HWHC Talent Academy

HWHC TA is based at Paddington Recreation Ground in Maida Vale, London and launched in the first cohort of Talent Academies in Summer 2021.

At the end of cycle festival in July 2023, the girls placed in the top 6 Talent Academies with two wins and one loss. The boys won all three matches, placing in the top 3 Talent Academies. Four girls and three boys were invited to England U16 and U18 National Age Group trials.

At the 2024 TA Cup, both the boys and girls finished second in their groups with two wins and one loss. They finished in the top 12 Talent Academies after losses in their final matches. Three boys and three girls were retained for England U16 and U18 National Age Group trials and an additional two boys and one girl were selected to trial.

At the 2025 TA Cup, the boys won Pool F, winning all matches with the highest goal goals scored in the tournament. The girls won Pool C with two wins and one draw, gaining an extra point in penalty shuffles. Five boys and five girls went on to England trials for U16 and U18 age groups.

Nomination to Talent Academy is managed centrally by England Hockey.

The 'last look' nomination window for the 2026/27 season is open from 1st October - 1st November 2026.

https://tanominations.talentplatform.hockey/talent-academy-open-nominations/

Assessment 1

Final opportunity to nominate players for what is now the current season.

This is targeted at players returning from injury, players showing recent significant progression since the start of the season & players that TAs have seen on one of the two previous assessment windows and wish to invite back a for a final look.

This is the only nomination window when TAs can include players who were previously nominated in either the first look or the main window preceding.

Players not successful at this nomination and assessment point must be nominated again to be assessed in the future.

Nominations: 1st October - 1st November 2026

Assessment Dates:

Sunday 13th December & 3rd January

Time: 2pm - 4pm (2 hours for each squad, timing TBC)

Location: Paddington Recreation Ground

Cost: £18 per session

Assessment 2

The starting point for identifying players for the 2027/28 Talent Academy cycle.

Nominations: 1st March - 1st May 2027 TBC

Assessment Dates:

Please see June - July section of the schedule.

Location: Paddington Recreation Ground

Cost: £18 per session

Talent Academy Process

1. Your child is nominated by their club, school or County to trial for a Talent Academy and you have selected HWHC.

2. We invite players to attend assessment sessions.

3. After the assessment sessions we will send an outcome via email. Please allow 7 days for feedback.

Players who are successful at assessment are invited to trial for the 2026/27 TA cycle.

Players should attend a minimum of two sessions and can attend three/four if they'd like to.

Trials for 2026-27

Tuesday 25th August 2026: 5pm - 7pm

Wednesday 26th August 2026: 5pm - 7pm

Thursday 27th August 2026: 5pm - 7pm

Sunday 30th August 2026: Open/Boys 10am - 12pm. Girls 2pm - 4pm.

Cost

£18 per session.

HWHC TA 2026-27 Provisional Schedule (v2 29-Jul) (1).pdf
Download

2026/27 fixtures are TBC.

All Talent Academy players are invited on tour over Easter weekend.

In 2023 the girls went to Valencia, in 2024 & 2025 both squads went to HDM in The Netherlands, in 2026 both squads went to Kampong, The Netherlands.

Easter 2027

Thursday 25th / Friday 26th - Monday 29th March

Euro Hockey Trophy, Club TBC, The Netherlands

Paddington Recreation Ground

Maida Vale, London W9 1PD

Transport: Maida Vale tube (5 mins walk)

Parking: There is a car park at Paddington Recreation Ground. The entrance is on Carlton Vale. Parking is charged on weekdays and weekends. You can also park on residential roads surrounding the park. Parking is charged (£2.16 per hour) Monday to Friday from 7am - 9.30pm, and Saturday to Sunday from 7am - 8.30pm.

Paddington Recreation Ground Map.pdf
Download

Talent Academy membership fees are for the full cycle, September 2026 - July 2027.

Financial support is available for any players who need assistance. It’s really important that we are aware of any financial support that is needed so please don’t hesitate to get in touch: HWHCTalentAcademy@outlook.com