Development Centres

Each year Berkshire Hockey Association runs Development Centres (DC) for playing squads in the under 13 to under 17 categories at venues across the county. Each year Berkshire Hockey Association welcomes in excess of 500 young athletes to the Development Centre training and selection programme and these are largely nominated from schools and clubs within the county and outlying areas.

Equipment

Outfield participants must bring their own stick and must wear shinpads and gum shields.  All outfield players are provided with a coloured and numbered bib which must be worn over other clothing.  All players will be required to wear sports clothing suitable for the conditions.  NB the programmes takes place on astroturf pitches and astro shoes/trainers are therefore preferable to standard sports trainers.

Goalkeepers are required to bring their own kit which must include the following:

  • Kickers
  • Leg guards
  • Abdominal guard/pelvic protector
  • Padded shorts
  • Chest protector body armour
  • Throat / neck protector
  • Helmet
  • Hand deflectors
  • Smock
  • Arm Protectors (preferred although not essential)

The sessions are physically demanding so all  players must bring plenty to drink, with water being the preferred option.

 

2025/26 Development Centre Programme

The DC program is the first step on the Berkshire County Player Pathway after club and school hockey. It is for committed and enthusiastic players who want to take their hockey to the next level. Players who complete the DC program may then be selected for the Academy Centre (AC) program and will be playing competitive matches against other counties in early 2026

This year we will be starting the DC program with Summer Camps for U13 and U14 girls and boys more details here. Our young players will receive intensive coaching during the Camps and the Coaches will have a good opportunity to assess them. After the Summer we expect that most of these players will be invited to continue training on Friday evenings in our DC program in the Autumn when we will then be running a further 3 or 4 training sessions for these age groups as a lead up to final selection for the AC program.

 

 

For the older age groups, we are delighted to announce the Berkshire Hockey 2025/26 Development Centre programme will commence on 5th September 2025. Full details on the programme can be found here.

 

Cancellation and Non-attendance

In the event that it is necessary to cancel a session, we will endeavour to give as much notice as possible.  Sessions are rarely cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.  Players should wear clothing appropriate to the conditions on the day, which may mean additional layers.

If your child cannot attend a session, please inform the Team Manager at the earliest possible opportunity.  Whilst we understand that on occasions it may not be possible to attend a session, players are assessed throughout the programme with a view to selection to the next phase in the process.  Low attendance may reduce the efficiency of such assessments, thus lowering the chances of progression.

Notes for Players

We’ll keep the player information nice and short:

  1. Listen to the coaches – they will explain the sessions and are looking for opportunities for you to show what you can achieve.
  2. Be a team player – we are looking for players who work hard as part of a team.
  3. Try new skills – it’s a Development Centre.
  4. Have fun!

As a reminder to parents about the "fun" part, please take a moment to watch this video:

Video called My Magic Sports Kit