England Hockey is delighted to announce that 21 players have been confirmed in the 2024 England under-21 women’s squad following the assessment in January.
Fourteen of the team who finished fourth in the Junior World Cup in Chile last December return to the squad including captain Beth Alexander and Scarlett Spavin who scored three goals in her debut international tournament. Scarlett is joined by her sister Ruby who was nominated for assessment following the 2023 Talent Academy Festival where she represented the Talent Academy hosted by Old Loughtonians HC.
The 2024 programme begins at Warwick University from 13-15 February as a combined England under-21 and under-18 set up as part of the new approach which will see greater integration and fluidity between age groups as England Hockey looks to provide the best possible stretch and development opportunities for its most high potential female players.
The team will travel to Spain at Easter and then to France in May for a rare opportunity to play at the Olympic stadium alongside FIH Pro League matches, all part of the preparation for the EuroHockey Junior Championships in July.
Commenting on the new squad Heather Williams GB Head of Elite Talent Development said:
“Congratulations to all the players selected and my thanks to their coaches and families who support them day in day out to help them achieve their hockey aspirations. It is great to see a mix of experience and new squad members. Players like Georgina Gardens and Sofia Martin, both also part of the Great Britain Elite Development Programme have now experienced two Junior World Cups. As they look to build on those experiences progress themselves, the opportunity for younger players to train and learn alongside them on and off the pitch is invaluable too so we can develop a continuous pipeline for players”
Full details of the squad can be found on the England U21 Squad page.
The men’s GB EDP squad which includes the England Under21 squad was confirmed in December and can be found on the GB Elite Development Programme (EDP) page.
