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Hockey NSW Performance Pathway

Welcome to the Hockey NSW Performance Pathway, designed to cultivate excellence in Hockey across New South Wales. Our pathway is a structured framework that guides athletes through stages of development, providing opportunities for skill enhancement, competitive experiences, and the pursuit of high-performance goals. 

 

Talent Identification

Hockey NSW is thrilled to move towards a new Talent Identification model, strategically designed for the long-term development of athletes. This progressive initiative aligns seamlessly with Hockey Australia's Big 5, emphasising a holistic approach to athlete development. At its core, our strategy is dedicated to redirecting attention towards comprehensive athlete development, fostering player retention, and optimising state team success. 

  • Holistic Athelete Development: Our Talent Identification model places a strong emphasis on holistic athlete development, identifying five key performance pillars required for athlete growth and success.
  • Player Retention: By prioritising player development, our focus extends beyond immediate selections, nurturing a player-centric environment that encourages sustained engagement and growth within our Hockey community. 
  • State Team Success: A pivotal goal of this pathway is to elevate state team success. By identifying and nurturing talent through strategic assessments, we aim to strengthen our state teams for unparalleled achievements. 
  • Comprehensive Skill Assessments: A range of skill assessments meticulously designed to identify and track athlete development will play a pivotal role in shaping talent identification and team selection practices. 

This marks a significant step forward in our commitment to advancing Hockey excellence within New South Wales. The transition to the Talent Identification model reflects our dedication to creating a dynamic, supportive, and success-driven environment for athletes to thrive.

 

Hockey NSW Futures Academy 

Talent Identified athletes will be provided opportunities to continue to develop their skills within their local association, Hockey NSW Futures Academy and/or attend showcase selection events. There will be three phases of development across a 40-week development program comprising on and off-field training and education, development camps, skills assessments and competitions. 

Skill development and assessments will occur across all five Hockey NSW Performance Pillars being: technical skills, tactical skills, physical performance, mental capacity on and off the pitch and professionalism. The performance pillars are the holistic foundation which all training, workshop, comptition and assessment opportunities are created. 

Key Features:

  • Three Phases of Developement: A 40-week program with three phases for comprehensive skill enhancement. Phase one; development journey, Phase two; physical growth and maintenance journey, Phase three; performance readiness journey. 
  • On and Off-Field Training: There will be a variety of on-field training sessions, educational workshops and strength and conditioning sessions to support the Hockey NSW's holistic approach to success. All sessions and workshops will work to develop athletes to be skilled, tactically smart, high physical capacity and robustness, mentally prepared and striving for performance excellence on and off the pitch.
  • Development Camps and Competitions: Opportunities to participate in development camps and showcase your skills in competitive settings. 

The Hockey NSW Futures Academy is your pathway to excellence in Hockey. Explore the opportunities ahead as we collectively elevate the standard of play in New South Wales. Embrace the journey, Embrace the future. 

Contact

For all enquiries, please email pathways@hockeynsw.com.au.

 

Athletes will undergo continuous skill assessments, receiving rankings from 1 to 10 across the five performance pillars. These individual scores will contribute to the determination of their athlete perfomance profile ranking, providing an overall ranking out of 100. This comprehensive ranking incorporates diverse data and performance metrics derived from local assessments, Futures Academy training, development camps, showcase events and competitive performances. 

 

Talent identified athletes will be given feedback on their athlete performance profile highlighting areas of weakness and strength for continued player development. Furthermore, it will also be used to inform decisions related to state team selection. Noting, no feedback will be provided to athletes regarding state team selection or process.

The performance pillars are the foundation for all training, educational and assessment tools implemented. Hockey NSW has identified key skills and characteristics of a successful player according to age group, which can be found in the talent ID handbook. 

  • Technical Skills Assessment: Conduct drills, skill sessions, and scenarios to assess technical abilities such as dribbling, passing, shooting and ball control.
  • Tactical Understanding: Evaluate players'game understanding, positioning, decision-making, and ability to adapt to different game situations. 
  • Physical Performance: Assess fitness levels, speed, agility, endurance, and overall physical capabilities through standardised tests and game simulations. 
  • Mental Capacity and Behaviours: Use interviews, psychological assessments and observations to gauge mental resillience, focus, teamwork and sportsmanship. 
  • Proffesionalisim On and Off the Pitch: Consider factors like attitude, commitment, conduct during training, respect for coaches, teammates and opponents. 

Stay tuned for updates!

Stay tuned for more!