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.
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.
In 2023, four girls and three boys were invited to England U16 and U18 National Age Group trials.
In 2024, 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.
Nomination to Talent Academy is managed centrally by England Hockey.
The next nomination window opens in November 2025.
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 up to three Open Assessment sessions.
3. After the Open Assessment sessions we will send a feedback letter via email. Please allow 3 days for feedback.
There are two outcomes following trials:
A) Coaches have not selected this player for Talent Academy.
B) Coaches would like this player to attend trials in August/September for the 2026-27 Talent Academy cycle. These trials include 2025-26 age eligible TA players, alongside those successful in the Open Assessment phase.
Open Assessment Dates
Sunday 4th January 2026
Time: 2pm - 6pm
Location: Paddington Recreation Ground
Cost: £36
Monday 20th April 2026
Monday 27th April 2026
Monday 11th May 2026
Monday 18th May 2026
Monday 1st June 2026
Monday 8th June 2026
Time: 7pm - 9pm
Location: Paddington Recreation Ground
Cost: £18 per session
These trials include 2024-25 TA age eligible players, alongside those successful in the open assessment phase.
Players should attend at least two sessions but can join all four if they are able to.
All trials will be at Paddington Recreation Ground.
The cost to attend trials is £18 per session.
Tuesday 26th August 2025
Boys & Girls: 5pm - 7pm
Wednesday 27th August 2025
Boys & Girls: 5pm - 7pm
Thursday 28th August 2025
Boys & Girls: 5pm - 7pm
Sunday 31st August 2025
Boys: 10am - 12pm
Girls: 12pm - 2pm
2025/26 Provisional Fixture Dates:
Sunday 14th December 2025
Sunday 11th January 2026
Sunday 8th February 2026
Sunday 19th April 2026
Sunday 3rd May 2026
Sunday 21st June 2026
Sunday 28th June 2026
Sunday 5th July 2026
Sunday 12th July 2026
Sunday 19th July 2026
All Talent Academy players are invited on tour over Easter weekend, normally departing Thursday before Good Friday and returning on Easter Monday.
In 2023 the girls went to Valencia, in 2024 & 2025 the boys and girls went to Holland.
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. The car park charges on weekdays and weekends. You can park for free on residential roads surrounding the park from 6.30pm on weeknights and any time at the weekend. Morshead Road and Grantully Road are close to park gates.
Talent Academy membership fees are for the full cycle, September 2024 - July 2025.
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
TA kit is provided by Hawkin Sport and parents will receive a link to the order page.
Playing kit
All players need:
Sky blue playing shirt
Shorts/skort
Sky blue socks
If players are unable to purchase kit, they are able to borrow a set for the season.
Shirt numbers
These are provided by the TA.
Away shirts
The men’s purple shirt and ladies navy tank are optional.
Away socks
The team wears navy socks if sky blue is a colour clash with another team. Any plain navy hockey socks are fine.
Quarter Zip
The quarter zip top is optional.
Goalkeepers
Option of either black or red. GKs selected for the festival in July will need both colours.
The TA Cup is the culmination of each cycle. The event takes place at the end of July at Nottingham Hockey Centre.
Players take part in three matches across three days against other TAs. National Age Group scouts attend for the opportunity to take players forward to England trials.
18 players from each TA squad are selected to take part: 16 outfield players and 2 goalkeepers.
The age requirements are as follows:
U15 (Year 10) : No less than 3
U16 (Year 11) : No less than 5
U17 (Year 12) : No more than 6
U18 (Year 13) : No more than 2
U15/U16 GK : 1
U17/U18 GK : 1
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