Great Britain Hockey (GB) is delighted to announce the men’s and women’s players selected for the Elite Development Programme (EDP), this includes 15 players from across Great Britain selected to its new-look Women’s Elite Development Programme.
This exciting new approach will focus on providing bespoke development and support to our highest potential female athletes to aid their progression and transition to Senior International Hockey.
Commenting on the changes to the Women’s programme Heather Williams GB Head of Elite Talent Development said: “Over the last year we’ve reviewed our provision to our sub-senior elite female players, and we’ve made some changes to ensure we can continue to provide the best possible support to our sub-senior female players across all Home Nations.
“For the first time we asked players to apply to the programme and to articulate why they wanted to be part of the programme. The focus will be on individual development rather than preparation for a specific tournament, so it was important to ensure those selected are ready and able to fully immerse themselves in the development opportunities available”
The smaller GB programme will be run alongside a distinct England under-21 squad which will be confirmed at the end of January.
Thirty-three men have been selected for the men’s programme which will continue to run as a combined Great Britain and England under-21 programme. The squad includes Scottish brothers Ali and Calum Douglas alongside the likes of Tom Spreckely and Jonny Sturch Hibbitt who have progressed from the England under-18 programme and some with Senior International experience such as Wales’ Fred Newbold.
Each player’s development journey is unique and players develop at different rates and in different place so it is exciting to see Henry Croft returning to the squad aged 22 after a three year absence alongside 16-year old Tommy Austin, already capped at Scottish Senior level and the youngest member of the EDP squad.
The men’s programme kicked off at Loughborough University and the first women’s training camp will be February alongside the Senior programme at Bisham Abbey.
