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HomeHOCKEYAn invitation of a lifetime for young Sevenoaks Hockey players

An invitation of a lifetime for young Sevenoaks Hockey players

Max Denniff has been called up to the England U18 squad after a great performance at The Futures Cup in August

On Monday 4th September, a letter arrived at the homes of Sevenoaks Hockey Club players Max Denniff, Ben Fox and Renee Ojikutu. The letter was from England Hockey inviting them to continue their hockey development as part of the broader England U18 Boys and U18 Girls training squads for 2017/18.

All had been picked during the summer to play for the Saxon Tigers in the Futures Cup which took place at St Albans Hockey Club from Wednesday 23 August to Saturday 26 August. For many of the players this was their first experience of an intense tournament style competition, where each region battled it out in their respective age groups for a chance to be crowned a champion.

Max Denniff has been a member of Sevenoaks Hockey Club since he was nine years old and attends the Whitgift School in Croydon which prides itself on being at the forefront of sports achievement. They have won over 120 national titles in the past five years in a wide variety of sports, with a number of students going on to pursue a career at the highest level.

England Hockey run a scheme called the ‘Player Pathway‘ which provides an environment that helps all junior players realise their potential, whether that means they are the best club player that they can be, seek a lifelong commitment to the game through coaching, or volunteering, or perhaps go on to represent England or Great Britain at junior or senior level. The Player Pathway is made up of the following tiers:

  • Development Centres – providing a local entry point to the player pathway for U13s – U17s
  • Academy Centres – delivered in 49 counties, providing a high quality talent programme for identified players in U13 – U17 age groups
  • Performance Centres – are based across the country providing frequent, high quality training with the best coaches for U15 and U17 players
  • Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) – a programme providing additional training and sport-related education for U17 players selected from Performance Centres
  • Futures Cup – supports player development within a high-intensity and pressurised best v best tournament environment
  • National Age Group Squads (NAGS) – are selected at U16 and U18 age groups for girls and boys. NAGS provides the first taste of international competition for our young players
  • U21/Development Programme – an elite training environment for players who aim to transition into the senior programme and become world-leading players

Sevenoaks Sports would like to congratulate Max, Ben and Renee on their fantastic achievement and we will be keeping close tabs on you for the foreseeable future.

To get in touch with Sevenoaks Hockey Club, you can contact them through their website at www.sevenoakshockeyclub.org.uk

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