University of Bristol Talent Academy Programme
Programme Overview
Venue and Facilities
Coombe Dingle, ‘The Dingle’, is the home of sport at the University of Bristol; this includes two floodlit, sand dressed astroturf hockey pitches, plus changing rooms and toilets for each gender.
The University of Bristol Talent Academy will have exclusive use of at least one pitch for all sessions. These sessions will be in addition to existing University of Bristol sessions.
Video/in person classroom sessions will take place in the Coombe Dingle Pavilion as we currently do for our club video sessions. This is configurable for a classroom environment and includes necessary WIFI & AV equipment.
Training Programme
The University of Bristol Talent Academy runs throughout the season from September to July. Training provision includes 260 delivery hours (130 hours per gender) of training/competition provision.
Training provision consists of a mix of pitch, classroom and strength and conditioning hours. This approach is considerate of the amount of Hockey Talent Academy athletes will be undertaking within the traditional hockey season September to March with School, Club and TA Hockey. In the off-season (April to July), TA loading will increase as other hockey loading (club/school) is reduced.
Please note for the purposes of cost allocation, winter terms (terms 1 and 2) are considered to run from September to April, with the summer term (term 3) running from May to July.
Session Timings
Sessions take place on Thursday evenings and are 1.5 hours per gender, per session. Training sessions are 6.30pm - 8.00pm and 8.00pm - 9.30pm. The training session times alternate between the boys and girls each week.
Consideration has been given to loading, in particular after competition days. Additionally, short breaks during the season have been proposed for example in half term weeks and Christmas break, to allow for rest in the schedule. Loading will be continuously reviewed throughout the cycle and adjustments made as the Talent Academy operation progresses, with the young people we work with foremost in mind.
Where appropriate, we can supplement delivery hours through attendance at UBHC sessions. A member of UBHC will have access to a further 2 x 1.5 hour club training sessions per week in terms 1 to 2 plus pre-season, thus adding potential for c.80 hours of training plus up to 22 games per season.
Competition Provision
Competition dates shall be in line with the England Hockey Centralised calendar. 15 competition days have been reserved according to reserved dates within the calendar including the Talent Academy Festival in July (3 days).
Any dates not required for competition shall be provisioned for training at this stage, to be reviewed as we understand the needs of the groups. England Hockey are confirming the calendar and this will be published as soon as possible.
Membership and Costs
The cost of the Talent Academy is £899 per year payable via monthly direct debit through our SEH portal.
With this cost, Talent Academy athletes will participate in 260 hours (130 per gender) of hockey delivery hours.
For full details relating to payment of the programme please see our Sport, Exercise and Health Terms and Conditions with Section 1 Clause 4 and 5 covering payments and cancellation respectively.
Club Hockey Pathway
Athletes attending the Talent Academy shall not be required to represent the University of Bristol Hockey Club (UBHC). The hockey club and Talent Academy entities will be separated but connected with the aim that young people feel supported and not pressed when it comes to choosing their hockey environments. However, where appropriate (and subject to discussion), the pathway for young people to join UBHC will be available as it is today.
UBHC shall remain student-centred, allowing the Bristol Hockey Talent Academy to act ‘independently’ of a club, allowing young players and their parents a ‘clearer’, simpler choice when choosing to work with us, focused around their development and what is right for them.
Players shall not be required to ‘leave’ their home clubs and may continue to partake in junior and senior hockey within those environments. Players aspiring to higher levels of hockey where this does not exist within their home clubs may be offered this with UBHC or may be supported to find the right level of hockey within other positive coaching environments.
Club Purpose & Aspirations
The University of Bristol Hockey Club (UBHC) is one of the University’s largest & most successful clubs. With nearly 400 members & 13 teams (7 Ladies, 6 Men’s), there is an environment for everyone who wants to play hockey during their time at Bristol. UBHC consistently ranks in the Top 10 University hockey clubs in the country.
UBHC has gone from strength to strength in recent years, attracting high quality people, players & coaches. There are a number of professional coaches in place, led by our Head Coach who oversees both Men’s & Ladies’ programmes.
Our University of Bristol Mens 1st team plays in the England Hockey Conference West, with an ambition to return to Division One experienced in the 2022/23 season. Our Women’s 1st team is an ambitious West Premier League (W) team, having had two recent stints in England Hockey Conference West.
UBHC already has a track record of supporting some of our area’s highest potential young players, already working with schools & clubs to provide stretch, a challenging but welcoming environment and a focus on personal development, irrespective of whether or not a young person plays for the club. Two of the current England U18 squad & one current England U16 have trained or played with the squad in the last 5 years. The club is currently supporting a total of 4 members, male & female, who would nominally be eligible for Talent Academy selection, who have chosen to play for the club. In addition the club continues to welcome other young people into training sessions on an ad-hoc basis where appropriate.
Right Athlete Right Environment
As coaches, we exist to support those we work with and our connections provideus the energy to provide more opportunity. Through the Talent Academy, we are looking to provide more opportunity for young players in the Bristol area to train and play at a highstandard within the area and in an environment that truly supports their interests above all.
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If you would like more information, please e-mail us.
