Over 3 days from 29th–31st July 2023, Nottingham is set to play host to the England Hockey Talent Academy Festival, presented by Sunbelt Rentals UK and Ireland.
The event brings together all the Talent Academies across England along with teams from Wales and Ulster to play against each other and is an opportunity to celebrate collectively the progress of the Talent System.
The festival is the largest outdoor junior hockey event in the country and will see 48 teams – 24 girls’ and 24 boys’ teams play 72 matches over 6 pitches at the Nottingham Hockey Centre and University of Nottingham. With over 800 players and 1500 spectators expected cheering them on, it will be a great showcase for topflight hockey and a scouting opportunity for England age group selections.
As well as the hockey, teams will stay together on the university campus and have access to other elements which make-up a high performance environment, including video analysis and physiotherapy support. There is also a university exhibition and a hockey retail store.
Heather Williams, Head of Elite Talent Development said: “I’m really looking forward to spending time at the Talent Academy Festival. It marks the end of the first year of Talent Academies and will be a brilliant opportunity to highlight the progress made by each of the Talent Academies and provide a high performance tournament environment for players and their support teams. Success in tournament hockey is multi-faceted and diligent preparation, analysis and recovery are all critical components. We’ve tried to set the tournament up to give players time to learn about these as well as play some exciting hockey in front of their friends and families. My sincere thanks to everyone involved in this event and throughout the year in delivering the Talent Academy programme.”
Speaking about the event partnership Phil Hardy, Finance Director at Sunbelt Rentals said: “We’re thrilled to be contributing to England Hockey’s Talent Academy Festival in Nottingham. At Sunbelt Rentals the ‘Our Planet’ sustainability plan commits us to investing in local communities and helping them to thrive. By sponsoring local events and providing people from the surrounding areas with job opportunities, such as apprenticeships, we are able to positively transform lives and lead positive change.”
Dates : 29-31st July 2023
Festival location :
Nottingham Hockey Centre
University Boulevard
Nottingham
NG7 2PS
Getting there :
https://www.englandhockey.co.uk/competitions-and-events/venue-information/getting-to-the-venues
Tickets : Spectator entry to the festival is free, parking tickets for each day can be bought here https://shop.ticketing.cm.com/englandhockey
Match schedule :
Boys’ festival https://englandhockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/373
Girls’ festival https://englandhockey.altiusrt.com/competitions/374