Men’s Junior National Program Update
September 27, 2010
The following is an update on the Men’s Junior National Team (MJNT) “Target 2013” Program.
The MJNT is a strategic initiative directed via our High Performance (HP) Strategy. The initiative is grounded in the principles of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and is a key link in our athlete development pathway. It is a 4-year program building toward the next Junior World Cup in 2013. The program represents a long term investment in the grooming and development of the next generation of internationally successful field hockey athletes. It is our hope that these athletes will form the basis of continued success at the Senior National level.
As originally stated, the funding for our Target 2013 is led by FHC where funds have been set aside in the HP budget. However, additional funding will likely be required to maximize our opportunities, deliver all parts of the program plan, and create an effective support infrastructure. This additional funding will likely be a combination of player levy contribution and / or sponsorship.
Program Objective
To qualify for and position top 12 in the Junior World Cup in 2013
Program Structure
- The program will be based out of Vancouver
- The program will develop athletes eligible to participate in the JWC or JWC qualifier (1992 birth year and younger)
- The program will support a Junior National Team Coach and an Assistant both based out of Vancouver
- A Junior National Team Coach and an Assistant Coach will be put in place by Jan 2011
- Athletes will train as often as feasible year round
- Training opportunity for the squad will be provided in Vancouver and all out of province squad athletes are welcome to attend.
- Efforts will be made to build in an extended centralized period each summer so that the entire squad can train together
- General squad training in Vancouver will be ideally 3x/week, predominantly on weekends
- Training centers in Ontario and Alberta will also be supported by the Program. This support will be through regional identification camps and coach education and mentorship opportunity offered to provincially identified coaches.
- Efforts will be made to standardize training quality, volume, and focus across all the centers
- Volume of training at regional centers will be lowered between May and July to allow athletes to prioritize provincial training. The Junior National Coach will use this opportunity visit training centers and continue to identify local athletes and mentor identified local coaches
- The program including training, coaching, and touring costs, will be partially funded by the Senior National Team budget and subsidized by athlete levies
- Levies will be assigned to athletes travelling on touring teams and participating in centralized periods of training e.g. selection camps and squad training during the summer
- The program sees provincial level development and participation within the provincial high performance system as a fundamental part of it long term success
Competition
- Competition windows will be ideally placed so as to minimize time away from school. These include: Thanksgiving / Remembrance Day long weekends in the fall, Winter vacation, Spring Break,Easter / Victoria Day long weekends in the spring, Summer Vacation.
- Competitive opportunity in 2010/2011 will not simply be awarded to the top ranked athletes in the squad, but rather focus on exposing as many capable athletes to top level international competition in the hope of keeping the pool as large as possible for key selection decisions in the years to come.
- Only athletes on the squad will be eligible for selection to competition teams
Player Identification and Intake points
- A Junior National Team Squad was identified in Aug 2010
- Canada’s Junior National Team squad will be identified/re-identified and trained as a group every year at an extended centralized camp in the late summer following national championships
- Invitations to this selection camp will be based on provincial recommendations and identification at National Championships
- Additional points of entry/ identification opportunities for the program will include: Regional identification camps in Ontario, Alberta and BC early in the new year (Jan), and All National Championships (Senior / U18 / U16) in the summer
- Minimum selection criteria will be established for entry to the squad
- Performance selection criteria will be established for selection to a competitive opportunity
- Athletes not meeting performance selection criteria will not be eligible for selection to a competition team but will still be allowed to train with the squad
- In exceptional circumstances athletes can get added to the squad at any time based on provincial recommendations and athletes meeting the Minimum selection criteria
Training and USA Test Series Nov 8th-14th
- National Squad practices will begin in Vancouver on Thu Oct 7th and run through to Sun Dec 12th
- Practices for this training block will run 3x/week on Thu nights, Friday night, and sat morning
- Practices will be open to all members of the squad
- A detailed practice schedule will be sent to the entire squad
- Our Junior National Team will be playing a series of 3 test matches against the USA in Moorpark, California.
- The tour is scheduled from Nov 8th – 14th
- As an interim measure, a staff including a Head Coach, one or more Assistant Coaches, and a Manager will be appointed by the National Coach put in place to begin training in Vancouver and take the team to California in November
- The team for the USA series in Nov will be announced shortly and will be picked based on rankings at the identification and training opportunities this past August including the camp and the series of tests against the USA
- Training in Vancouver will be ideally 3X/week predominantly on weekends
Field Hockey Canada would like to sincerely thank our members for your patience with respect to communication around this program and specifically the USA project in November. We hope that this will serve as a good start to providing you the information you need.
