CCHC Awarded Talent Academy!

Cambridge City Hockey Club is proud to announce that we have been invited by England Hockey to host a Talent Academy in Cambridge, starting in the 22-23 season. This is a key step in the introduction of the new England Hockey Talent System.

The Cambridge Talent Academy (CTA) will select and develop 25-30 girls and boys respectively aged 15-18 from schools, clubs and counties in the catchment area, who have the potential and commitment to make it to the highest level of international hockey. The CTA will be delivered by CCHC in collaboration with Cambridge University and other local institutions. 

CCHC is one of seventeen clubs in the initial tranche invited to host a Talent Academy for the next three years. Talent Academy catchment areas will be confirmed by the end of May. 

A CTA head coach and lead coaches have been provisionally identified and we will be working with them and England Hockey to finalise all the details over the next two months.

Mark Brookes, CCHC Chairman and CEO, said “We are delighted and proud that CCHC has been invited to deliver the Cambridge Talent Academy. It reflects the hard work and thought that our team has put into how we can strengthen hockey here and across the region. We look forward to working with clubs, schools and counties to ensure we can broaden access and that as many young people as possible have the opportunity to develop and compete at the highest level.”

Selection for Talent Academies in 2022 will take place in August and September. Candidates will be identified in two ways: a) through the Performance Centre (PC) Cycle and Challenge Cup and b) an open nomination process for non-PC players by schools, clubs and counties at the end of May. England Hockey will share details soon.

The Cambridge Talent Academy will work with feeder clubs and centres to ensure the most appropriate decisions are made about where and how selected players develop and play their hockey based on the RARE (right athlete, right environment) principle.

Further information will be added to the CCHC website over the coming weeks. The England Hockey announcement is here and their FAQs for players and parents can be downloaded here. Full details of the new EH Talent System can be found here.

In the meantime, if you have any questions please email cambridgetalentacademy.cchc@gmail.com.