5. Junior Player Pathway and Progression

Sheffield Hockey Club’s Junior Section aims to develop life-long hockey players by prioritising enjoyment and the development of junior athletes as both people and players. We offer a clear pathway to support the development of junior members, help them progress, realise their potential and meet their aspirations.

In addition to participating in age-group training and matches, many of our junior members will go on to play hockey on Saturdays as part of our development squad, and when appropriate, become valued members of our senior teams. Some junior members will also progress into our performance squads.

Many of our junior members are selected to represent their county, with some also progressing through the England Hockey Player Pathway to represent regional and national age-group programmes.

However, our overwhelming objective is to enable every junior member to enjoy their experience of both training and playing games so that they want to form a lifelong attachment to the game of hockey.

Progression to 11-aside hockey
From the age of about 13, most junior players will have the opportunity to play 11-aside league hockey, through one or more of the following:

• Participation in either U14, U16 and U18 Tier 1 or Tier 2 junior league matches.
• Participation in the Mixed Development League, to support the transition to playing in competitive matches against adults.
• Players aged 13 and over (with parental consent) may be invited to train with senior teams. Players subsequently may be asked to become available for selection to play Saturday league matches for teams in the Men’s and Women’s sections of the club. Invitations are extended through the Club Captains, in consultation with the coaches of the relevant age groups and the mixed development squad.
• Players who have reached Y12 in school, and are no longer eligible to play in U16 age group hockey, will be asked if they would like to transition to senior training (if they have not yet done so) and to senior teams so they can remain members of Sheffield Hockey Club.

Sheffield Hockey Club will apply England Hockey’s Right Athlete Right Environment (RARE) principles when considering what is the most appropriate playing environment for a junior member at the time and whether/when it may be appropriate for them to progress to another playing environment. A copy of the RARE principles are below.

Mixed Development Squad
The Mixed Development Squad is made up of players from the U16, U14 and U12 age-groups who want to increase their exposure to 11-aside hockey by playing in matches on Saturdays with other local clubs. A couple of adult players typically join the mixed development teams as playing coaches, and help junior players to develop their understanding of the game, team structures and the positions of 11-aside hockey, tactics, and game contexts. This helps to prepare juniors for the transition to playing in competitive matches against adults.
Junior coaches and coordinators identify and invite players to join the Mixed Development Squad from about the age of 13. Invitations can be made to players throughout the season, as players develop and/or express an interest in playing more hockey.
Further information about the Mixed Development Squad can be obtained by contacting Alastair Stewart or Jeremy Ferreira.

England Hockey Player Pathway
At the start of each season, Sheffield Hockey Club’s junior coaches and coordinators will nominate some junior players to attend assessments for the South Yorkshire Academy Centre and the opportunity to represent their county at U12 to U17 age groups. Over 50 of our junior members are currently selected to represent their county, while some also go on to attend a Talent Academy and take part in regional and national age-group programmes. Please see the England Hockey Talent System webpages for more information.