WEST HERTS JUNIOR ELITE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Kicking off in January 2017, the club is launching an exciting new initiative to help us translate our burgeoning youth section into a larger pool of future potential National League players. The West Herts 'Junior Elite Development Programme' will provide additional support and feedback to our best on-field prospects. Each December, the junior coaches will select the members of the 12-month programme in the Under 17 and Under 15 age groups. Those selections will be made as a coaching team, with additional input from Mens and Ladies team captains and coaches.
Those selected for the Programme will be appointed a dedicated junior section coach. The dedicated coach will have worked with that player previously and will have experience of either playing National League Hockey or significant involvement in the England Hockey Player Pathway, meaning that they will understand what it takes to play to a high level. The coach will take time to observe the player in junior and senior fixtures (and take feedback from other coaches, captains and other senior club members), provide regular feedback to the player and work on a development plan with the player. Alongside this, there will be access to a basic hockey fitness and conditioning programme, a chance to observe a 1st XI training session and a discount off of Gryphon purchases through our sponsors, the Pro Shop. The first group of players selected for the programme will be announced in December 2016 and there will be a meeting for them and their parents early in the New Year.
The four dedicated coaches for the programme in 2017 are:
Dan Brown - a former National League goalkeeper, Dan represented South of England Under 21s and also Great Britain Police. In recent times he has coached in the England Hockey Player Pathway at both JAC and JRPC levels. He is Under 14s Girls Coach at WHHC.
Alex Cloote - a former National League player, Alex represented East of England at junior level. He also won the HA Trophy with West Herts. Like Dan, Alex is a qualified coach and works across a range of age groups, but particularly with the boys starting out in the lower Mens teams.
Evie Eyles - a current National League player at West Herts, Evie is a Level 2 Coach and works with a range of age groups at West Herts. She taught at the University of the Pacific, CA, between 2012-2014, where she gained her Masters in Health, Exercise, and Sport Science.
Kiran Raichura - a Level 2 coach who coached at the England Hockey Futures Cup in 2016, Kiran is a current Coach at England Hockey's new Performance Centres. He is player-coach in the Mens 3rd XI and has previously played up to East Premier League level. Kiran coaches the Under 18s Boys Squad at West Herts and leads the Junior Training Programme at the club.
The names for the 2017 cohort are:
Under 17s Girls:
Imani Bailey, Rebecca Bell, Katie Bryden, Jemima Dawkins, Olivia Evans, Nicole Poole
Under 17s Boys:
Aushan Gosrani, Haaris Malik, Tom Martin, Tom Milford, Tom Watts, Callum Woodage
Under 15s Girls:
Melissa Coates, Maddie Fairnell, Siena Gosrani, Gabriella Holland, Charlotte Snooks
Under 15s Boys:
Lucas Allen, Amaan Manji, Sulaimaan Manzoor, Alex Nazareth, Sahir Patel, Matty Woods
Goalkeepers:
Toluwa Adedoyin, Isaac Michaels