State Team Pathway

DRAFT CAMP

The Hockey Victoria Draft Camp is the Academy selection event, which also doubles as a development program. Draft Camp is available to anyone who HAS NOT satisfied the selection criteria for automatic entry into the Hockey Victoria Academy. Draft Camp is the only entry point into the Academy for players who have NOT gained automatic entry through having represented Hockey Victoria in the relevant State Teams.  The Draft Camp program combines intensive skill development in small groups, modified games and match play. It provides athletes with the opportunity to improve their skills and techniques under the guidance of our high performance coaches as well as be assessed and potentially gain selection into the Hockey Victoria Academy Program. 

THE HOCKEY VICTORIA ACADEMY

The Hockey Victoria Academy is designed to transform talented young hockey players into top hockey players. The Academy program takes great pride in the development of young players who aspire to play for Victoria, HC Melbourne and beyond. Hockey Victoria operate age-appropriate programs that provide players with a supportive environment which promotes growth and success in hockey, and in life. The Academy aims to expose young talented hockey players to a brand of hockey that is offensive-minded, creative, fast, and one that embraces and individual flare. The HV Academy Program runs for approximately six weeks. Academy training will include physical testing, skill based sessions, match play days and player analysis. HV Academy is offered to U14, U16 and U18 age groups. HV will also offer an ‘emerging talent’ 2nd tier academy if there is demand. As a result, additional intensive training is offered to a wider range of players.

OPEN PLAYER ASSESSMENT

The Open Player Assessment session provides an opportunity for athletes to be assessed by our Athlete Identification Officers (AIOs), to potentially gain selection through to the Final Player Assessment (FPA) phase of our State Team selection process. The OPA is targeted at athletes who were either unsuccessful with selection into our the HV Academy, or were unable to attend the Draft Camp for whatever reason. The OPA provides athletes with the opportunity to participate in an intensive and specific skill training session with athletes of similar age. The session is generally run in conjunction with school holidays, as well as leading into the FPA phase. The session itself will consist of a combination of technical skills, modified games, and full field match play. 

TEAM SELECTION

Athletes are selected through Final Player Assessments to represent Victoria at the Australian National Championships. For more information, resources and FAQs on state team selection and high performance pathways, visit the link below.