HWHC TA is based at Paddington Recreation Ground in Maida Vale, London and launched in the first cohort of Talent Academies in Summer 2021.
At the end of cycle festival in July 2023, the girls placed in the top 6 Talent Academies with two wins and one loss. The boys won all three matches, placing in the top 3 Talent Academies.
At the 2024 TA Cup, both the boys and girls finished second in their groups with two wins and one loss. They finished in the top 12 Talent Academies after losses in their final matches.
In 2023, four girls and three boys were invited to England U16 and U18 National Age Group trials.
In 2024, three boys and three girls were retained for England U16 and U18 National Age Group trials and an additional two boys and one girl were selected to trial.
Nomination to Talent Academy is managed centrally by England Hockey.
The next nomination window opens on 1st November 2024 and closes on 1st May 2025.
Talent Academy Process
1. Your child is nominated by their club, school or County to trial for a Talent Academy and you have selected HWHC.
2. We invite players to attend three Open Assessment sessions.
3. After the three Open Assessment sessions we will send a feedback letter via email.
There are two outcomes following trials:
A) Coaches have not selected this player for Talent Academy.
B) Coaches would like this player to attend trials in August/September for the 2025-26 Talent Academy cycle. These trials include 2024-25 age eligible TA players, alongside those successful in the open assessment phase.
Open Assessment Dates
Sunday 1st December 2024
Saturday 14th December 2024
Sunday 5th January 2025
Monday 28th April 2025
Monday 5th May 2025
Monday 12th May 2025
Monday 19th May 2025
Monday 2nd June 2025
Monday 9th June 2025
These trials include 2023-24 TA age eligible players, alongside those successful in the open assessment phase.
Players should attend at least two sessions but can join all four if they are able to.
All trials will be at Paddington Recreation Ground.
The cost to attend trials is £36. This is a fixed cost, players do not pay more to attend all four sessions.
Tuesday 27th August 2024
Boys & Girls: 5pm - 7pm
Wednesday 28th August 2024
Boys & Girls: 5pm - 7pm
Thursday 29th August 2024
Boys & Girls: 5pm - 7pm
Sunday 1st September
Girls: 10am - 12pm
Boys: 12pm - 2pm
HWHC Talent Academy is part of the London region and play East Grinstead, Guildford, Surbiton and Wimbledon Talent Academies during the cycle.
Fixture dates:
Sunday 15th December 2024 - Development (Full Squad)
Sunday 26th January 2025 - Development (Full Squad)
Sunday 9th February 2025 - Development (Full Squad)
Sunday 6th April 2025 - Development (Full Squad)
Sunday 4th May 2025 - Competitive (Squad of 18)
Sunday 22nd June 2025 - Competitive (Squad of 18)
Sunday 29th June 2025 - Competitive (Squad of 18)
Sunday 6th July 2025 - Competitive (Squad of 18)
Sunday 13th July 2025 - Competitive (Squad of 18)
Sunday 20th July 2025 - Competitive (Squad of 18)
Talent Academy Camps will run on the following dates:
Autumn Half Term - Friday 1st November 2024
Spring Half Term - Friday 21st February 2025
Easter - Friday 11th April 2025
Each camp is one day, 10am - 3pm, at Paddington Recreation Ground.
The cost to attend is £60.
All Talent Academy players are invited on tour over Easter weekend, normally departing Thursday before Good Friday and returning on Easter Monday.
In 2023 the girls went to Valencia and in 2024 the boys and girls went to Holland.
Paddington Recreation Ground
Maida Vale, London W9 1PD
Transport: Maida Vale tube (5 mins walk)
Parking: There is a car park at Paddington Recreation Ground. The entrance is on Carlton Vale. The car park charges on weekdays and weekends. You can park for free on residential roads surrounding the park from 6.30pm on weeknights and any time at the weekend. Morshead Road and Grantully Road are close to park gates.
Talent Academy membership fees are for the full cycle, September 2024 - July 2025.
Financial support is available for any players who need assistance. It’s really important that we are aware of any financial support that is needed so please don’t hesitate to get in touch: HWHCTalentAcademy@outlook.com
TA kit is provided by Hawkin Sport and parents will receive a link to the order page.
Playing kit
All players need:
Sky blue playing shirt
Shorts/skort
Sky blue socks
If players are unable to purchase kit, they are able to borrow a set for the season.
Shirt numbers
These are provided by the TA.
Away shirts
The men’s purple shirt and ladies navy tank are optional.
Away socks
The team wears navy socks if sky blue is a colour clash with another team. Any plain navy hockey socks are fine.
Quarter Zip
The quarter zip top is optional.
Goalkeepers
Option of either black or red. GKs selected for the festival in July will need both colours.
The TA Festival is the culmination of each cycle. Players take part in four matches across four days against other TAs. National Age Group scouts attend for the opportunity to take players forward to England trials.
18 players from each TA squad are selected to take part: 16 outfield players and 2 goalkeepers.
The age requirements are as follows:
U15 (Year 10) : No less than 3
U16 (Year 11) : No less than 5
U17 (Year 12) : No more than 6
U18 (Year 13) : No more than 2
U15/U16 GK : 1
U17/U18 GK : 1
TA Festival 2025
Dates TBC.
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