hockey now has a chance to be part of the playing revolution.
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