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Fareham Hockey Club is proud to be part of the England Hockey National Performance Centre for the South Coast.
What is a National Performance Centre for Hockey?
National Performance Centres (NPC) have been selected by England Hockey to provide excellence in training facilities and the delivery of a high performance hockey programme for selected players aged 18-23 years. The centres will provide players with top quality coaching alongside specific strength and conditioning programmes. They will also provide support to athletes with physiotherapy, lifestyle and medical support and the development of their academic qualifications.
What do the Directors of England Hockey think of the new NPCs?
David Faulkner, England Hockey’s Performance Director thinks that the NPC’s will provide our athletes with an opportunity to excel in a highly competitive performance environment with support that ensures that their educational aspirations are sustained. He commented “At the same time, the NPC’s will allow England Hockey to deliver daily technical input to enhance skill development and support the players with the highest quality in strength and conditioning, physiotherapy and lifestyle support. The club links are vital with these clusters for best practice to be shared and continually improve the all round performance environment of hockey in England”.
The South Coast NPC
The National Performance Centre for the South Coast is founded on the basis of a strong partnership between the 3 institutions (Portsmouth, Southampton and Southampton Solent Universities), the five Clubs (City of Portsmouth, Fareham, Havant, Southampton & Trojans) and the Royal Navy.
The partnerships with the local clubs mean that the NPC athletes get the best of both worlds: University hockey on a Wednesday and playing within a club set up at weekends where they can thrive off the experience of the club players. The clubs offer a range of national and top regional experience:
- Premier National League: Trojans (women)
- Conference National League: Fareham (men) & Havant (men)
- South Regional League: Havant 2nd XI (men), Southampton (women), Havant (women), Trojans 2nd XI (women) & Southampton 2nd XI (women)
Facilities
The NPC utilises HMS Temeraire, Havant College and Wellington Sportsground which all provide players with access to waterbased pitches. Moreover the Universities of Portsmouth and Soutampton Solent have both recently invested in new sports science facilities, whilst the University of Southampton has built a specialist Strength & Conditioning facility. Professor Mike Tipton at the University of Portsmouth is now chairman of the UK Sport Research Advisory Group, reflecting the prominence of Portsmouth’s standing in working with elite athletes.
Additional Support
In addition to the hockey specific offer, the universities will provide a range of support to the NPC athletes which includes:
- Financial assistance for equipment, competitions and training expenses.
- Free access to the university’s sports facilities i.e. gym, courts and swimming facilities (as appropriate to the institution).
- Strength & Conditioning coaches and personalised programmes.
- Personal trainers to assist with gym based sessions.
- Fitness testing.
- Support of a dedicated sports mentor.
- Access to physiotherapy.
- Nutritional advice.
- Subsidised coach education opportunities.
- Lifestyle support e.g. managing finance.
- Support with accommodation for example financial assistance or priority placements.
- Parking permits.
For more information on the NPC please contact Dan Tilley (dan.tilley@port.ac.uk).
Further information can also be found here on the England Hockey site. |
